Udaipur's lakes are what make it magical - Lake Pichola where the Lake Palace seems to float, Fateh Sagar that the hills frame, the interconnected system that Maharanas created by damming streams. The lakes that provide the reflections that photographs feature, the boat rides that every visitor takes, the cool that water provides in Rajasthan's heat.

The lakes face threats that romanticism cannot solve - the water levels that depend on monsoon that climate change makes unreliable, the pollution that development creates, the encroachment that population requires. The lakes are what Udaipur needs to remain what Udaipur is.

The City Palace is Rajasthan's largest, the complex that successive Maharanas expanded over four centuries until it stretched along Lake Pichola for nearly half a kilometer. The courtyards and balconies and gardens and rooms that served royal life, the architecture that combines Rajput and Mughal traditions - the palace is what Udaipur displays to justify its reputation.

The palace is partly museum that visitors tour, partly hotel that wealthy guests occupy, partly residence where the royal family still lives. The palace demonstrates what power could build; the royalty that remains demonstrates what independence reduced that power to.

The Lake Palace appears to float on Lake Pichola, the white marble structure that Maharana Jagat Singh built as summer retreat, that James Bond's Octopussy used as villain's headquarters. The palace that is now luxury hotel, the boat ride that access requires, the romance that the setting creates - the Lake Palace is Udaipur's icon.

The Lake Palace is what most visitors will not experience, the prices that few can afford, the exclusivity that the setting enforces. The Lake Palace is for viewing from shore; staying is for those whose budget matches the ambition.

Udaipur's old city spreads from the City Palace through narrow streets that vehicles cannot penetrate. The havelis that merchants built, the temples that devotion maintains, the shops and workshops that tourists support - the old city is where Udaipur actually lives behind the palace walls.

The old city is challenge and discovery - the navigation that instinct rather than maps requires, the encounters that getting lost creates, the India that exists beyond the romantic imagery. The old city is what makes Udaipur more than backdrop.

Udaipur's crafts continue traditions that palace patronage established - the miniature paintings that depict royal life, the marble work that decorates everything, the textiles and jewelry that tourists purchase. The crafts that survive because tourism replaced palace patronage, the skills that families pass down.

The craft shops that line certain streets, the artists who demonstrate techniques, the quality that ranges from tourist souvenir to museum piece - the crafts are what visitors take home. The crafts connect Udaipur's past to its economic present.