Udaipur's unique identity and shopping malls | Fusion - WeRIndia

When picturing an Indian village, the image of huts, fields, and small shops comes to mind.

However, Bhuwana, a village in Udaipur district, defies this perception by housing two prominent shopping malls.

This unusual scenario raises questions about urbanization, administrative delays, and rural-urban boundaries.

Udaipur is home to Celebration Mall and Urban Square. Both these shopping malls are modern retail spaces that attract visitors from across the region.

Surprisingly, despite these malls’ bustling activity and urban appeal, government records still categorize the area under the Bhuwana gram panchayat, marking it as rural.

Alongside these malls, the Third Space Cultural and Learning Center also operates in this region, blending urban lifestyle with rural administration.

Local residents and people from nearby villages frequent these malls to shop for various things. These include clothing, essentials, and more. This shows how consumerism is extending beyond city limits.

Despite this transformation, the district administration has not updated the area’s classification, and Bhuwana remains officially rural.

This oversight has persisted since 2012, despite repeated requests for correction by the gram panchayat and appeals from ruling party MLAs.

The reluctance to reclassify the area highlights an administrative lag in recognizing rapid urbanization.

Officials have yet to act on proposals to include Bhuwana in Udaipur’s urban jurisdiction, even though the location clearly functions as part of the city’s economic landscape.

This unique case underscores the evolving nature of rural India, where modern infrastructure increasingly coexists with traditional settings.

Bhuwana serves as a reminder of the need for timely administrative action to reflect ground realities.

As more villages experience such transitions, ensuring accurate classification will be essential for planning and governance.

For now, Bhuwana remains a fascinating blend of rural identity and urban functionality. The village offers the rare experience of shopping malls in what is still officially a village.

Image Credit: Gerd Eichmann, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Image Reference: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Udaipur-Stadtpalast-42-vom_Picholasee-2018-gje.jpg