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Rajasthan Tours

 Lake Pichola - Udaipur

About Lake Pichola

Lake Pichola, is situated in the Lake City, Udaipur, Rajasthan. Lake Pichola is an man-made fresh water lake, founded in 1362 AD, it was named after the adjacent Picholi village. It is one of the several contiguous lakes, and developed over the last few centuries in and around the city of Udaipur. The lakes around Udaipur were mostly constructed by building dams to meet the drinking water and irrigation requirements of the city and its locality. Inside the Lake, two islands, Jag Niwas and Jag Mandir are situated and have been extended with several palaces to provide views of the lake.

There are four islands on the lake :

• Jag Niwas, where the Lake Palace is built.

• Jag Mandir, with the palace of the same name.

• Mohan Mandir, from where the king would look at the annual Gangaur festival celebration.

• Arsi Vilas, tiny island which a small palace and a storehouse of ammunition. It was built by one of the Maharanas of Udaipur to enjoy the sunset on the lake. It is also a sanctuary where a large variety of birds like egrets, cormorants, coots ,tufted ducks, terns and kingfishers.
 

History of Lake Pichola

Pichola Lake was founded in 1362 AD by Banjara, a gypsy “Banjara” tribesmen who transported grain, during the reign of Maharana Lakha. Afterwards, Maharana Udai Singh who was affected by the magnificence of this lake with the landscape of green hills, built the city of Udaipur on the banks of the lake and also expand the Lake by building a stone masonry dam in the Badipol area on the coast of the Lake.

Nearby areas of the lake and the some islands within the lake have been developed over the centuries, with shrines of marble, family mansions, palaces, bathing Ghats or chabutaras (a raised platform, uasally within a courtyard); some of the famous ones are the Lake Palace (now changed into a heritage hotel) in the middle of the lake also called the Pichola Palace or Jag Nivas on the Jag Island, the Jag Mandir, the Mohan Mandir (in the northeast corner of the lake founded by Jagat Singh between 1628 and 1652), the City Palace of Udaipur (Bansi Ghat) from where boats run to all other parts of the Lake, the Arsi Vilas Island, a bird sanctuary and the Sitamata Game Sanctuary on the western coast of the Lake.

At some parts of the lake where the lake is narrow, attractive arch bridges have been built to span the waterway between the banks. Prince Khurram who fight against Jahangir, required protection of the Mewar King Maharana Karan Singh II in 1623 and was housed in the partly completed Jag Mandir. Prince Khurram afterward seized the Mughal Empire, took the title of Shah Jahan.
 

How to Reach There

By Rail:
Udaipur is also well-connected by rail network from all the major cities of the country.  Lake Pichola is only 3 kms far away from Udaipur Railway Station.

By Road:
Udaipur is well-connected by road. Daily buses operate from various important cities to Udaipur. Lake Pichola is easily reachable by road from Udaipur City. Maharana Pratap Bus Stand of Udaipur is only about 3 kms from Lake Pichola.

By Air:
Udaipur is also well-connected by air. Dabok Airport is situated about 26 kms from Udaipur which is linked with Delhi and Bombay.
 

Tourist Attractions

Brahma Temple || Brijraj Bhawan Palace || Cenotaphes of Gaitore || Chambal Garden || City Palace (Jaipur) || City Palace (Udaipur) || Dargah Sharif || Dilwara Temple || Fatehpur Sikri || Gajner Palace || Govind Dev Ji Temple || Hawa Mahal || Jag Mandir || Jagdish Temple || Jantar Mantar || Karni Mata Temple || Kota Fort || Lake Palace || Ludurwa Temple || Nathdwara Temple || Nakki Lake || Neemrana Fort Palace || Patwon ki Haveli || Pushkar Lake || Ramgarh Lake || Rambagh Palace || Ranakpur Jain Temples || Rao Madho Singhji Museum || Sam Sand Dunes || Siliserh Lake Palace   || Umaid Bhawan Palace || Umed Bhawan Palace