|
Jal Mahal (meaning "Water Palace") is a
palace located in the middle of the Man Sagar Lake in Jaipur city, the
capital of the state of Rajasthan, India. The palace and the lake
around it were renovated and enlarged in the 18th century by Maharaja
Jai Singh II of Amber.
The Jal Mahal palace has got an eye-popping makeover. Traditional
boat-makers from Vrindavan have crafted the Rajput style wooden boats.
A gentle splashing of oars on the clear lake waters takes you to Jal
Mahal. You move past decorated hallways and chambers on the first
floor to climb all the way up to the fragrant Chameli Bagh. Across the
lake, you can view the Aravalli hills, dotted with temples and ancient
forts, and on the other side, bustling Jaipur. The most remarkable
change is in the lake itself. The drains were diverted, two million tonnes of toxic silt were dredged from the bottom, increasing its
depth by over a metre, a water treatment system was developed, local
vegetation and fish reintroduced, the surrounding wetlands regenerated
and five nesting islands created to attract migratory birds. |
|
In the
past, at the location of the lake, there was a natural depression
where water used to accumulate. During 1596 AD, when there was a
severe famine in this region there was consequent acute shortage of
water. The then ruler of Ajmer was, therefore, motivated to build a
dam to store water to overcome the severe hardships caused by the
famine to the people inhabiting the region. A dam was constructed,
initially using earth and quartzite, across the eastern valley between
Amer hills and Amagarh hills. The dam was later converted into a stone
masonry structure in the 17th century. The dam, as existing now (see
picture), is about 300 metres (980 ft) long and 28.5–34.5 metres
(94–113 ft) in width. It is provided with three sluice gates for
release of water for irrigation of agricultural land in the down
stream area. Since then, the dam, the lake and the palace in its midst
have undergone several rounds of restoration under various rulers of
Rajasthan but the final restoration in the 18th century is credited to
Jai Singh II of Amer. During this period, a number of other historical
and religious places, such as the Amer Fort, Jaigarh Fort, Nahargarh
Fort, Khilangarh Fort, Kanak Vrindavan Valley were also built in the
vicinity of the lake. All these places are now linked under a tourist
corridor of road net work. |
