Lake Pichola is the crown jewel of the city of Udaipur in Rajasthan, India. An artificial freshwater lake was built in 1362 AD to solve the perennial drinking water problem of the city and meet the irrigation needs of its neighboring villages. The legend goes it was built by a banjara (gypsy) tribesman, Pichhu Banjara who used to transport grain and named it after the nearby Picholi village, during Maharana Lakha’s reign. It is one of the most famous contiguous lakes, around which Udaipur city has grown in the last few centuries. The word ‘Pichola’ literally means ‘garden’.
Lake Pichola is famed for the islands built in the lake and the strikingly beautiful palaces built on them. In 1560, Maharana Udai Singh, impressed by the charm this lake exudes, founded the city of Udaipur on its banks and also enlarged the lake by building a 15.24 meter high stone masonry dam in the Badipol area of the Lake. Three of the lakes in Udaipur are connected to each other, creating a vast network of interconnected water bodies. Pichola lake is connected to Swaroop Sagar Lake by an arched bridge built by Maharana Swaroop Singh, which in turn is connected to Fateh Sagar Lake.
Pichola lake is located next to the Bagore Ki Haveli museum which acts as a landmark. The lake is flanked by numerous palaces, temples, family mansions or Havelis, bathing ghats, chabutaras, and restaurants. Some of the most famous buildings in and around the lake are Pichola Palace, Jag Nivas Palace, Mohan Mandir, Bagore Ki Haveli, and City Palace. In 1983, a Hollywood film about James Bond was filmed in Lake Palace Udaipur and two other nearby palaces, Shiv Niwas Palace and Monsoon Palace.
One of the oldest and biggest lakes in Udaipur, Pichola lake is world famous for its picturesque beauty and scenic surrounding. Even world-renowned author Rudyard Kipling mentioned this lake in his book, Letters of Marque (1899). The Sisarma stream, a tributary of the Kotra River, is the largest contributor to the lake and drains its’ water from the Aravalli Mountains into the lake. Lake Pichola is massive; it is 4 km long and 3 km wide, with depth varying between 4.32 meters to 8.5 meters. Amply re-supplied by rainwater collected by rainwater harvesting techniques adopted for centuries by Banjara or Gypsy people, the lake has never run dry except during several drought conditions coupled with virtually no rain.
The lush green hills with the backdrop of royal palaces along its banks are the cherry on the cake. The biggest attraction of the lake, Lake Palace was built in 1746 by Maharana Jagat Singh II on the Jag Niwas Island and is spread over 1.6 ha., it has now been converted into a 5-Star Heritage Hotel. Machchala Magra hill, on the southern end of the city palace complex, is part of the old city alongside a small fort of Eklinggarh and temples. All this makes Lake Pichola, one of the popular sightseeing places to visit in Udaipur.
Pollution
The water of Lake Pichola is very polluted nowadays and has a high chemical content. Uncontrolled tourist influx, intense development activities in the basin area, dumping of untreated municipal and domestic sewage into the lake has affected the lake. Growth of water hyacinth, increased presence of vegetation at lake bottom, floating micro algae is affecting the lake. Large-scale uncontrolled mining of marble and other minerals in surrounding areas has resulted in heavy deforestation of hill slopes around the lake.
This has led to catchment area degradation and soil erosion resulting in increased deposition of sediments into the lake and disturbing the lakes ecosystem. As a result, out of 42 species of fish, present in the lake only 17 species have survived. Though steps are being taken to restore the lake by the NGOs, and concerned government organizations with focus on boosting catchment area and restoring the existing one covering an area of 12702 ha.
Booking.comIslands and Hotels
Jag Mandir, Jag Niwas, Mohan Mandir, and Arsi Vilas are the four islands on the lake. Two of these islands, Jag Niwas and Jag Mandir are located, at a short distance from the lake shore, within Pichola Lake are known for the palaces built on them, namely Lake Palace and Jag Mandir respectively. While other 2 islands; namely, Mohan Mandir has facility from where the king watched the annual Gangaur festival celebration; whereas Arsi Vilas, smallest of all 4 islands; has a small palace on it.
Arsi Vilas was also used as ammunition depot. Arsi Vilas was built by Udaipur royals to enjoy sunset on the lake. It is also has Sitamata Game Sanctuary for birds, including tufted ducks, terns, cormorants, coots, egrets, and kingfishers. Built in 1740s by Maharana Jagat Singh, Lake Pichola Hotel on Jag Niwas Island; in the middle of the lake, is a heritage hotel. Spread over 4 acres, it offers complete range of modern amenities for a luxuriously comfortable stay with 80 rooms. Each hotel room is stylized with traditional Rajputana style, making it one of the finest hotels in Udaipur.
The enchanting views of sunrise and sunset from the hotel makes it unforgettable experience. Jag Mandir island is home to the famous Lake Garden Palace. It served as a summer retreat for the Udaipur royal family. The construction of Jag Mandir was started in 1500s by Maharana Amar Singh, continued by his son Maharana Karan Singh. It was finally finished by Maharana Jagat Singh, and so the palace was named Jag Mandir. The palace inspired Mughal Prince Khurram later Emperor Shah Jahan in construction of Taj Mahal.
Mohan Mandir island, was built by Maharana Jagat Singh between 1628 and 1652. Located on the north east corner of Lake Pichola, Mohan Mandir serves the place from where the royals used to witness the Gangaur festival. The fourth island of Arsi Vilas was built by Udaipur royals to enjoy the sunset on the lake.
Boating in Lake Pichola
A visit to Lake Pichola is incomplete without a boat ride, especially at dawn. There is no entry fee to visit Lake Pichola. However, boating on Lake Pichola which is the biggest attraction for tourist coming to the city of Udaipur is charged. The boats are available with six to eight seating with canopy. Wearing life jackets is compulsory for tourists while going on a boat ride on the lake.
Booking.comThe view of the sunset during boat rides is captivating. Lake Pichola has paddle boats, motor boats available for tourists. The boats are available for hire at INR 400 to 600 for adults and INR 200 for children. Boating tickets for sunset are priced at INR 700 for adults and INR 400 for children. The boat ride starts from Rameshwar Ghat, to Lake Palace, then to Jagmandir.
Walking Tour of Lake Pichola
As lake Pichola is surrounded by many historic buildings such as City Palace, Bagore Ki Haveli, Mohan Mandir, Gangaur Ghat, a walking tour is the best way to look into these buildings. These guided walking tours organized once in a day cost anywhere between INR 1300 to INR 4000.
Best Time
The best time to visit the lake is during evening hours to view sunset. Timings of Lake Pichola are from 9:00 am to 6:00 pm on all days. Best time to visit Lake Pichola is during monsoon season from July to September and winter from October to February as the weather is pleasant with moderate temperature with cool breeze blowing. As Udaipur is extremely hot during summers so trip to lake is best avoid, as the water level also drops in the lake.
How to Reach
Lake Pichola is easily reachable by road from anywhere in Udaipur city. Local buses, tongas, auto-rickshaws and taxis are available from Udaipur Railway Station and Maharana Pratap Bus Stand, both of which are located 3 kms away from the Lake. Udaipur is well connected by air, rail and road with all major cities of India. This mesmerising lake can make anyone fall in love with it and wanting to visit it again and again.
