Lake Pichola
Pichola is a lake near the city of Udaipur at the foot of the Aravalli Mountains. It is called "Indian Venice". On 4 islands and along the shore there are luxurious palaces of the maharajas, reflected in the lake surface. There are several other lakes in the vicinity of Udaipur. Three of them are connected by arched bridges to lakes Pichola and Saurop. The bridges were built in the middle of the 19th century.
History of Lake Pichola
Gypsies from the Banjara tribe created the lake in 1362 by building a small dam. The government of the country, where the bright sun mercilessly scorches and dries the soil most of the year, welcomed the construction of artificial reservoirs for irrigation. Maharana Udai Singh II, who saw the man-made Lake Pichola among the vibrant green hills, decided to found a city. At the same time, he completed the construction of a stone dam, enlarging the lake.
In 1559, Singh II built his residence near the lake. In 1568, Singh's estate at Chittorkhana was captured and plundered by the Mughals. Singh moved the capital to Udaipur, and built the Sad-jangarh palace on the hill. During the construction of the city and the expansion of the lake, part of the village of Pichola, which gave its name to the lake, was flooded. The lake is quite large, 3 km wide and 4 km long, the depth is small and ranges from 4 to 8 m. It dries up during drought.
On the island of Jagnivas in 1754, Singh II built a luxurious palace, which became a summer residence. The palace was called Ozerny, it seemed to float on the surface of a reservoir. In 1960, the palace was significantly expanded. In terms of beauty and splendor, it is compared to the famous Taj Mahal. The area of the palace is 15 thousand square meters. m. It now houses the luxurious Lake Palace hotel. Thousands of tourists from all over the world vacation at the hotel every year. This is one of the richest hotels in the world. On its territory there are courtyards, swimming pools surrounded by mango trees, and ponds decorated with delicate blooming lotuses. Filming of the film "Octopussy" about the invincible Bond took place in this hotel.
On Jagmandir Island there is a palace made of red sandstone, founded in 1620, and having the same name. It was started by Karan Singh and completed by Jagat Singh. Several years ago, the palace was converted into a small hotel with less than 10 rooms. At night it is illuminated in an original way, creating a romantic atmosphere. On the island stands the blue stone Gol Mahal tower, built in the 17th century. The entrance to it is surrounded by majestic stone elephants. From the height of the tower there are enchanting views of Lake Pichola and the nearby garden. In the tower, visitors are presented with a small exhibition telling the history of the island and the palace.
From the island of Mohan Mandir, the ruler watched with fascination the annual Gangaur festival.
On the island of Arsi Vilas there is a small palace. Previously, the island housed an ammunition depot. Now there is a nature reserve inhabited by many birds. Among them there are rare species of herons, tufted ducks, cormorants, kingfishers and other individuals.
The picturesque view of Lake Pichola with a whole complex of luxurious palaces around it took several centuries to create.
There is a legend that one of the rulers, Maharana Jawan Singh, promised the tightrope walker that he would give her half the kingdom of Mewar if she walked on a rope stretched over part of Lake Pichola. The girl took a risk and went. The rope broke, the girl fell into the lake and drowned. Before her death, she cursed the Maharana's family. Whether this is related to the curse or not, the noble family really had no direct descendants, but only adopted sons.
