Man Sagar Lake and Jal Mahal, Jaipur

MAN SAGAR LAKE

The area surrounding the Man Sagar Lake is a beautiful place to spend the mornings and evenings. It is equally popular with the city residents as well as the tourists. The place around the lake has been developed with platforms to get close to the lake and get a good view. The open space at lake and the surrounding hills present an exquisite view and the cool breeze soothes and invigorates you. It is a man made lake, about 400 years old, built as a dam to store water for the city’s population. One can see the dam at the far end from the lake periphery near the main road. The dam is about 300 meters long and 30 meters wide. There are three gates for release of water. The lake covers an area of 300 acres and has a maximum depth of about 3.5 meters. It is surrounded by Nahargarh Hills. Important palaces like Amber Fort, Jaigarh Fort and Nahargarh Fort are situated close to the Man Sagar Lake. Man Sagar Lake is a good place for watching birds as a lot of migratory birds visit the lake. An annual birding fair is held in the month of February at Man Sagar Lake to improve the conditions and make it more hospitable for the birds.

JAL MAHAL

Jal Mahal was built by Maharaja Sawai Pratap Singh, the ruler of Jaipur from 1778 to 1803. Maharaja Sawai Pratap Singh also built the famous Hawa Mahal. Jal Mahal means Water Palace. It is indeed a water palace, being situated in the middle of the Man Sagar Lake. The palace has five floors, of which four are under water and the top floor is above the water level. There is a rectangular canopy on the roof and there are semi-octagonal towers at the four corners ending with a canopy or Chhatri at the top. The palace is made from red sandstone and has a garden at the terrace. The palace was a picnic spot and was used for royal duck shooting parties.

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