The boat ride in the pristine
blue waters of the Lake Pichola, especially, in the backdrop of setting
sun is enough to seduce anybody to come to it. Maharaja Udai Singh
certainly did not miscalculate the panoramic beauty of the lake, which
is surrounded by beautiful hills, when he chose to expand it. Later two
beautiful island palaces in the middle of the lake were added by
Maharaja Jagjit Singh, now, known as Jag Niwas (popularly known as the
Lake Palace) and Jag Mandir that adds to the gleaming beauty of the
lake. One of the most amorous holiday spots of the world, the one-time
summer residence of the royalty of Udaipur, Lake Palace is made up of
white marble. It has now been converted into a magnificent heritage
hotel with beautiful pavilions, planned out gardens and legends that
always move hand-in-hand with any Rajasthani marvel. Lake Pichola has a masonry dam popularly known as the Badipol, which is 4 km long and 3 km wide. However, it is not very deep and it is not unusual that one can walk up to the island palaces from the shore during severe droughts. The City Palace titivates the east bank of the lake while an overabundance of marble temples, mansions and palaces and a number of bathing ghats envelope it from all around. Originally started by Udai Singh, additions have been done from time to tome to this building but in such an ingenious manner that it is inconceivable that the building was not planned as one whole structure. Standing on the shores of Lake Pichola, one can arrive at the palace through 'Hathi Pol' (translated as 'the Elephant Gate'), the 'Bara Pol' (translated as 'the Great Gate') and the Tripolia (translated as 'the Triple Gate'). Complete with magnificent pavilions, terraces, corridors and hanging gardens, the focal points of the place are Sheesh Mahal (The Mirror Palace), Krishna Vilas (The Abode of Lord Krishna), Chini Chitrashala (Chinese Art Gallery), Mor Chowk (Peacock Court) and the Amar Vilas (The Eernal Abode). Only a few lakes in the world can boast of so many beautiful structures all at one place and thus, Lake Pichola is certainly not worth a miss.