Lakes in Rajasthan

Rajasthan has a royal history which is reflected from every nook and corner of this state. The culture of Rajasthan is very vibrant and colorful. With many lakes in the city Udaipur maintains a pleasant weather throughout the year. There are several lakes in Rajasthan which also describe the rich culture of the state. The lakes are Rajsamand Lake, Udai Sagar Lake, Nakki Lake, Kaylana Lake, Raj Bagh Talao, Malik Talao, Lake Fateh Sagar, Gadsisar Lake, Lake Pichola, Swaroop Sagar Lake, Udai Sagar Lake, Raj Bagh Talao, and many others.
Firstly talking about Lake Pichola then Lake Pichola, situated in Udaipur city in the Indian state of Rajasthan, is an artificial fresh water lake, created in the year 1362 AD. Two islands, Jag Niwas and Jag Mandir are located within Pichola Lake, and have been developed with several palaces to provide views of the lake. Followed by Nakki Lake is a lake situated in the Indian hill station of Mount Abu in Aravalli range. It is a very ancient sacred Lake, according to the Hindu legend. It is called by this name because it was dug out from Nails (Nakh). There is the Toad Rock on a hill near the lake. Toad rock is so called as it looks like a toad about to jump into the lake, from the side of the rock facing the lake.Boating in the lake and horse rides around the lake are available.
The prominent Sambhar Salt Lake, India’s largest inland salt lake, which is located at the west of the city of Jaipur. The Mahabharata epic mentions this place as part of the kingdom of the demon king Brishparva, as the place where his priest Sukracharya lived, and as the place where the marriage between his daughter, Devayani, and King Yayati took place. A temple dedicated to Devayani can be seen near the lake. Fatah Sagar Lake is situated in Udaipur city and there are three small islands around this lake the largest of these is the island called the Nehru Park which is a popular garden with a restaurant and a zoo, the second island houses a public park with an impressive water-jet fountain and the third island is the address for the Udaipur Solar Observatory (USO).

Ana Sagar Lake Ajmer
Ana Sagar Lake in Ajmer is a scenic artificial lake, built by Arnoraj Chauhan who was the grandfather of Prithvi Raj Chauhan. He was also known by the name of Anaji hence the lake is named after him. Ana Sagar Lake is the biggest Lake in Ajmer, with the maximum catchments area with a depth of maximum of 4.4 meters and can store about 4.75 million cubics of water. Ana Sagar Lake is one of the most famous lakes in Rajasthan and offers number of recreational activities for tourists visitng Ajmer. There is an island in the center of the lake which is accessible by boat. Boats could be hired from the east side of the Dault Bagh.
October to March are the best time to visit Ana Sagar Lake when the climate is pleasant and drys up in summers. The Lake is surrounded by the famous Daulat Bagh Gardens which was built by Jehangir

Fateh Sagar Lake
Fatah Sagar Lake is an artificial lake in Udaipur built by Maharana Fateh Singh in 1888, after being washed away by a flood. It is one of the four Lakes of the Udaipur city and is given the nickname of 'Second Kashmir' due to its beautiful blue water and green surrounding. Fatah Sagar Lake is one of the most prominent attractions in Udaipur. There are three small islands situated amidst the lake. The Nehru Park is the largest of all the islands and is a popular garden with a restaurant and a zoo. The Nehru Park can accessible with the help of motor water boats. The Ram Pratap Palace, a residential place of the royal families is also situated on the banks of Fateh Sagar. The Fateh Sagar is connected to Pichola Lake and Rang Sagar Lake by a water canal. Due to the great historic significance and beautiful scenic view this places is highly visited by tourists from all over the world.

Gadsisar Lake
The Gadsisar Lake is one of the most famous tourist places in Jaisalmer which was built by Raja Rawal Jaisal, the first ruler of Jaisalmer. In the later years Maharaja Garisisar Singh rebuilt and revamped the lake. This historic lake is located towards the south of Jaisalmer city and the entrance to the lake is through Tilon-Ki-Pol, a magnificent and artistically carved yellow sandstone archway . The Tilon Ki Pol is adorned with an idol of the Hindu deity Vishnu, installed in the year 1908.
The bank of the Gadsisar lake is surrounded by artistically carved Chattris, Temples, Shrines, and Ghats. Its charm lies in the fact that it was the only source of water for the Jaisalmer city in the olden days. Due to its proximity to Bharatpur, different migratory birds can also be seen on the bank of the lake, adding to its beauty. This is the most popular point to take photographs of Jaisalmer fort early in the morning when the fort looks golden with the first rays of the Sun and also a bird viewing site and a major attraction of Jaisalmer city.

Jaisamand Lake Udaipur
Jaisamand Lake, famous by the name of Dhebar lake, is the second largest artificial lake in Asia (after the Upper lake in Bhopal). Expand over the area of 50 sq. km when full, Jaisamand lake of Udaipur was created by Rana Jai Singh in the 17th century. He constructed a marble dam across the Gomati river. This lake is surrounded by Jaisamand Wildlife Sanctuary which preserves around 162 sq. km of forested land.
Jaisamand lake also has 3 islands which are inhabited by the tribes of Bhil Minas. Two big islands combined called "Baba ka Magra" and another small one "Piari". Nicknamed as ‘Ocean of Victory’ (‘mand’ meaning ‘ocean’), Jaisamand lake remained one of the largest lakes in the world until the building of the Aswan dam in Egypt by the British in 1902. Maharana Jai Singh of Udaipur constructed a huge dam of 36.6 meters on the Gomati river and also distributed gold equal to his own weight on the day of its inauguration, June 2, 1691. Jaisamand lake or Dhebar lake is surrounded by the summer palaces of the Queens of Udaipur. A bund on the lake is 366 mt long, 35 mt high and 21 mt broad at the base. Its major attraction is its artistic marble dam which has six beautiful cenotaphs and a holy temple of Lord Shiva in the middle. Jaisamand lake has a courtyard on the northern end and a pavilion of 12 pillars on the southern end.
Jaisamand lake has also very rich wildlife due to Jaisamand wildlife sanctuary. The Jaisamand Island Resort which is one of the most luxurious and expensive hotel resorts in Asia is also located in one of the islands of the lake.

Lake Pichola
Lake Pichola in Udaipur is an artificial lake was built in 1362 AD. It is a located on the heart of the Udaipur city and is the oldest and one of the largest Lakes of Udaipur.The lake has a surface area of 696 hectares, and its maximum depth is 8.5 m. It is named after the neighbor village Picholi. It is one of the most famous attractions in Udaipur City. Boating facilities are available to explore the islands in the lake. Boating in Pichola Lake is the best way to explore the lake and its area. There are four islands on the lake namely- Jag Niwas, Jag Mandir, Mohan mandir and Arsi Vilas. The most beautiful and eye-catching are the Jag Mandir, a renowned lake Palace and Jag Mandir, also known as Lake Garden Palace were conceptualized buy Maharana Jag Singh. These beautiful Palaces of the olden days, richly architectures heritage adds to the beauty of the Lake. The City Palace, located on the east bank of the pichola lake and surrounded by many historic temples, mansions and a number of bathing ghats, adorns the Pichola Lake.
One major attraction of the lake is the incredible view of the sunset from here during this time the sky looks like a canvas splashed with spectacular colors. Bird watchers can also have a gimps of many different species of birds like tufted ducks, coots, egrets, terns, cormorants and kingfishers near the Arsi Vilas. In the vicinity of the lake, travelers can also see the Natini Chabutra, a raised platform, built in honor of a tightrope walker ‘Natini’ commemorating the legend around her and her curse.

Nakki Lake
Nakki Lake in Mount Abu truly defines romance in Rajasthan. Named as Love Lake of Mount Abu, it is also a largest manmade lake at the height of 11,000 meters in India. It is also a sacred lake for the Garacia tribe of Rajasthan and at the time of their festival in Shukla paksha which falls in April month it is the place of worship and remembrance of their ancestors. People consecrate their nails in the lake on this festival. It is the reason for naming of this lake as 'Nakki'.

Pushkar Lake - The Sacred Lake of Rajasthan
The Pushkar Lake is a semi-circular shaped sacred water body, also known as 'TirthaRaj’. According to the Hindu mythology, the lake was created from one of the petals that fell from the lotus flower with which Lord Bramha killed the demon Vajra Nabh. The Pushkar Lake is surrounded by more than 300 temples and has 52 ghats, where devotees take holy bath. It is a belief that if a person takes a holy dip in the lake on Kartik Purnima, then that person attains salvation it is also a belief that taking a sacred bath in the lake clears one from all sins and that it cures all skin diseases.

Rajsamand Lake
Rajsamand Lake is also known as 'Rajsamudra lake'.It is built by Maharana Raj Singh ji in 1660. Located between Rajnagar and Kankroli, just 66 km on the north of Udaipur. Rajasamand lake is built across Gomati, Kelwa and Tali rivers and covered around 510 sq. km area. It is approx 1.75 miles (2.82 km) wide, 4 miles (6.4 km) long and 60 feet (18 m) deep.
On the Rajsamand lake, a 17th century large dam also makes it attractive and useful. Lake embankment has ‘Nauchowki’ that means nine pavilions, constructed by Maharana Raj Singh ji. These magnificent pavilion are carved artistically with pictures of the Sun, chariots, Gods, birds and other artistic carvings. There are 27 marble slabs which are inscribed with glorifying history of Mewar. These longest etching in India has 1017 stanzas which are called as ‘Raj Prasasti’. Its southern embankment is completely made of white marble with stone steps touching the lake. It also have famous five toranas (weighing arches) where Maharana Raj Singh and his descendants organized the event of Tuladan (Kings used to weigh themselves in gold and then distributed it amongst the Brahmans).

Sambhar Lake
Sambhar Lake in Rajasthan also known as "Salt Lake of Rajasthan" is the largest inland salt lake in India. Spread in the 22.5 km area, this India's largest inland salt lake also regarded as a 'Gift from Thar desert'. This saline lake is divided by a 5.1 km long dam which helps in salt making. The water is fed to the lake mainly from river Mendha and Runpangarh. Salt laboratory and the Salt museum are some worthy places to visit nearby the lake.

Siliserh Lake
Siliserh Lake in Alwar city is a man-made lake about 13 kms away from the city. Built by Maharaja Vinay Singh in 1845, the lake is located in the north-eastern part of Rajasthan. The king built the the lake the people of Alwar, in order to conserve water and use it for the city. The lake is spread over an area of 7 km. With Aravalli hills in its backdrop, the beauty of the lake is just phenomenal . A beautiful Lake palace was also built by the Maharaja for his beloved wife Shila which was used as his lake palace and a hunting lodge.
There are number of activities you can do in the lake like boating, romantic dinner and scuba diving too. You can also enjoy bird watching near the lake,since numerous species of birds come here. If you are on the way to Sariska Tiger Reserve, than you must make a stoppage at this beautiful lake which is just 13 km from Alwar City. There are also many lush gardens around the lake, which were constructed by the several kings of Alwar over a period of decades. The best time to visit the lake and palace is during the winter months when the weather is quite pleasant and the lake is filled with migratory birds.

Ramgarh Lake
Ramgarh Lake in Jaipur is very famous tourist attraction, especially during monsoon when it is flooded with water. It has marvelous scenic beauty with an special attraction for the wildlife lovers due to Ramgarh Wildlife Sanctuary. Ramgarh lake is an artificial lake which covers an area of 15.5 sq. km. Until 2000, it was a major source of water supply for the Jaipur city. Its history tells that it was a hunting ground for the Maharajas of Jaipur. Ramgarh lake also hosted the rowing events in 1982 Asian Games.