Lake Pichola Udaipur
Udaipur is one of the largest city of Rajasthan and it is popular as a “Lake City”. There are a number of lakes present in Udaipur, Among all lakes, Lake Pichola Udaipur is one of the most visited tourist destinations in the city. This man-made lake is situated near Picholi village. The name “Pichola” came from this village name. This 14th-century lake was built by a “Banjara (Gypsy)” man during the Maharana Lakha regime. Surrounded by pleasant greenery, most picturesque location, scenic palaces present on the shore, these are some of the specialties which make this lake an ultimate destination.
Lake Pichola Of Udaipur remains open on all weekdays between 9:00 AM to 6:00 PM. Festival season and public holidays may affect Lake Pichola Udaipur timings. Sunset is the perfect timing to experience the boating ride in Pichola Lake. During summers, try to avoid visiting in the afternoon. Keep your sunglasses, water bottle and cap with you.
Lake Pichola boat ride rates are higher at the time of sunset. During regular timings, boat ride rates are Rs. 300 per person for an adult and Rs. 150 per child. But if you want to go for the boating in the evening hours to enjoy the splendid sunset then you need to pay the extra amount for it. Boat ride costs Rs 500 per adult person and Rs 250 per child during sunset hours. You can also hire a private boat which costs you Rs. 4000 for seven people. Boat owners provide cheaper rates also, but then the journey will be shorter and you will miss the chance to visit lake palace.
This serene artificial sweet water lake was built in the year 1362. A “Banjara (Gypsy) man built it during the Maharana Lakha regime. Founder of today’s Udaipur, Maharana Uday Singh was impressed by the beauty of this calm lake. So he decided to build the city on the bank of Pichola Lake. He had increased the size of this lake by constructing a “Badipol” dam. This dam was built using stones. The whole dam is a masterpiece of stone masonry.
This 8.5 feet deep lake is spread over the area of 696 hectors. The lake is surrounded by numerous islands, where you will find the royal palaces, temples, luxury hotels etc. The famous Arsi Vilas island is well known for a bird sanctuary. It is situated on the western side of the lake. There are some wonderful heritage attractions present here some of them are Jag Mandir, Lake Palace, Bagore Ki Haveli, Mohan Mandir etc.
The world-famous city palace of Udaipur is situated on the eastern shore of Pichola Lake. Pichola Lake surrounded by picturesque valleys has become a most visited place in Udaipur. Jagmandir Mahal is located on the southern entrance of this lake. Mughal emperor Shah Jahan got inspiration to build the monument of love “Taj Mahal” from this Jagmandir Mahal.
November to February is the best season to visit this city of lakes, Udaipur. During this period climatic conditions are pleasant and you can explore all the attractions. We suggest you to avoid visiting during afternoon hours. It may be closed during rainy season if there is a heavy rainfall.
By Road: Jagdish Chowk bus stop is the nearest bus stop from Pichola Lake. The distance between the lake and bus stop is around 1 kilometer. You need to take 10 minutes walk to reach here. There are some other bus stops like Chouhan Gali bus stop and Raj Chowk bus stop which are located on the other banks of the lake.
By Train: The nearest railway station is Udaipur railway station and it is located at the distance of 4 kilometers from the lake. You will get the public or private transport services like Ola, Uber to reach here from the railway station. This railway station is connected with all the major cities of India. There are the direct trains from Delhi, Mumbai, Pune and other metro cities.
By Air: The nearest airport is Udaipur airport. This airport is situated outside the city. It takes 45 minutes to complete this 24 kilometers journey. This is one of the international airports in Rajasthan.
Bagore Ki Haveli: A wonderful heritage attraction located on the bank of Lake Pichola. Basically, this was a royal palace. The government of Rajasthan transformed it into a museum. This place is famous for cultural dance show “Dharohar”.
City Palace Of Udaipur: Just near Bagore Ki Haveli, there is another heritage building attracting tourists in huge numbers. This building is known as a city palace of Udaipur.
