Jal Mahal appears like a dream in the middle of Man Sagar Lake, with only its top storey visible above the water line. From the lakeside promenade you see a low, symmetrical palace of honey-coloured sandstone framed by blue water and the green hills of the Aravallis behind – one of Jaipur’s most photogenic views. Although entry into the palace is usually restricted for general tourists, boat rides and the lakefront give enough opportunity to enjoy the reflections, birdlife and changing colours at sunrise and sunset. The palace’s terraces and chhatris were designed as a pleasure retreat, and at night, when illuminated, Jal Mahal looks like a floating lantern on the lake.
About this place
History & highlights
Man Sagar Lake itself is artificial, created in the 16th–17th centuries by damming the Darbhawati river to provide water for the city and nearby settlements. Jal Mahal in its present form dates mainly to the 18th century, when Maharaja Jai Singh II renovated and expanded an older structure as a pleasure palace and duck-hunting lodge. The palace is built in a mix of Rajput and Mughal styles, with four submerged floors and one visible storey when the lake is full. By the late 20th century, urban growth and sewage had badly polluted Man Sagar Lake and the palace surroundings. In the 2000s, a public-private lake restoration project began cleaning the water, reviving bird habitats and stabilising the palace fabric, turning the area again into a showcase tourist zone instead of a neglected backwater.
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