Lake Palace (formerly known as Jag Niwas Palace) is a former summer palace of the royal dynasty of Mewar, it is now turned into a hotel. The Lake Palace is located on the island of Jag Niwas in Lake Pichola, Udaipur, India, and its natural foundation spans 4 acres (16,000m2).[1] Popularly described as the Venice of the East, Udaipur hosts the pristine Lake Palace, curated out of white marble.
Jag Niwas, the then Lake Palace, was constructed circa 1743 -1746 by Maharana Jagat Singh II. The 62nd custodian of the House of Mewar spent a handsome price on building this luxurious palace. The exquisite lake palace was extensively used as a summer retreat for the Mewar Royal family.
Currently, IHCL is managing the palace and has done so for the last 50 years. This luxurious palace has attained global fame as several super-hit films, including Octopussy, The Fall, etc., have been shot here.
History
Lake Palace, and Pichola Lake was built by Rana Lakshasimha (Laakha) of ParmarRajputs, in 1362 AD. The Lake Palace was rebuilt between 1743 and 1746[1] under the direction of the Maharana Jagat Singh II (62nd successor to the royal dynasty of Mewar) of Udaipur, Rajasthan as a summer palace. It was initially called Jagniwas or Jan Niwas after its founder.
The palace was constructed for facing east, allowing its inhabitants to pray to Surya, the Hindu sun god, at the crack of dawn.[2] Jagat Singh felt that the City Palace was too public to invite the beautiful young ladies of Udaipur with decadent, moonlit picnics. Therefore a palace in the centre of Lake Pichola would offer a lot more privacy.[3] The successive rulers used this palace as their summer resort, holding their regal durbars in its courtyards lined with columns, pillared terraces, fountains, and gardens.
The walls are made of black and white marbles and are adorned by semi-precious stones and ornamented niches. Gardens, fountains, pillared terraces and columns line its courtyards.[4]
Relation of the palace to the city of Udaipur Panorama from Jag Mandir Island
The upper room is a perfect circle and is about 21 feet (6.4m) in diameter. Its floor is inlaid with black and white marble, the walls are ornamented with niches and decorated with arabesques of colored stones, the dome is exquisitely beautiful in form.[2][according to whom?]
During the famous Indian Sepoy Mutiny in 1857, several European families fled from Nimach and used the island as an asylum, offered to them by Maharana Swaroop Singh. To protect his guests, the Rana destroyed all the town's boats so that the rebels could not reach the island.[2]
By the latter half of the 19th century, time and weather took their toll on the extraordinary water palaces of Udaipur. Pierre Loti, a French writer, described Jag Niwas as "slowly moldering in the damp emanations of the lake." About the same time bicyclists Fanny Bullock Workman and her husband William Hunter Workman were distressed by the 'cheap and tasteless style' of the interiors of the water palaces with "an assortment of infirm European furniture, wooden clocks, coloured glass ornaments, and children's toys, all of which seems to the visitor quite out of place, where he would naturally expect a dignified display of Eastern splendor."[2]
Lake Palace in Udaipur
The reign of Maharana Sir Bhopal Singh (1930–55) saw the addition of another pavilion, Chandra Prakash, but otherwise the Jag Niwas remained unaltered and decaying. Geoffrey Kendal, the theater personality, described the palace during his visit in the 1950s as "totally deserted, the stillness broken only by the humming of clouds of mosquitoes."[2]
Lily Pond at Lake Palace, Udaipur
Bhagwat Singh decided to convert the Jag Niwas Palace into Udaipur's first luxury hotel. Didi Contractor, an American artist, became a design consultant to this hotel project. Didi's accounts gives an insight to the life and responsibility of the new Maharana of Udaipur:
I worked from 1961 to 1969 and what an adventure! His Highness, you know, was a real monarch – really like kings always were. So one had a sense of being one of the last people to be an artist for the king. It felt the way one imagines it was like working in the courts of the Renaissance. It was an experience of going back in time to an entirely different era, a different world. His Highness was actually working on a shoestring. He was not in dire straits, mind you, but when he came to the throne he inherited big problems like what to do with the 300 dancing girls that belonged to his predecessor Maharana Bhopal Singh. He tried to offer them scholarships to become nurses but they didn't want to move out of the palace so what could he do? He had to keep them. They were old crones by this time and on state occasions I remember they would come to sing and dance with their ghunghats [veils] down and occasionally one would lift hers to show a wizened old face underneath. He had something like twelve state elephants, and he had all these properties which were deteriorating. The buildings on Jag Niwas were starting to fall down and basically the Lake Palace was turned into a hotel because it seemed the only viable way that it could be maintained ... It was really a job of conservation.[2]
Maharana Mahendra Singh, the current head of the Mewar dynasty was managing the Lake Palace Hotel when it got its 5 star rating. In 1971, Taj Hotels Resorts and Palaces took over management of the hotel[5] and added another 75 rooms.[6] In 2000, a second restoration was undertaken.
The "Royal Butlers" in the hotel are descendants of the original palace retainers.[1]
Former guests have included Lord Curzon, Vivien Leigh, Queen Elizabeth, the Shah of Iran, the king of Nepal and US First Lady Jacqueline Kennedy.
Udaipur is a city in the north-western Indian state of Rajasthan, about 415 km (258 mi) south of the state capital Jaipur. It serves as the administrative headquarters of Udaipur district. It is the historic capital of the kingdom of Mewar in the former Rajputana Agency. It was founded in 1559 by Udai Singh II of the Sisodia clan of Rajputs, when he shifted his capital from the city of Chittorgarh to Udaipur after Chittorgarh was besieged by Akbar. It remained as the capital city till 1818 when Mewar became a British princely state, and thereafter the Mewar province became a part of Rajasthan when India gained independence in 1947. It is also known as the City of Lakes, as it is surrounded by five major artificial lakes.
The Monsoon Palace, also known as the Sajjan Garh Palace, is a hilltop palatial residence in the city of Udaipur, Rajasthan in India, overlooking the Fateh Sagar Lake. It is named Sajjangarh after Maharana Sajjan Singh (1874–1884) of the Mewar dynasty, whom it was built for in 1884. The palace offers a panoramic view of the city's lakes, palaces and surrounding countryside. It was built chiefly to watch the monsoon clouds; hence, appropriately, it is popularly known as Monsoon Palace. It is said that the Maharana built it at the top of the hill to get a view of his ancestral home, Chittorgarh. Previously owned by the Mewar royal family, it is now under the control of the Forest Department of the Government of Rajasthan and has recently been opened to the public. The palace provides a beautiful view of the sunset.
Maharana Mahendra Singh Mewar was an Indian politician who was a Member of Parliament in the Lok Sabha. He was the eldest son of Maharana Bhagwat Singh Mewar. Mahendra was the 76th Maharana of the House of Sisodia and the titular head of the erstwhile Kingdom of Mewar. The seat was disputed with his younger brother Arvind and he is possibly his successor.
Shiv Niwas Palace is a former residence of the Maharana of Udaipur, Rajasthan, located on the banks of Lake Pichola.
Jag Mandir, sometimes known by its subtitle, The Eccentric Private Theatre of the Maharaja of Udaipur, is a 1991 documentary film directed for television by Werner Herzog. The bulk of the film consists of footage of an elaborate theatrical performance for the Maharaj Arvind Singh Mewar at the City Palace of Udaipur, Rajasthan staged by André Heller.
Bhainsrorgarh Fort or Bhainsror Fort is an ancient fort that has become a major tourist spot in the state of Rajasthan, India.
City Palace, Udaipur is a palace complex situated in the city of Udaipur in the Indian state of Rajasthan. It was built over a period of nearly 400 years, with contributions from several rulers of the Mewar dynasty. Its construction began in 1553, started by Maharana Udai Singh II of the Sisodia Rajput family as he shifted his capital from the erstwhile Chittor to the newfound city of Udaipur. The palace is located on the east bank of Lake Pichola and has several palaces built within its complex.
Jag Mandir is a palace built on an island in the Lake Pichola. It is also called the "Lake Garden Palace". The palace is located in Udaipur city in the Indian state of Rajasthan. Its construction is credited to three Maharanas of the Sisodia Rajputs of Mewar kingdom. The construction of the palace was started in 1551 by Maharana Amar Singh and was finally completed by Maharana Jagat Singh I (1628–1652). It is named as "Jagat Mandir" in honour of the last named Maharana Jagat Singh. The royal family used the palace as a summer resort and pleasure palace for holding parties. The palace served as a refuge to asylum seekers for one occasion.
Lake Pichola, situated in Udaipur city in the Indian state of Rajasthan, is an artificial fresh water lake, created in the year 1362, named after the nearby Picholi village. It is one of the several contiguous lakes, and developed over the last few centuries in and around the famous Udaipur city. The lakes around Udaipur were primarily created by building dams to meet the drinking water and irrigation needs of the city and its neighbourhood. 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.
HH 108 Shri Maharajadhiraj Raj Rajeshwar Ravi Kula Bushana-Mahi Mahendra Yavadarya Kula Kamaldhivakara Chattis Rajkul Shringar Maharana Shri Sir FATEH SINGHJI Bahadur Hindua Suraj Hindupati, was the Sisodia Rajput ruler of the Princely State of Udaipur once known as Kingdom of Mewar for nearly 46 years from the year 1884 to 1930, with Udaipur as his capital, and resided in the grandiose City Palace, Udaipur.
Devi Garh Palace is a heritage hotel and resort, housed in the 18th-century Devi Garh palace in the village of Delwara. It was the royal residence of the rulers of Delwara principality, from the mid-18th century till the mid-20th century. Situated in the Aravalli hills, 28 km northeast of Udaipur, Rajasthan, Devigarh forms one of the three main passes into the valley of Udaipur.
Jagdish Temple is a large Hindu temple in the middle of Udaipur in Rajasthan, just outside the royal palace. It has been in continuous worship since 1651. A big tourist attraction, the temple was originally called the temple of Jagannath Rai but is now called Jagdish-ji. It is a major monument in Udaipur.
Maharana Sangram Singh II was the Sisodia Rajput ruler of Kingdom of Mewar. He reigned from 1710 to 1734. He was succeeded by his eldest son Jagat Singh II.
Maharana Bhim Singh was the 26th Sisodia Rajput ruler of the Kingdom of Mewar who became the first Maharana of Udaipur State. He was the second son of Maharana Ari Singh II and younger brother of his predecessor Maharana Hamir Singh II.
Maharana Karan Singh(7 January 1584 – March 1628) was the Sisodia Rajput ruler of Mewar Kingdom. He was the eldest son of Maharana Amar Singh I and the grandson of Maharana Pratap. He was succeeded by his son Jagat Singh I. He succeeded his father on 26 Jan 1620 at the age of 36.
Shri Maharana Sir Bhupal Singh Bahadur KCIE, also spelt Bhopal Singh, was the ruler of the Indian princely state of Udaipur from 1930 and also Rajpramukh of Rajasthan from 1948 until his death on 4 July 1955.
Doodh Talai Lake or Dudh Talai lake, is a small pond located adjacent to the Lake Pichola, near Shiva Niwas Palace, in the heart of Udaipur, Rajasthan.
Udaipur, India was founded in 1553, by Maharana Udai Singh II in the fertile circular Girwa Valley to the southwest of Nagda, on the Banas River. The city was established as the new capital of the Mewar kingdom.
Bhagwat Singh Mewar was the titular ruler of the former Indian princely state of Udaipur or Mewar from 1955 until the Indian government abolished all royal titles in 1971. Bhagwat Singh was born in 1921, nine years before the accession of his father Bhupal Singh to the throne of Mewar and Udaipur as Maharana. He also became the Chairman, Vishva Hindu Parishad in 1969 unanimously.
Crites, Mitchell Shelby; Nanji, Ameeta (2007). India Sublime – Princely Palace Hotels of Rajasthan (hardback). New York: Rizzoli. pp.272 pages. ISBN978-0-8478-2979-8.
Badhwar, Inderjit; Leong, Susan (2006). India Chic. Singapore: Bolding Books. p.240. ISBN981-4155-57-8.
Michell, George, Martinelli, Antonio (2005). The Palaces of Rajasthan. London: Frances Lincoln. pp.271 pages. ISBN978-0-7112-2505-3.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
Preston, Diana & Michael (2007). A Teardrop on the Cheek of Time (Hardback) (Firsted.). London: Doubleday. pp.354 pages. ISBN978-0-385-60947-0.
Tillotson, G. H. R (1987). The Rajput Palaces - The Development of an Architectural Style (Hardback) (Firsted.). New Haven and London: Yale University Press. pp.224 pages. ISBN0-300-03738-4.
William Warren; Jill Gocher (2007). Asia's Legendary Hotels: The Romance of Travel (hardback). Singapore: Periplus Editions. ISBN978-0-7946-0174-4.
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