Lake Palace
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 (16,000 m2). 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
The Lake Palace was built between 1743 and 1746 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 facing east, allowing its inhabitants to pray to Surya, the Hindu sun god, at the crack of dawn. 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. 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.
Location with in Rajasthan
General information
| Architectural style | Rajput architecture |
|---|---|
| Town or city | Udaipur |
| Country | India |
| Construction started | 1743 |
| Client | Maharana Jagat Singh II of Mewar |
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 theatre personality, described the palace during his visit in the 1950s as “totally deserted, the stillness broken only by the humming of clouds of mosquitoes.”
The first stage of its construction was completed and royally inaugurated three years later in a lavish three-day ceremony. It was built facing east, so at dawn its inhabitants could pray to the sun god from whom the royal family was believed to be descended. The palace was built almost entirely from marble in a classic combination of columns, fountains, and baths, being beautifully decorated with inlaid mosaics, coloured glass, and watercolours of historic Indian scenes. With a focus on fun, the inhabitants would have enjoyed its water-filled courtyard gardens, not to mention its peepholes and secret passages. The building was slowly extended to suit the needs of successive rulers. However, in 1955, the palace was sold by the royal family and converted into India’s first luxury hotel. It became the opulent Taj Lake Palace Hotel, which was featured in the James Bond movie Octopussy. (Jamie Middleton)
