As part of our "Golden Triangle" trip last December, 2019, we visited Jaipur. It was just a mere one and a half day stay at the "Pink City". I wanted to experience sunrise at Jal Mahal, so I chose our accommodation accordingly. We stayed at Hotel Regenta Central Jal Mahal , Amer Road, Jaipur. Its a pretty good option for accommodation(bit on the expensive side) and it is just opposite to Jal Mahal!
Before sharing my experience, I would just add some info about the iconic palace. Jal Mahal was built in the year 1799. This historical palace was built by Maharaja Sawai Pratap Singh.The Jal Mahal palace is an architectural showcase of the Rajput style of architecture on a grand scale. The building has a picturesque view of the lake itself but owing to its seclusion from land is equally the focus of a viewpoint from the Man Sagar Dam on the eastern side of the lake in front of the backdrop of the surrounding Nahargarh hills. The palace, built-in red sandstone, is a five storied building, of which four floors remain underwater when the lake is full and the top floor is exposed. One rectangular Chhatri on the roof is of the Bengal type. The chhatris on the four corners are octagonal. The palace had suffered subsidence in the past and also partial seepage (plasterwork and wall damage equivalent to rising damp) because of water-logging, which have been repaired under a restoration project of the Government of Rajasthan.
The other benefits of staying at that hotel was that its kind of centrally located, so all the tourist hotspots like Amer palace, Nahargarh fort, Hawa Mahal are very accessible and in close proximity. Jal Mahal lake side walk is generally very crowded with tourists throughout the day. You can see street hawkers selling local clothes at absurdly high prices, shoes, bangles and what not! You can have plethora of options for street food.Okay, I would confess that this was not my maiden trip to Jal Mahal. I visited this place earlier in 2018, while returning from Pushkar. I visited this place then , at evening and it was heavily crowded. The view of the majestic palace on the lake is breathtaking! But I wanted to view it, with the sun peeking through the mountains behind (and off-course with lesser crowd!).
I woke up around 6 am. It was terribly cold. Had to put few layers of clothing and ventured out with my camera. All I had to do was to cross the road and reach the other side. The lake side walking pavement was literally empty. I could only see few joggers or morning walkers passing by occasionally. Ahh!that's all I wanted. Jal Mahal was hardly visible with dense cover of fog (could see the outline though!) The sky was clear and kept my fingers crossed. The last thing I wanted, was another Taj debacle!
The sky was beginning to show its crimson glow. I knew it was time! I walked at a brisk pace in search of a good vantage point , and I found one! And then it was all about framing.
I saw few people feeding the birds. As the sun started to rise, from behind the mountains, the view was just heavenly!
Jal Mahal and its surroundings are great for bird watchers. The various migratory birds, adds to the charm of this place.
Early morning you can witness plenty of birds, enjoying their time in the lake.
As time passed by, the number of people on the lakeside pavement increased.
The roadside hawkers/ street food sellers began to set up their stalls. It was still terribly cold and the fog started to get more intense and gradually engulfed the great few of sunrise over the iconic palace, which I witnessed few minutes ago.
Well, it was time for me return back to hotel and get ready to start exploring Jaipur. But the very intention to see the sunrise at Jal Mahal was fulfilled. What a sight it was!
So anyone planning to visit Jaipur, must not miss this place. Personally I feel that sunrise and sunset are the best time to visit. Enjoy the ambiance, shop, eat and view the glory!
The roadside hawkers/ street food sellers began to set up their stalls. It was still terribly cold and the fog started to get more intense and gradually engulfed the great few of sunrise over the iconic palace, which I witnessed few minutes ago.
Well, it was time for me return back to hotel and get ready to start exploring Jaipur. But the very intention to see the sunrise at Jal Mahal was fulfilled. What a sight it was!
So anyone planning to visit Jaipur, must not miss this place. Personally I feel that sunrise and sunset are the best time to visit. Enjoy the ambiance, shop, eat and view the royalty, albeit from a distance!