In Udaipur, there is a charming little pond which is popularly known as, ‘Doodh Talai’, certain people refer to a bit varied spelling that goes, ‘Dudh Talai’. Mentioned below is the folklore, which gives a rather strange logic as to why this pond is called what it’s called.
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A few centuries back, there was a king who desired for himself a pond that had no water but milk in it. He ordered the construction of a little pond in the center of Udaipur. Next, he commanded each family in Udaipur to pour one large pot of milk into the pond. The King wanted the sight of a white pond to be a surprise for himself. So, he asked everyone to pour the pot full of milk an hour before the sunrise kisses the earth. There was an understandable concern among the people as milk wasn’t affordable to everyone. For whom it was, the thought of throwing away healthy milk didn’t agree with everyone. When the auspicious night came, a few large pots of milk were poured down in the newly established pond by the royal household. Everyone did the same with the amount of milk they could spare. There was one wise man who thought to himself, “What if I, instead of milk, pour into the pond, a pot of water? No one will know! As one-pot water won’t influence a pond full of milk.” As it is widely known that ‘great minds think alike. It was a hilarious shock for the king to wake up to the water pond the next morning. Everyone started to call the pond “Doodh Talai” as a tease and the King had never felt such mockery.
On account of this unaccountable lore, whenever you next visit the tourist spot that is Doodh Talai, do excuse a minute for the king’s euphoric ambition.
As the industrial units, vehicle movement and tourist places in the city come to a halt while people being locked inside their houses, the level of pollution has reduced drastically allowing the city to breathe some fresh air.
And due to the reduced air and water pollution, the amount of oxygen in the city’s lakes has also increased.
While one cannot deny the fact that COVID-19 lockdown has severely strained the livelihoods of lakhs and played havoc with the economy. But if we look beyond the quarantined homes, there is a see a city in bloom. Blissfully unpolluted, greener and cleaner, Udaipur is reliving the memories of an era long gone.
The most dramatic turnaround has been water quality in the lakes of the city.
The lockdown has come as a blessing in disguise for these lifelines of the city. And there are visible signs that the two of most popular lakes of Udaipur — Fatehsagar and Pichola – are getting healed naturally. With major pollutants like boat ferries shut down and minimum human interference, the lockdown is having a profound impact on the city’s environment.
If we look into the before and after the lockdown figures of the lake water purity measurement from the Pollution Control Board, there has been a substantial improvement in the purity of the water.
The increased level of oxygen has also enhanced the clarity of the water making the base of the lakes visible.
As per the sources, the Pollution Control Board takes the water sample every month to study the pollution level.
The following table gives a clear picture of how much polluted the water of the lakes was before the lockdown and how the lockdown has given a new life to these waterbodies of the city.
The beauty of the lake city is finally overflowing in the form of Jaisamand. After the torrential rain shower which was witnessed in some parts of the city on Thursday evening, the second-largest manmade lake, Jaisamand, outpassed its capacity of 27.6 feet and started overflowing.
Although many parts of the city were deprived of Thursday rains, there was an inflow of water in almost all the lakes of the city after the heavy showers experienced on Monday night. This has brought the water level of all the lakes to its highest capacity.
It has been weeks since people have been waiting to see Jaisamand Lake overflowing. This incident has happened after 3 years as earlier the lake was seen in this form in 2016.
Jaisamand Lake, also known as Dhebar Lake is the second-largest artificial lake of India and pride of the lake city. It is one of the most spectacular artificial lakes in Asia.
The major collection of water in this lake comes from four main rivers; Gomati, Jhamari, Rooparel, and Bagaar.
With the last breakout of monsoon, the lake’s water level reached 22 feet. Jaisamand gets overflowed at 27 feet.
The water level of the lake was at 7 feet before the beginning of monsoon. With the inflow of water from all the connecting water bodies including Gomti and Jhami rivers, Jaisamand Lake is back to its mesmerizing beauty.
So, this is the right time to head towards this beautiful man-made wonder to spend some relaxing time away from the hustle-bustle life of the city.
Udaipur being the most preferred tourist destination particularly in the monsoon season is attracting large number of people all around the world. Not only the tourists but locals also frequently visit lakes and other beautiful spots in large numbers during monsoons. However, the biggest issue is that, there are no restrictions on taking pictures and selfies on these sites, which sometimes becomes a reason of unwanted accidents.
Observing the picturesque beauty of lakes, valleys and other such picnic spots, people generally forget to notice danger zones and blind spots which has ended lives of many people in the past. Also, the increasing craze of photography and selfies is the major reason behind such unacceptable accidents.
In a meeting held in the month of March, between Tourism Development board and UIT & Nagar Nigam, it was decided to place warning boards near lakes, hilly regions and tourist places. However, till date no action has been taken in this regard. Observing the increasing number of selfie-deaths, a meeting by tourism department will be held on Thursday at 4:30 p.m. to take more stringent actions.
Administration and people must take collective action to prevent such mishaps in future. Authorities must appoint guards at highly risky areas, together with placing warning signs . Moreover, people must show responsive attitude while visiting such places.
7 दिसम्बर, 2018 की सुबह होने में मात्र 6 दिन बचे है। वैसे दिसम्बर, 2018 की इस तारीख़ के बारे में बताने की ज़रूरत तो है नहीं, वो भी राजस्थान के लोगो को। वैसे ही काफ़ी शोरगुल हो ही रहा है। सोशल मीडिया पर भी और गली-कूंचो में भी। लेकिन फिर भी हम बताए देतें हैं, 7 दिसम्बर को राजस्थान विधानसभा चुनाव है। सभी पार्टियाँ और उम्मीदवार तन, मन और धन के साथ लगे हुए हैं। ऐसा जुनून हर पाँच साल बाद ही देखने को मिलता है।
photo courtesy: udaipurtimes
नुक्कड़ों पर सुबह शुरू होती है चाय और चक्कलस के साथ। एक हाथ गरमा-गरम चाय संभालता है तो दूसरा हाथ अख़बारों को फ्रंट पेज से टटोलना शुरू करता है और फिर शुरू होती है गुफ़्तगू जिसका कोई अंत नज़र नहीं आता।
photo courtesy: The Hindu
इस बार कौनसी सरकार आएगी? पिछली वाली ने कितना काम किया? क्या-क्या वादे पुरे किए, कितने अधूरे रह गए? विपक्ष का मैनिफेस्टो क्या है? जैसे प्रश्नों पर बहस होती है जो कि बताता है कि हमारे शहर का मतदाता जागरूक है। लेकिन हम इन प्रश्नों को मतदान केंद्र तक लेकर नहीं ले जाते हैं। अखबार के पन्ने पलटते-पलटते जब तक खेल-पृष्ठ आता है तब तक हम वो सभी बातें भूल चुके होते हैं और चाय के कप के साथ उन मुद्दो को भी दुकान पर ही छोड़ कर लौट आते हैं।
ऐसे ही कुछ प्रश्न है जो हम आपके सामने रखने जा रहे हैं। जिनका उत्तर आप ही को सोचना होगा। ये सभी वही प्रश्न है जो आप और हम हर दिन सोचते रहते हैं। हर दिन इन्ही मुद्दों को लेकर डाइनिंग टेबल पर बात होती है। उदयपुर का हर नागरिक यही सब बातें करता मिल जाएगा….
शहर की सड़कें – इन दिनों अगर सबसे बड़ी समस्याओं में से कोई एक है तो वो है उदयपुर की सड़कों की हालत। आजकल सड़कें ऐसी लगती है जैसे फटे कपड़े को पैबंद लगा कर दुरुस्त कर दिया हो। पड़ोसी राज्य में अभी चुनाव हुए ही हैं। वहाँ के मुख्यमंत्री श्रीमान् शिवराज सिंह चौहान ने कहते हैं कि मध्यप्रदेश की सड़कें अमरीका से भी बेहतर है। अब उदयपुर वाले इतना भी नहीं मांग रहे वो तो बस इतना चाहते हैं कि इन सड़कों को फिर से पहली जैसी बना दिया जाए, जब बाहर का टूरिस्ट आकर कहता था कि सड़कें हो तो उदयपुर जैसी।
उड़ती धूल-चिपकती मिट्टी – इसका सीधा कनेक्शन ऊपर वाली समस्या से है। उसमें सुधार आएगा तो इस से भी अपने आप निजात मिल ही जाएगी।
बढ़ता ट्रैफिक जाम – इसमें हम जल्दी ही देशभर में नाम रोशन करने वाले है। दुर्गा-नर्सरी रोड, ओल्ड सिटी, फ़तेहसागर और लगभग सभी बड़े चौराहों का यही हाल है। सड़कें वैसी की वैसी, लोग बढ़ते गए और व्यवस्थाएं बिगड़ती चली गयी।
गंदी होती झीलें – जिनकी बदौलत उदयपुर का नाम विश्वभर में हुआ है हम उसी को गन्दा करने में लगे हुए हैं। जिसकी वजह से उदयपुर टॉप-10 शहरों में आया उसी की हत्या करने में मज़ा आ रहा है। सोचकर देखिए, आने वाले कुछ सालों में थोड़ी बहुत साफ़ बची झीलों में तैरता कचरा ही नज़र आने लगा, तब? झीलों में गिरते सीवरेज के पानी से झीलों में बदबू आने लगेगी, तब? ना गणगौर घाट पर लोग आएँगे, ना ही फतेहसागर किनारे शामें बीता करेगीं, ना कोई टूरिस्ट आएगा ना ही आसपास की दुकानों पर लगता मेला देखने को मिलेगा… 2 मिनट का टाइम लेकर सोचिएगा ज़रूर, क्या ऐसे भविष्य की कल्पना हम कर सकते हैं?
शहर में घूमते आवारा पशु – ये आज की समस्या नहीं है। बावजूद इसके, अब तक किसी भी सरकार ने, मंत्रियों ने, उदयपुर के नागरिकों द्वारा चुने हुए प्रत्याशियों ने इस समस्या को गंभीरता से लिया है। हर बार यही कहा जाता है काईन हाउस बनाये जायेंगे। इन्हें वहाँ शिफ्ट किया जायेगा। लेकिन ये समझ नहीं आता अगर ये शिफ्ट कर दिए गए हैं तो वापस शहर में कैसे आ जाते हैं? आए दिन ऐसी खबरें आती रहती है, फलाना टूरिस्ट को सांड ने मारा लेकिन हम ‘ओ हो’ कर भूल जाते है। किसी दिन हम में से कोई टारगेट बन गया तब कोई और ‘ओ हो’ कर रहा होगा। मुद्दा गंभीर है, हॉस्पिटल पहुँचाने वाला है, हल्के में मत लीजिएगा।
ये तो हो गए वो मुद्दे जिससे शहर की जनता बहुत परेशान है और बात करनी ज़रूरी थी, लेकिन लिस्ट लम्बी है –
सफ़ाई के मामले में कई हद तक सुधार आया है लेकिन गुंजाइश हमेशा रहती है।अब भी कचरे के ढेर नज़र आ ही जाते हैं।
कई जगह दिन में रोड लाइट्स जलती है लेकिन रात में वही बंद हो जाती है।
चेतक सर्किल जैसे बड़े चौराहों की ट्रैफिक लाइट्स कई महीनो से बंद पड़ी है।
झीलें सूखने लगी है। ऐसा वादा किया था कि अब कभी झीलें नहीं सूखेगी। वो पूरा होता नज़र नहीं आ रहा।
पार्किंग एक बहुत बड़ी समस्या है। ट्रैफिक और टूरिस्म के बढ़ने की वजह से अब ना सिर्फ लोकल बल्कि टूरिस्ट भी पार्किंग की समस्या से परेशान है।
चौराहों और पार्कों में लगे फाउंटेन में अब पानी नहीं गिरता। इस वजह से उन जगहों पर सेल्फी लेने की दर में गिरावट आई है।
ये कुछ गंभीर समस्याएं हैं जिनकी वजह से आप और हम परेशान हैं। चुनाव में अब सिर्फ़ 7 दिन बचे हैं। ये हमारी लिस्ट थी आप इनमें अपनी कुछ और समस्याएं/मुद्दे/प्रश्न जोड़ या घटा सकते हैं।
photo courtesy: redcarpetvoter
याद रखिए – इस चुनावी शोर के बीच अपनी आवाज़ बुलंद रखना। क्योंकि मेरे और आपके मत पर ही निर्भर करेगा कि विजयी नेता हमारी आवाज़ को लोकतंत्र के उस मंदिर तक पहुँचाता है या नहीं?
Udaipur is famous all over the globe due to its beautiful lakes. But did you know that these lakes are interconnected and maintain a remarkable channel system? One, if residing in Udaipur, must know how and why these lakes are interconnected!
When I first came to know that these lakes are interconnected, I was surprised and filled with awe. How can such huge water bodies be connected and made by the then rulers; this was the question I wanted to have an answer to. So, I went on for a deep search and came up with the following piece. Have a read.
Udaipur’s System of Lakes
The Lakes form a chain in the saucer-shaped valley of Udaipur. The inner Girwa plain of Udaipur is surrounded by the western and central Aravali hills, and its water drains into the Ahar (Ayad) River.
Some 425 years ago Udaipur’s system of lakes was considered a role model of rainwater management. As early as 1582, the Maharanas of the former state of Mewar started digging out Lake Pichola for gathering up bottom sediments and widening to make it suitable as an irrigation and drinking source. In 1890, Maharana Fateh Singh inaugurated a project that geography professor Narpat Singh Rathore of Udaipur’s Mohanlal Sukhadia University calls the “the world’s first man-made microsystem of river diversion, linkage and watershed management,” the result of which constitutes the current system of interconnected and gradually descending lakes.
Indeed, the rulers of Udaipur were convinced of the importance of water. So, they had built several dams and water ponds. These are evidence of reservoir engineering, developed at that time.
Prominent Lakes of Udaipur
The famous lakes of the city are Pichola lake, Fatehsagar, Doodh Talai, Govardhan Sagar, Badi (tiger lake or Jiyan Sagar), Rangsagar and Swaroop Sagar and Udaisagar, Madaar Lakes are major lakes in Udaipur. These lakes have served as a lifeline for many centuries for Udaipur.
Some facts about Udaipur, the city of lakes
Udaipur gets an annual rainfall of 640 mm.
Besides this, the city gets the runoff from the surrounding hills that the city planners had decided to catch and store in several lakes and tanks which feed the irrigation channels over several hectares.
Since all these lakes are interconnected, overflow from one goes to the next, making it the best example in rainwater harvesting and management. The water itself equals its level as these lakes are interconnected.
The creation of the lakes of Udaipur
In the mid-16th century, according to one legend, the beauty of the Pichola lake mesmerized Maharana Udai Singh, the then ruler of Mewar, who decided to build his new capital on its banks. Surrounded by Aravali hills, the site provided a natural defense against the forces of Akbar, who had captured Chittorgarh, the then capital of Mewar.
Udai Singh got a dam built on the Berach (Ayad) river to ensure an adequate supply of water for irrigation. The reservoir was named Udai Sagar and became the first line of defense against any attack from the east. Fateh Sagar was built in 1687 to collect the runoff from the surrounding hills for irrigation in the villages around it. The Lake Badi was constructed by Maharaja Raj Singh in 1643 A.D. for recreation purpose. Subsequently were made, the other lakes of Udaipur by the ruling kings of that era.
Besides these, there were 121 bawdis of which 83 have dried up.
How are these lakes connected: A glimpse of the best water harvesting system deployed!
Fatehsagar has a very small catchment of its own and is fed by Lake Badi, Chota and Bada Madaar. The overflow from the Bada and Chota Madaar merge with the Ayar river. The Ayar river feeds Udaisagar several kilometers downstream. The overflow from Lake Badi directly merges with Fatehsagar. The overflow from Pichola (and from parts of Pichola) flows into Fatehsagar, and the overflow from Fatehsagar flows into the Ayar through a canal before it enters Udaisagar. Below Pichola and Fatehsagar are numerous wells and bawdi (stepwells), which were the only source of drinking water, back then. With this web of lakes and wells, most of the rain falling within the Udaipur basin was kept within the basin itself, with very little losses making it a remarkable rain water harvesting system.
Let us now read a detailed description of how these lakes are interconnected!
The Ayad Berach
Ayad the mainstream of river Banas rises begins from the Girwa ranges of Aravalli situated to the north of Udaipur City. Ayad river flows through Bedla up to Udai Sagar Lake, in which it falls. It is the primary river of the Udaipur basin. Beyond Udai Sagar up to Dabok village, the river passes through a distance of about 75.5 km and is named as Udai Sagar ka Nala.
Subsequently known as Berach, the river runs for another 70 km towards the northeast and finally merges into river Banas, near Bigod in the Bhilwara district, which is a stream of Chambal river. In other words, near Chittorgarh, it obtains the water of Gambhiri river, then it turns northeast, and after running for about 190 km, it joins river Banas at the place known as Triveni Sangam near the village Bigod.
Lake Pichola
Lake Pichola was first created by a Banjara (Tribe), in the 14 century A.D., and later on, was extended to Rang Sagar and Swaroop Sagar and finally was connected to Fateh Sagar by Rana Udai Singh.
Spurce: benoy thapa
Water spread of the lake is 6.96 sq. km and it has a maximum depth of 10.5 m towards the west where the Kotra River drains into the lake. The lake is the main source of drinking water. The Sisarma River, a tributary of Kotra, is the major source of water to the lake.
It is almost triangular in shape with its base is along the City Palace edge. It was renewed and enlarged in 1559 A.D. The lake is extended towards the north and south forming a smaller lake, viz. Doodh Talai.
Parts of Lake Pichola:
Swaroop Sagar
Swaroop Sagar lake is sited in the south of Rang Sagar and it is a part of Lake Pichola. It was constructed during 1845–1850 A.D. The lake offers a combined water dam for Pichola and Rang Sagar. The lake also links Pichola and Rang Sagar with adjoining Fateh Sagar Lake through a canal. In monsoon, this canal is sometimes used to draw water in Fateh Sagar from Pichola Lake when Pichola reaches a high-water level.
Source: My Udaipur City
Rang Sagar and Kumhariya Talab
Rang Sagar has an average depth of 7 m, but its width is about 245 m, its westward expansion is known as Kumhariya Talab. Rang Sagar lake was constructed by Amar Singh Badava and is also called “Amarkund” after him. Constructed in 1668, it is one of the smallest lakes along the western waterfront of Udaipur and connects Pichola and Swaroop Sagar.
Lake Fateh Sagar
Fateh Sagar is a pear-like shaped lake situated in the north-western part of the city and almost in the central west of the basin covering an area of 12.88 sq. km. The lake was constructed in the year 1678 AD and then renovated in 1889 AD by Maharana Fateh Singh. Although essentially constructed for the irrigational purpose, this water body has lately formed the second major source of drinking water for the city of Udaipur.
The main feeder canal of the lake comes from Madar positioned at a higher altitude about 15 km from Udaipur City. Lake Fateh Sagar is also connected to the adjoining Lake Pichola through a canal having gates. The runoff emerging from surrounding hillocks drains into this lake.
Udai Sagar
It is one of the largest lakes of the Udaipur basin constructed by Maharana Udai Singh in 1559 A.D. and named after him; this lake is situated in the far south-east of this basin. The lake was built by building a stonework dam on the river Berach. This lake forms the last lake in the chain of Udaipur lake system. The main source of water for the lake is a tributary of the river Berach popularly called Ayar which passes through the city of Udaipur and joins Udai Sagar near the village Sukha Naka. Besides this, several small seasonal rivers and streams arising from the nearby hills also enter the lake.
Source: My-Udaipur-City
Badi
This lake was constructed by Maharaja Raj Singh in 1643 A.D. for leisure purpose. The total length of the canal is measured as 3,300 m which are constructed for supplying water to the nearby areas, namely, Badi, Liyo ka Guda, Hawala Khurd and Dewali villages. The full level of the lake is 9.76 m. Almost no supply of water is rendered from this lake.
Source: TripAdvisor
Bada Madaar- Chota Madaar
Both these lakes supply water to the Fateh Sagar Lake located within the municipal limits of Udaipur City through Chikalwas feeder also known as Madar Nahar or Madar Canal.
Goverdhan Sagar
Goverdhan Sagar is the smallest artificial lake of all the major lakes of the basin lies in the south. The length of the canals of this lake is also scanty, extending over an area of only 3,750 m. It also receives water from Pichola through a link canal.
Source: Saurabh-Patwari-Photography
Aren’t you amazed to read about it! Our ancestors showed a high level of planning and development. Udaipur’s Lake System is indeed considered to be the best and top-notch system in water management and rainwater harvesting. Maybe, this is the sole reason why the city is greener, peaceful and beautiful even after being near the desert region of Rajasthan.
The information is curated from valid sources and is not fabricated under any influence or otherwise.
Udaipur is famous for its lakes and the scenic beauty these lakes hold. But have you ever wondered by these lakes are called by the names they have? Let us find out the hidden reasons behind the names of our lakes.
Fatehsagar Lake
Fatehsagar or FS is one favorite lake of the people of Udaipur. The reason why the lake is called Fatehsagar is here. In 1687, Maharana Jai Singh constructed the lake, but after two hundred years the earthen pit which formed the lake was washed away during floods in Udaipur.
Then in 1889, Maharana Fateh Singh built the “Connaught Dam,” the one which we cross before the Dewali area, to mark the visit of King of Connaught. The dam enlarged the lake, and it was later renamed after the King as Fateh Sagar Lake.
Pichola Lake
Lake Pichola has an unmatched view. Most of the luxurious hotels are in this area and give a panoramic view of the City Palace. Pichola is an artificial freshwater lake and has two legends behind its unusual name.
One, it was created in the year 1362 AD and is named after the nearby Picholi village. It was enlarged by Maharana Udai Singh II, by flooding Picholi village, which gave the lake its name.
Two, in 1362, the beautiful lake was built by Pichhu Banjara during the ruling period of Maharana Lakha, after whom the lake is named as ‘Pichola.’
Isn’t this interesting!!!
Badi Lake
Why the lake has the name as ‘Badi’ has two legends again!
First, because it is near the village called Badi.
Second, as it’s also known as Jiyan Sagar, it was named after Jana Devi. She was the mother of Maharana Raj Singh who built the lake Badi.
Jaisamand Lake
The Maharana following his father (Maharana Raj Singh I who built Rajsamand Lake) created the lake Jaisamand.
He did it by damming a small river, the Gomati, and building a massive embankment. Jai Singh named this lake Jaisamand after himself. The meaning of the name is supposed to be ‘Ocean of Victory’ (Jai- His name and ‘mand’ meaning ‘ocean’). The lake is also known as Dhebar Lake and is India’s second-largest artificial lake.
Udai Sagar Lake
It has a simple story; in 1559, Maharana Udai Singh constructed a dam on Berach River to make sure that his kingdom has an adequate supply of water. Udai Sagar Lake was developed as an outcome of this dam and is named after the king who built it.
Swaroop Sagar Lake
Swaroop Sagar is an artificial lake. Swaroop Sagar Lake was built by Maharana Swaroop Singh (1842-1861) after whom the lake is named as Swaroop Sagar.
The lake is also known as Kumhariya Talab, which serves as the connecting body between Lake Fateh Sagar and Pichola. It was built to avoid flood situations in the city and maintain a high water level in the adjoining lakes.
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