Siliserh Lake near Alwar, Rajasthan

I recently went and stayed at Silierh which is about 15 kms from Alwar city and about three and a half hours drive from Delhi. Also the Sariska Tiger Reserve is just 20 kms or so away from here.

Siliserh Lake viewed from the Siliserh Lake Palace

Silserh Lake and reservoir is a huge man-made lake made by the King Vinay Singh in 1845 to cater to the water needs of the Alwar town and the water channels are still intact from that duration. I am not sure though if the water is still supplied from this lake to Alwar or not.

Siliserh Lake with the Siliserh Lake Palace

I stayed at the Siliserh Lake Palace Hotel run by the RTDC which is the only accommodation available right next to the lake itself. I will specifically write about the Siliserh Lake Palace Hotel in a separate post though. The Lake is spread over ten square kms in area surrounded by the Aravalli hills on three sides.

Siliserh Lake surrounded by the Aravalli Hills

The advantage of staying at this site is that if you come otherwise during the day then sometimes there are many tourists but in the mornings and evenings you can have the place to yourself and enjoy the tranquility of the place is serene surroundings. The sunsets are not very spectacular as the sun sets behind the hills but the sunrise are definitely worth getting up early in the mornings.

The west side of the Siliserh Lake

The place also has the facility of boating which includes pedal boats, motor boats as well as speed boats but the prices for hiring these are steep as there is a monopoly here. The pedal boat can be hired for Rs 200 for half an hour whereas the motorboat costs Rs 600 and the speed boat can be taken for Rs 1000 for a 15 minute ride.

The east side of the Siliserh Lake

There is a great potential for the water sports to be developed here. The lake also generates revenue in the form of fishing rights that are auctioned every year and a local told me that this year the contract was for sold for 8 million rupees.

Siliserh Lake and the reflection of the hill as if it is a snake

Lot many local people do come here during the day and feed the fish. The feed is brought either with them or bought at the local tea shop. At the reservoir bund there are now too many monkeys and langurs and the government should take measures to shift them elsewhere.

Siliserh Lake - a boat and a crocodile in the foreground

I also saw couple of big crocodiles in the lake which made me think twice about the boating in the lake but still ended up boating nonetheless.

There is an entry fee to the hotel area for the tourist (not if you are staying at the hotel) which seemed silly to me as to why charge some money when no facility is being provided

Also read: Bala Quila – Alwar’s Way of How Not to Promote Tourism