Siliserh Lake Palace – Does the Government Need to Run Hotels?

Just 15 km from Alwar is a beautiful man-made lake and adjoining the lake is the palace Siliserh Lake Palace. The palace has been taken over by the Rajasthan Tourism Development Corporation (RTDC) and converted into a hotel by the same name.

Siliserh Lake & Siliserh Lake Palace Hotel, Alwar, Rajasthan

There are no other hotels in and around Siliserh. Assuming that it is a palace that has been converted into a hotel (as is the trend in Rajasthan with so many other properties) I was quite excited when I had booked a room online. The online pictures seemed quite enticing.

The Silserh Palace- surrounded by dense vegetation on one side & lake on the other three sides

When I reached the place I was quite fascinated by the beauty of the place as the lake is surrounded by Aravalli hills – so I thought I had made the right decision. But my first shock was when the room I had booked (a non-AC as it was not summers) had the door almost falling. On top of that inside the room there were at least 15-20 lizards and lots of mosquitoes. When I protested about this they showed me some other rooms which were equally bad with paint chipping and the rooms in itself in a state of disrepair.

Beautiful view of the Silserh Lake from the hotel

Finally I asked for my room to be upgraded to an AC room for which I had to shell out extra money. After moving into the new room as I felt the room to be warm (due to permanently closed windows) I started the AC but within an hour the AC conked off and I had to spend a miserable night in that room. In the morning an electrician came and repaired the wires and assured me that now it will run properly. As the whole day I was out of the hotel I had no inkling of what was in store for me. The next night after starting the AC it kept tripping the whole night spoiling my whole night.

Silserh Lakae Palace Hotel in a state of disrepair

Also as this is a secluded place the hotel is the only place for meals and they do not give you too many options on the menu.

My question is why should a government be in the business of managing (mismanaging?) hotels? Why not ask a private player to run it instead who can market it properly as well as also do the maintenance of this heritage property in a better manner.

The traditional Rajasthani architecture being spoilt by a bad paint job

Also instead of just keeping a few boats and speed boats this place can really be developed into a hub of water sports activity.

Also read stories of places in and around Alwar –

Siliserh Lake near Alwar, Rajasthan
Cenotaph of Bakhtawar Singh of Alwar
Water Tank at City Palace, Alwar
Bala Quila – Alwar’s Way of How Not to Promote Tourism
Jaisamand Lake near Alwar, Rajasthan 

Jaisamand Lake near Alwar, Rajasthan

The Jaisamand lake is an artificial lake near Alwar in Rajasthan that has been built to store water from the overflow of the Ruparel river and to use the water during the parched summer months.

Jaisamand Lake, Alwar

The lake is about six kms from Alwar on the way to Silserh lake and Sariska Tiger Reserve. There is a minor village road leading to this place. As I had driven from Delhi therefore connectivity was not an issue with me. I had stayed at the Silserh Lake Palace Hotel from which point the Jaisamand Lake is not very far. There is almost no traffic on this road either of the tourists or of the locals so if you want some solitude amidst beauty then this is the place for you. Do not expect any eatables etc to be available here. If you want to spend some time here then bring your own water and eatables.

View of the embankment from one of the Cenotaphs at Jaisamand Lake

What is interesting here is that instead of a drab embankment normally found on such lakes the Jaisamand lake embankment has beautiful chattris (cenotaph) made all along its 1.5 km stretch adding immense beauty to the place. The reflection of the chattris on the water is beautiful. The central cenotaph is the largest of them and much more work has been done on this compared to the other chattris.

The central cenotaph and other smaller ones in the background

Though at one time this lake was considered to be amongst the largest artificial lakes in Asia sadly now it is nowhere its original size as the water now is very less and most of the land has been taken over for cultivation. I saw locals using inflated tubes of truck tyres as dinghies in an innovative way and collecting fish and weeds and some water vegetables.

Jaisamand lake and the cenotaphs

Also read stories of places in and around Alwar –

Siliserh Lake near Alwar, Rajasthan
Cenotaph of Bakhtawar Singh of Alwar
Water Tank at City Palace, Alwar
Bala Quila – Alwar’s Way of How Not to Promote Tourism

Water Tank at City Palace, Alwar

The water tank is located next to the City Palace and the Cenotaph of Bakhtawar Singh, also popularly known as Moosi Rani ki Chattri in the city of Alwar in Rajasthan.

Water Tank, City Palace, Alwar

I believe the tank used to serve the needs of the palace though most of the water needs were met by the Siliserh Lake from where the water was brought to the city in channels to meet the requirements of the city. Also the tank was meant, probably, to provide cooling effect to rooms in the Vinay Vilas palace as I saw rooms facing the water tank had jaalis (grills) for passage of cool air. The palace in the city was the living quarters of the king during the peace times but in times of war they used to move to the Bala Quila (fort) which is high up on the nearby hill overlooking the city and the palace.

Water Tank, City Palace, Alwar

What is interesting is the fact that the scenery is pleasing to the eyes and more so the pictures that come out what with the green tinge of the water and the reflections of the surrounding hills and the chattris (cenotaphs). The green tinge is of course due to the fact that the water is stagnant leading to the growth of green algae and there is no cleaning of the tank. I even saw some poly-bags lying in the water tank.

Water Tank with Moosi Rani ki Chattri and the City Palace

There are two floating boats meant to act as fountains with lights but I found them non-functional during my visit.

Also read:
Bala Quila – Alwar’s Way of How Not to Promote Tourism
Cenotaph of Bakhtawar Singh of Alwar
Siliserh Lake near Alwar, Rajasthan

Cenotaph of Bakhtawar Singh of Alwar

Alwar town of Rajasthan is not far from Delhi and one can make even a day trip to the place. It has some interesting monuments that can be seen.

Cenotaph of Bakhtawar Singh

One of them that I visited was the Cenotaph of Maharaja Bakhtawar Singh of Alwar. It is a big and beautiful structure that has the architectural mix of Mughal and Rajasthani architecture. The memorial was built by his son Maharaja Vinay Singh in 1815. The platform and the ground floor of this double storey structure, according to the plaque erected there, is made of Karauli sandstone whereas the upper floor is white marble. The ceiling of the main cenotaph is decorated with scenes depicting themes from Ramayana and Bhagwad Geeta.

Also known as Moosi Rani ki Chattri

As one of the queens of Bakhtawar Singh, by the name of Moosi, performed Sati on his funeral pyre therefore this place is also known as Moosi Rani ki Chattri. I saw many locals performing prayers while others came and sat in its shade to get some rests and to view the City Palace and the Water Tank both of which are next to the cenotaph.

Also read other stories about Alwar:
Bala Quila – Alwar’s Way of How Not to Promote Tourism
Siliserh Lake near Alwar, Rajasthan

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