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 

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

Ranthambore National Park

The Ranthambore National Park is 14 kms from the Sawai Madopur town in the state of Rajasthan. It is 350 kms from Delhi and is well connected both by the railways and good expressways. Spread over 392 sq. kms of forested Aravali and the Vindhya ranges. It is among the largest national parks of India. The forest is  dry tropical deciduous type.

A beautiful water body inside Ranthambore Park with reflection of the hill

I drove from Jodhpur to Sawai Madhopur last winter to visit the Ranthambore National Park. I started early in the morning so as to cover the distance of 440 kms in daylight. I had not traveled this stretch of the road earlier.

Tourist in a Canter

I had booked hotel Vinayak of the Rajathan Tourism Development Corporation (RTDC) run by the state government. The location of the hotel is very close to the Ranthambore National Park. I had also pre-booked online the Canter for sigh-seeing. While booking online I was disappointed that none of the Gypsies were available but I think it was a blessing in disguise. The view from a Canter (a converted truck) is better than a Gypsy as you are able to view from above and one can also look farther.

Who is watching whom!

As the hotel is very close to the park I was among the last ones to be picked by the Canter early next morning. Most people had taken blankets to cover themselves from the cold but I think one jacket with gloves and cap is a better idea. The very first surprise I got was this bird who came and sat on the railing of the Canter and gave all of us ample opportunity to click it.

Cheetal or Spotted Deer

There are several types of antelopes in the park like the Nilgai, Sambhar, Chinkara and Cheetal. Though tigers are the main attraction of the park it is pure luck if you get to sight a tiger.

A Crocodile!

I was also able to see a crocodile lazing outside a water body  If you click the above photo you can make out a crocodile in the center of the photo sunbathing outside the water.

Waterfowl at Ranthambore 

The park also a a treasure trove for the bird lovers. Best time to visit the park is the winter season. Despite my lack of bird knowledge I was able to recognize some of the birds as waterfowls, kingfishers etc. One can see several varieties of migratory birds during the winter time in the park as the park is dotted with several water bodies - stationary and flowing.

Un-metalled Path inside the Ranthambore Park

The park also has Leopards, Ratel, Caracle, Jungle Cat, Fox and Jackal. I saw some pug marks which according to the guide belonged to a Tendua (Panther).

Nilgai

The Nilgais (or the Blue Bull) and the Sambhars are the two big antelope varieties in the park and I was lucky enough to see the Sambhars during day time which normally don't come out in the open.

A male Cheetal

The whole town is crazy about tigers and wherever one gets quizzed- did you see the tiger! Also the guides try to create excitement in the jungle that we are about to see a tiger and the foot-marks are recent ones and they will also tell you that the call of the animals is because somewhere nearby a tiger is roaming.

Mongoose

I also sighted two mongoose by chance as first they crossed the path and then stayed in viewing range for sometime in the nearby grass as well.

Conference of Langurs

The park has an abundance of Gray Langurs or Semnopithecus (also known as Old World Monkeys). What I have observed is that where there is a habitat of Langurs, the ordinary monkeys (New World Monkeys or in Hindi Bandar) disappear as monkeys are scared of Langurs. Comparatively speaking the Langurs are better behaved compared to the monkeys who would attack you to snatch your stuff.

Peacocks

Of course there is abundance of peacocks is the Sawai Madopur area as northern India is the general habitat for them.

It was a good trip to see the wildlife in its natural habitat. Though the trip inside the parks lasted only just over three hours but the memory of it will last a lifetime.

Also read -


Guda Bishnoi for bird and wildlife in Jodhpur area of Rajasthan.
Sambhar Lake for bird and wildlife in Sambhar area of Rajasthan.