Jaisamand Lake, Artificial lake in Udaipur district, India

Jaisamand Lake is an artificial reservoir in Udaipur district that covers a large area and includes three forested islands within its waters. The lake is fed by the Gomti River and features shoreline structures along with areas of dense vegetation.

Maharana Jai Singh built this reservoir in 1691 by constructing a marble dam across the Gomti River to support regional irrigation needs. This project was a major engineering effort that transformed water management in the area.

The lake is also called Jaisamand, 'Ocean of Victory', after Maharana Jai Singh, and its older name Dhebar comes from Dheba Dangi of nearby Virpura, said to have been buried alive in the dam. At its inauguration on 2 June 1691 the Maharana walked around the dam distributing gold equal to his own weight. Bhil Mina families still live on the islands and cross to the shore in boats.

The lake is accessible by road from Udaipur city and offers activities such as boating for visitors. You can expect to see a variety of bird species throughout the year while exploring the shoreline.

The lake's Hindi name comes from Dheba Dangi of nearby Veerpura, who was buried alive in the dam; after it breached three times, a sadhu's advice was followed and the fourth dam held. The six domed chhatris along the embankment are not memorials to workers: each has three tiers, and the lowest carries carved stone elephants standing with trunks raised.