Rajsamand is a town of Rajasthan state of India.It is Named on Rajsamand Lake (also known as:Rajsamudra Lake) which is situated near Rajsamand town in Indian state of Rajasthan . Built in the 17th Century, it is approximately 1.75 miles wide, 4 miles long, and 60 feet deep. The lake was built across the Gomati, Kelwa, and Tali Rivers, with a catchment area of approximately 508 square kilometers.
Rajsamand (Rajsamudra) Lake, a huge expanse of water 66 km. north of Udaipur, between the towns of RAJNAGAR and KANKROLI. The lake was the result of a dam constructed across the Gomati, Kelwa, and Tali rivers at the southwestern end by Maharana RAJ SINGH I, between 1662 and 1676 AD. The reason for the dam and lake was to provide employment for victims of a widespread drought and famine (1661), and to provide canal irrigation to local farmers. The digging of its foundations began on January 1, 1662. Ranchod Rai, the elder son of Purohit Garibdas, the Royal Priest, laid the foundation stone on April 17, 1665. Construction of the actual dam began on January 14, 1676, Maharana Raj Singh observing a fast on the previous day. The following day, after having his bath, he went to the temple with his brothers, sons, queens, and other relatives. He then observed Ratri-Jagran (the singing of devotional songs) all night.
Rajsamand Lake is the oldest known relief work in Rajasthan and cost almost 4 million rupees. With a circumference of 7.5 km., the lake is quite awe-inspiring. It is roughly 6 km. long and 2.5 km. wide, with a depth of 18 m., and a catchment area of some 508 sq. km. As large as it is, the lake has been known to disappear in times of severe drought: for instance, in 2000, it was merely a huge, empty basin with a surface of dried, cracked mud. The late monsoon the following year partly refilled it, but the water level remained dangerously low.
At the Kankroli (southern) end, the lake has an immense white stone embankment, 183 m. long and 12 m. high, with terraces of large marble and stone ghats (steps) leading down to the water's edge. Along the embankment are ornamental arches and pavilions, commissioned by Princess CHARUMATI, from another branch of the Sisodia family, in gratitude to Maharana Raj Singh I, who married her to prevent her marriage to Mughal Emperor AURANGZEB. The five toranas (weighing arches) seen here are where Raj Singh and his successors performed the event called Tuladan: they were weighed in gold and jewels, the cash value of which was distributed among Brahmans, and for the construction of temples and tanks for the welfare of the people. The colonnaded pavilions are decorated with depictions of the sun, chariots, gods, dancing girls and birds, exquisite carvings that are claimed to be unique in India. A special feature of Rajsamand is a long Sanskrit inscription on twenty-seven white marble blocks, dated 1675/76 (see AMARKAVYA). The Rajsamand district was also the scene of a desperate battle in the late 17th century between Mewar and the Mughal emperor Aurangzeb, and is linked with the name of ANAND SINGH(KELWA), an officer in the Mewar army, who fought and died there, when left with only a small force to defend the dam from the Mughals (see also RAJ SINGH I vs. AURANGZEB). During World War II, Rajsamand Lake was used as a seaplane base by Imperial Airways for about six years.
