Being escorted to Sewara’s Lakshman Sagar Resort from Raipur Fort. If you want to get an experience of kayaking in a pristine pure lake, Lakshman Sagar is an attractive destination. Lakshman Sagar is located 5 km. away from Raipur Fort. The forests around Lakshman Sagar are full of Khejri trees and is home to Blue Bulls and Eagle Owls. Located adjacent to Sewara’s Lakshman Sagar Resort, one finds a tiny hamlet of local tribes. Sewara’s Lakshman Sagar Resort is located just 4 km. away from Haripur.

Lakshman Sagar lake attracts migratory birds from Siberia and Tibet every winter. A person interested in wildlife, bird watching and adventure sports should certainly visit Lakshman Sagar, which is the entry point to the Todgarh-Raoli wildlife sanctuary in Rajasthan.

There are very few water bodies in India where kayaking is possible, so when I came to know that Sewara’s Lakshman Sagar lake offers one the rare experience of kayaking, I jumped at the opportunity and headed to Sewara’s Lakshman Sagar Resort for my kayaking adventure, with stopovers at Sewara’s Pushkar Resort and Raipur Fort’s delightful homestay.

I arrive at the resort late at night and drift off to dreamless sleep after clicking a few photographs of the divine ambience at night. It is difficult to believe that a 100 km. drive from Ajmer, will bring one to many secluded caves surrounded by dry deciduous forests, teeming with wildlife. In a region as dry as Rajasthan, one would not expect to see a rain-cloud or two at certain times of the year. There is a rainy season but not day-long torrential rain, but a few isolated showers towards the evening. Lakshman Sagar is a year round destination where the forests are open regardless of the season.

One is writing this from one’s lake facing villa at the Sewara’s Lakshman Sagar Resort near Haripur in Rajasthan. High velocity winds are a constant feature of Lakshman Sagar and they blow through the Khejri groves and coupled with the sounds of crickets, provide natural sounds which can put one into a light trance, during the night. That is why Sewara’s Lakshman Sagar Resort’s message to their guests is “slow living and slow eating…”

Lakshman Sagar lake is located on the outskirts of the Todgarh Raoli wildlife sanctuary in Pali District of Rajasthan. The Raoli forests are dry deciduous with patches of Khejri trees which vie against each other for space. My resort has several green trees, which are reflected in the crystal clearness of Lakshman Sagar lake, which is soothing to one’s eyes.

The drive from Raipur Fort to Sewara’s Lakshman Sagar Resort takes you through the Aravallis. One passes Haripur Railway Station enroute to Lakshman Sagar. The unique feature about Sewara’s Lakshman Sagar Resort is that each cottage has a baby splash pool overlooking the lake and spacious luggage racks, so that your bed remains uncluttered throughout your stay.

Walking through Sewara’s Lakshman Sagar Resort is no less than trekking through dry deciduous forests. Sewara’s Lakshman Sagar Resort is eco-friendly as all extra food is distributed among the needy village locals and hotel staff. Wastage of cooked food is minimal. Vegetables and fruits are sourced locally from their own organic farms. All food cooked at Sewara’s Lakshman Sagar Resort is sourced locally.

Sewara’s Lakshman Sagar Resort offers a great opportunity for guests, both foreign and Indian to have close experiences with nature. My host at Sewara’s Lakshman Sagar Resort is Tejinder Kumar Singh, who is a hotel industry professional. He introduces me to my guide Mr. Dayal who is going to be my escort for the kayaking trip to spot Blue Bulls (neelgais) around Lakshman Sagar lake.

There are many trekking trails within the forests surrounding Lakshman Sagar lake. Our kayaking cruise leads us to cobalt blue lagoons, hidden caves and sandstone cliff formations. These treks range from 1 km. to 2 km. and have different gradients of difficulty. Some of the wildlife found at Lakshman Sagar lake include blue bulls, macaques, common Indian langurs and several hundred species of local and migratory birds. Our objective was to circumnavigate Lakshman Sagar lake and sight Blue Bulls as well as photograph both local and migratory birds during one’s long kayaking adventure.

One passes Haripur Railway Station named after Thakur Hari Singh, the great- great-grandfather of Manavjeet Singh Udawat who owns Lakshman Sagar Resort. From British times all New Delhi to Ahmedabad trains used to stop at Haripur Station and still do!

Lakshman Sagar lake is located just 4 km. away from Haripur Station. The last two kilometres leading to Lakshman Sagar lake is a forest road. This road is shown in the accompanying photograph and a 2 km. drive through this mud road will take you to the oasis of tranquility aptly named Lakshman Sagar lake.

Sewara’s Lakshman Sagar Resort is one of the hidden gems of Rajasthan, the picture perfect surroundings of Lakshman Sagar not only makes it the perfect romantic destination but also a place to disconnect from the hustle and bustle of modern city life. Lakshman Sagar has been a member of PURE Life Experiences since 2013 and more recently has been included in Conde Nast Traveler’s Gold Standard List for 2015.

One can experience calmness, serenity, peace and tranquilness, as one paddles along the placid waters of Lakshman Sagar lake. Travelling on a hand-paddled kayak, is the ideal way to relax. One moves at a slow and leisurely pace, the musical sound of the paddle as it touches the water at periodic intervals breaks the silence at dusk. The sound of the paddle gently hitting the water, the chirping of sparrows and the screams of peacocks are all that one gets to hear at dusk. With every paddle, one gets closer to one’s destination and with every paddle, light gives way to darkness.

The obstacles in the water are patches of thorny bushes, stones, rocks and boulders and not the trees. Khejri groves and Bawal (prosopis juliflora) trees line both sides of the kayak’s path. The objective of circumnavigating Lakshman Sagar lake was to photograph Blue Bulls who roam around the dry deciduous forests, that surround our eco-friendly resort and to photograph local and migratory birds who have made this lake their abode. I am accompanied by Mr. Dayal Singh Rajawat an experienced bird-watcher.

Lakshman Sagar lake is surrounded by a terrain which includes rocky hills, isolated water bodies and thick deciduous forests all around.

After fifteen minutes of kayaking, we see a Blue Bull outside the door of my cottage. We paddle towards the rocky cliff, expecting to photograph the biggest member of the antelope family. We are rewarded for our efforts. The accompanying photograph shows the Blue Bull outside our cottage as seen from our kayak. This photograph was clicked by Tejinder Singh, Resort Manager at Sewara’s Lakshman Sagar Resort from his kayak.

After thirty minutes of gentle paddling we move towards a rocky hill which is a birdwatcher’s dream come true! A large creek can be seen in the distance. We paddle towards this aqueous blue water body which sparkled like an amethyst nestled in nature’s hand. We can hear the hoot of the Indian Eagle Owl and we gently paddle and park our kayak near a rock at the edge of the water and wait with bated breath. And after a thirty minute wait, we are rewarded with a face to face meeting with the Indian Eagle Owl himself. The attached photograph tells the rest of the story…

Around Lakshman Sagar lake, one can sight numerous local and migratory birds like Domicile Cranes, Cattle Egrets, Cormorants and Indian Eagle Owls. If one is fortunate, one is able to sight a Purple Sunbird and surely see Blue Bulls (neelgais) on the fringes of forests that surround Lakshman Sagar. Lakshman Sagar lake is the watering hole for Blue Bulls and Eagle Owls. Lakshman Sagar lake is an oasis in the rocky hills of Raipur.

Lakshman Sagar is the perfect place to experience the traditions and customs of village life. A day trip to Haripur village from Sewara’s Lakshman Sagar Resort takes you to a long bygone era, where life still goes on like the days of the past!

In the first phase of one’s cruise, one can spot a solitary Blue Bull, an Indian Eagle Owl and a White Throated Kingfisher. But as we move deeper into the waterways around the lake, the number of birds sighted increase exponentially.

As we enter the smaller waterways in our kayak, we spy a Pied Kingfisher hovering over the surface of the water. After five minutes of hovering, it perches itself on a rock, giving us a picture postcard pose for a quick photograph before flying away, seconds after we captured this photograph

On the return cruise, we were fortunate enough to see two Blue Bulls near the water. Having perfected point and shoot photography since 1995, when we started tips4ceos.com travel blog, we got the perfect shot of the Blue Bulls. The temperature at Lakshman Sagar in June is pleasantly cold at nights to slightly hot in the afternoons, with a few isolated showers towards the evening.

Coming face to face with Blue Bull and the Indian Eagle Owl is an unforgettable experience. I was fortunate enough to perfect point and shoot photography to be able to click a perfect photograph of the Indian Eagle Owl in twilight conditions during my kayaking trip. We could see a wide variety of birds at Lakshmansagar lake in an hour of kayaking than in many birding lodges abroad!

The most fascinating aspect of my five nights stay at Sewara’s Lakshman Sagar Resort, was to be able see the heritage hotel’s architecture, blend with mother nature and embrace all modern amenities needed in modern life. At the same time, one can meditate to the tune of nature.

I saw more birds at Lakshman Sagar, in five days, compared to several weeks I spent at the Khao Sok National Park at Phuket or several expensive birding lodges abroad and even more than many of India’s smaller bird sanctuaries. Hats off to Inderpal Singh Kochhar of Sewara Hospitality and Manavjeet Singh Udawat of Raipur Fort for attracting exotic birds to Lakshman Sagar Lake. As long as the birds stay at Lakshman Sagar, guests will follow in droves. A photograph of the Purple Sunbird, sighted during my kayak expedition is above.

I started my day at 6 a.m. with a brisk walk, followed by 30 minutes of light yoga including Suryanamaskar. Breakfast was no more than organic seasonal fruits, with cold tomato soup and vegan soya, dates, cinnamon, banana smoothie. I followed it with a bath in the splash pool overlooking the lake and a kilometer long trek through the forests surrounding my cottage.

An organic lunch with traditional Rajasthani delicacies followed. Afternoons were spent taking power-naps and evenings were reserved for kayaking trips. I discovered the power of doing nothing here. I could close my eyes, chew my food slowly, so as to enjoy the taste of every morsel of food.

Late afternoons were spent mediating under the giant trees around my cottage. Supper included pit cooking after returning from the kayaking trip. This included roasted batis with vegetables, roasted on the embers of dried leaves and twigs collected from the forest floor.

I also went for an early morning trek in the forest accompanied by Teji of Sewara’s Lakshman Sagar Resort, to sight peacocks. I must admit that walking through the dry deciduous overgrowth in the twilight hours of the morning to photograph peacocks was one close encounter with nature, which I will always remember. I feel that every resort in India would attract more repeat guests if they provide such a soothing ambience full of peace, tranquilness and serenity, like Sewara provided me during my stay here.

I came to Sewara’s Lakshman Sagar Resort as a guest but left as a friend. The team at Sewara’s Lakshman Sagar Resort is young and full of energy. Inderpal Singh Kochhar (MD)Tejinder Singh (Resort Manager), Mr. Dayal Singh Rajawat (Naturalist), Jai Singh (Guest Service) and each and every member of the team ensured that I had a wonderful stay at Sewara’s Lakshman Sagar Resort.

Precautions while kayaking:

  • Do not board the kayak, till it is rock
  • Life-jackets are
  • The paddle should not plough in the
  • Go at a steady clip with the
  • Be mindful of thorny bushes at the edge of the
  • Always go with a guide and navigator on all kayaking

 There is a 300 year old Banyan tree inside Lakshman Sagar. The trunk of this giant tree is wide, having stood undisturbed over centuries. After about 30 minutes of kayaking through the forests, we could only spot one Blue Bull. However, we were able to see several peacocks and parrots during one’s drive through the forest roads. But the presence of more Blue Bulls motivated us to kayak deeper into the creek and we were rewarded for our efforts. We could glimpse two Blue Bulls at close quarters and managed to capture them on our camera within a few minutes of sighting them.

How to get there?:

The nearest international airport to reach Lakshman Sagar is at New Delhi. There are several options for tourists to get to Lakshman Sagar from New Delhi via Jaipur, Jodhpur or Udaipur.

By flight:

The easiest way is by flight. Jodhpur, Jaipur and Udaipur are connected to Mumbai and New Delhi by direct flights. Sewara’s Lakshman Sagar Resort offers pickup in chauffer driven cars from the airports at extra cost. One can also drive down the 600 km. to New Delhi to Lakshman Sagar via Beawar and Ajmer or take an overnight bus.

By train:

The nearest Railway Station to reach Lakshman Sagar is at Haripur. There are several options for tourists to get to Lakshman Sagar from Haripur.

By car:

The easiest way is by car. One can drive to Sewara’s Lakshman Sagar Resort in 10 minutes as it is located 4 km. away. Sewara’s Lakshman Sagar Resort offers free pickup and drop from Haripur station located 4 km. away, in chauffer driven jeeps/cars for guests. This 4 km. trip takes 10 minutes.

Where to eat?:

Musk melon juice was my nectar during one’s stay at Sewara’s Lakshman Sagar Resort. Freshly squeezed vegetable and fruit juices including water-melon, sweet- lime and musk-melon are served for vegans. No sugar or ice is added so that the juice retains its natural taste and detoxifies the body. Sewara’s efficient staff arranges a pit cooking experience at sun-set which includes roasted batis, aubergines, potatoes and tomatoes served with freshly ground pepper and rock salt, drizzled with a spoon of olive oil. The result is a heavenly gastronomic experience which equals the Shabu Shabu vegan hot pots of Chiang Mai.

Where to stay at Lakshman Sagar? :

Sewara’s Lakshman Sagar Resort is an all suites luxury resort which offers a dream experience for both Indian and foreign tourists. The rooms are spacious and can comfortably accommodate a couple. The bathrooms are luxurious, with excellent hot water showers. A mud cottage and local furniture complete the picture for a perfect holiday. The cottages at Sewara’s Lakshman Sagar Resort are priced at Rs. 28000/- inclusive of taxes (inclusive of all meals for two guests). The kayak cruise to watch birds costs Rs. 3500/- for the two hour long cruise (maximum 1 guest per kayak). The U.S.$ tariff for foreign passport holders is US$ 500 per night.(inclusive of all meals for two guests).

Weather in Rajasthan:

The weather in Rajasthan ranges from pleasant to warm, especially when there is no rain at night. For sonorous sleep at Sewara’s Lakshman Sagar Resort spend ten minutes watching the sun set from terraces or the rocks that surround the lake. I slept at 9 p.m. and woke up at 5 a.m. If you want to see vibrant colours at sun-set, visit Lakshman Sagar from August to April.

After an hour of kayaking, we come across a clearing in the forest to sight two Blue Bulls, under a tree. We wait patiently in our kayak. Nature rewards patience and our long wait is rewarded soon. Here is the photograph of the Blue Bulls in their natural environment.