Chacha Kota
The view across the Mahi backwaters where the hundred islands are actually visible — the photograph people come to Banswara for.
- From the hotel
- 20 km approx.
- Travel time
- 35 min
- Timings
- Daylight hours
- Entry
- No charge
- Best time
- November to February, early morning or sunset
Chacha Kota is where you go to actually see the hundred islands. Mahi Dam is the engineering; this is the view.
From the high ground here the Mahi backwaters spread out below, broken up by dozens of small islands of higher land. It is the image that appears on almost every article written about Banswara, and it is one of the few genuinely photogenic landscapes in this part of Rajasthan.
When to come
November to February, and either early morning or an hour before sunset. Two things matter: the water level has to have dropped enough for the islands to stand clear, and the light has to be low enough to separate the land from the water. In the middle of a hot afternoon the whole view flattens out and looks like very little.
What to expect
Nothing is built here. There is no viewing platform, no railing, no shop and no shade. That is much of the appeal, but it does mean you should bring water, wear proper shoes, and take care near the edges — particularly with children.
Getting there
Roughly 35 minutes by road from Udaipur Road, in the same direction as Mahi Dam. Most visitors do the two together in one trip, and that is the right way to do it.
Combine it with
Mahi Dam
The dam that made Banswara the city of a hundred islands — and the single sight most visitors come here for.
Diablab Lake
A lake covered with lotus flowers in season — go in the morning, when they are open.
Anand Sagar Lake
Known locally as Bai Talab — the lake in town, and the easiest evening walk in Banswara.