Fresh (Sweet) Water Lakes of Rajasthan
Freshwater lakes are bodies of still, unsalted water surrounded by land. They are usually found in low lying areas and are fed from streams, rivers and runoff from the surrounding area
- Due to the scarcity of water in Rajasthan, this freshwater lakes act as boons for people of Rajasthan.
Important fresh water lakes of Rajasthan are discussed below:
1. Jaisamand Lake: It was constructed by Maharana Jaising by building the dam on Gomati River from 1685 to 1691. It is India’s second-largest artificial lake after Govind Ballabh Pant Sagar.
- It is located 51 km southeast of Udaipur.
- It is also called Dhebar Lake.
- It is the biggest natural lake of Rajasthan.
When first built, it was the largest artificial lake in the world. The surrounding Jaisamand Wildlife Sanctuary around Dhebar Lake can be reached by the state highway to Banswara from Udaipur. Mostly teak forest found on the shores of Dhebar Lake. The Dhebar lake Marble dam is 300.0 m (984.3 ft) long and is a part of the “Heritage Monuments of India“. The dam also has the Hawa Mahal Palace, winter Capital of the erstwhile Maharanas of Mewar. There are three islands on Dhebar Lake and the tribe of Bhil Minas inhabits, the two bigger islands are known as Baba ka Magra and the smaller island is called Piari.
2. Rajsamand Lake: It was constructed by Maharana Rajsingh in 1662.
On the bank of this lake many inscriptions are there which tells about the history of Mewar. It was built across the Gomati, Kelwa and Tali rivers with a catchment area of approximately 196 sq mi (510 km2).
3. Pichhola Lake
- Lake Pichhola, an artificial fresh water lake, situated on the heart of the Udaipur city in Rajasthan.
- It was built in 1362 AD by a Banjara and & named after the nearby Picholi village.
- There are four islands on the lake: Jag Niwas, where the lake palace is built, Jag Mandir, with the palace of the same name, Mohan Mandir and Arsi Vilas.
- The Pichhola Lake and the Swaroop Sagar Lake are connected by an arched bridge built by Maharana Swaroop singh during 1842-1861.
- One has Jag Mandir (Temple) and second has Jag Nivas named palaces.
4. Fateh Sagar Lake: This is an artificial lake was initially built by Maharana Jai singh in north-west of Udaipur in the year 1678 but it was reconstructed by Maharana Fateh singh in 1888.
It was inaugurated by the Duke of Connaught and was initially called Connaught Bundh.
There are Udaipur Solar Observatory, impressive water-jet fountain and Nehru Park – Popular picnic spot.
5. Anasagar Lake: It is an artificial lake situated in the city of Ajmer. It was built by Arnoraja alias Anaji, the grandfather of Prithviraj Chauhan, in 1135 -1150 AD and it was named after him.
- The five Baradari or pavilions, between the garden and the lake, were built by Shahjahan in 1637. On its bank, there’s a garden called “Daulat Baug by Jehangir.
6. Pushkar Lake: It is located in Ajmer district surrounded by mountains. This is also known as Pushkar Sarovar is located in Pushkar and Pushkar Lake is a sacred lake of the Hindus. The Hindu scriptures describe it as “Tirtha-Raj” – the king of Pilgrimage sites related to a water-body and relate it to the mythology of the creator-god Brahma, whose most prominent temple stands in Pushkar.The Pushkar Lake finds mention on coins as early as the 4th century BC.
7. Siliserh Lake: It is located in Alwar district in between Aravalli Range.
Some other famous lakes are Navlakkha Lake (Bundi), Kolayat Lake (Bikaner), Shaiva Sagar (Dungarpur), Galati and Ramgarh (Jaipur), Balsamand Lake (Jodhpur) and Kailana Lake (Jodhpur) etc.