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Sambhar Lake, Jaipur
Sambhar is a small town, famous for the largest saline lake in India. Due to this
fact, Sambhar is also known as Salt Lake City. Various rulers of Jaipur and Jodhpur
have owned the lake in their ruling periods. In 1870 A.D. it was leased to the British.
Sambhar lake is situated at a distance of 65 km from Jaipur on Phulera rail-route.
The lake is a major source for salt production. The lake is divided by a 5-km long
dam made of stone,190 sq km in extent at full capacity.
After independence, the lake was taken over by the government. In the present day,
it is managed by Sambhar Salts Limited, a joint venture of Hindustan Salts and the
Government of Rajasthan. Sambhar Lake elongates to the length of 22.5 kms. The lake
is fed by several seasonal freshwater streams, two of the major ones being the rivers
Mendha and Rupangarh.
To the eastern part of the dam, you will find a rail trolley system that was originally
developed by the British to get across the dam and to access various outlying points
in the salt works. On the sand-smothered lanes on the shore of the Lake, you will
see reddish-pink office buildings of Sambhar Salts Ltd. You can also visit the salt
laboratory and the salt museum on the terrain.
Sambhar Lake is a place where horizons stretch to perpetuity, where water and sky
merge in a shimmer of gossamer blue. The waters here are glacially still, edged
with a glittering frost of salt. Sambhar has been classified as a Ramsar site (recognized
wetland of international importance) since the wetland is a residence for thousands
of flamingos and other birds that migrate from northern Asia in winters.
For bird-lovers, this is the best place to explore. Infact, the lure of Flamingos
brings tourists to visit this salty lake. Myriad tall and dainty birds with their
ballerina tutus come here to enjoy the delicious spirulina algae that thrive when
the water reaches a medium degree of salinity. You can spot other birds too like
pelicans, Storks, sandpipers, redshanks, black-winged stilts, coots, and shovelers
float relaxing on the water.
There are many stories regarding the existence of the lake. According to one, reference
in some 2,500 years ago the epic Mahabharata, Raja Yayati, emperor of Bharatvarsh
(India) and a descendant of Lord Brahma the Creator, married Devyani, daughter of
Shukracharya (the guru of demons) who lived by the lake. A large population living
in and around the lake depends upon the lake resources for sustenance.
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