Where is Sambhar Lake?

[Mike]

I have just seen some of the photos of Sambhar Lake posted on the forum, the place is truly amazing. I have zoomed in on some of the photos and there is absolutely nothing in site, it is a bit like a dessert apart from the fact that there is large amounts of sand.

I think this is a place worth visiting, although I dont think there is anything to see there but the fact of being in such a place is great feature in itself.

Please give some details about Sambhar Lake.

 

[Admin]

Sambhar lake is off the Jaipur Ajmer highway, about 45 mins from Jaipur. There is a right turn on the highway that you take and the roads are a little broken at places but not too bad. Take some snacks and drinks with you and may be your chairs and spend a few hours there. There are no insects or anything as it is all salty and there are no fish in the water either. Driving on the dry lake bed is amazing and you can keep driving for hours if you want without having to put your foot on brake. There is also a temple that you can see which is called Sambhari devi temple.

 

[Admin]

photos of Sambhar Lake posted on the forum

Those pics were lost during transition so will post them again soon along with many more.

 

[briannagodess]

Hello and welcome to the forum!

I'd like to add in some more details about Sambhar Lake, maybe this can be of help to other members and guests. Sambhar itself is a municipality in the city of Jaipur. Civilisation in Sambhar started way, way long ago and even the Mahabharata has mentioned it a few times.

One legend is that the Goddess Shakambhari gave the lake to the people of the town about 2,500 years ago. There's even a temple just nearby the lake for the said Goddess Shakambhari.

Sambhar Lake is India's largest saline lake. The lake never exceeds 3 metres in depth even after monsoon season. On average, it's just about 0.6 cm in depth. In length though, it stretches about 22 kms long. The Mendha River and the Rupangarh River go into the lake as well.

It has two sections: the Eastern one is the reservoir part and the Western part is where the salt is collected. You'll find flamingoes drawn to this lake primarily because of the algae in the water. You can also spot other species of birds flocking here.

Like you said, there's not much to do here. But just enjoying the view of the birds can be fun in itself. Plus, as I've said, this is a thousand year old location already, that is enough reason to visit it.

I hope this helps!