One of the loveliest places in India where nature is at her bountiful best, Srinagar in Jammu and Kashmir is a tourist’s paradise blessed with beautiful rivers and lakes, blossoming gardens, and verdant woods. The Wular Lake – acclaimed to be the largest freshwater lake in India and perhaps in Asia too – ranks prominent as one of the major tourist attractions in Srinagar.
About Wular lake :
Wular Lake is the largest freshwater lake in India and lies in the Kashmir Valley, 40 km northwest of Srinagar City in the Northwest of India. With a size of 189 sq. km, Wular Lake is also one of the largest freshwater lakes in Asia. The lake lies at an altitude of 1,580 m. Its maximum depth is 14 metres, it has a length of 16 km and a breadth of 10 km.
Wular Lake plays a significant role in the hydrographic system of the Kashmir Valley by acting as huge absorption basin for annual floodwater. The lake and its surrounding extensive marshes have an important natural wildlife. The rivers Bohnar, Madamati and Erin from the mountain ranges and the rivers Vetasta (Jhelum) and the Ningal from the south bring hundreds of tons of silt into the lake every year. This rampant siltation and the human encroachments have devastating effects on the lake.
In recognition of its biological, hydrological and socio-economic values, the lake was included in 1986 as a Wetland of National Importance under the Wetlands Programme of the Ministry of Environment and Forests, Government of India for intensive conservation and management purposes. Subsequently in 1990, it was designated as a Wetland of International Importance under the Ramsar Convention.
Wular Lake is a sustainable wintering site for a number of migratory waterfowl species such as Little Egzet (Egretta garzetta), Cattle Egzet (Bubulcus ibis), Shoveler (Anas clypeata), Common Pochard (Aythya farina) and Mallard. Birds like Marbled Teal (Marmaronetta angustirostris) and Pallas´s Fish-eagle (Haliaeetus leucoryphus) are species listened in the Red List of IUCN. Many terrestrial bird species observed around the lake are Short-toed Eagle (Circaetus gallicus), Little Cuckoo (Piaya minuta), European Hoopoe (Upupa epops), Monal Pheasant (Lophophorus impejanus) and Himalayan Pied Woodpecker (Dendrocopos himalayensis albescens).
Wular Lake is also an important habitat for fish and contributes about 60 percent of the fish yield of the Kashmir Valley. The dominant fish species found in the lake are: Cyprinus carpio, Barbus conchonius, Gambusia affinis, Nemacheilus sp., Crossocheilus latius, Schizothorax curvifrons, S. esocinus, S. planifrons, S. micropogon, S. longipinus and S. niger. More than 8,000 fishermen earn their livelihood from Wular Lake.
Places To Look Around :
There are several large towns or other places of interest around the shore of the lake.
Sopur : Sopur, at the south end of the lake where the Jhelum leaves it, is noted for its fruit growing – particularly Apples and Walnuts. The main resort town for the lake is Ningal Nullah, 5-km from Sopur. From here one can hire sailing boats to cruise on the lake or for fishing.
Lolab Valley & Bungas : Beyond Sopur is the Lolab valley, reached either by a road from Sopur or by following the bridal path from Kiuhnus. To the west of the Lolab valley there is an extensive flat meadow called Bungas, at 2,896 metres above sea level and 114-km from Srinagar . It’s like an undeveloped Gulmarg.
Kiuhnus Bay : Kiuhnus bay is a small valley 20-km from Sopur and 12-km from Bandipur. Further up this valley of the Madumati River there are several waterfalls.
Bandipur : The important town of Bandipur, famous for its woven blankets, is on the eastern shore of the lake, at the foot of the 3,355 metres Tragbal Pass. On the northwest side of the lake, near Ashtiung, there is a Ziarat or shrine to Baba Shukur-ud-Din, a disciple or the saint Nur-ud-Din.
Baramula : Baramula, to the south west of the lake, was on the main route to Rawalpindi, the chief route from Kashmir to the Indian plains prior to independence. Roads also run from here to Gilgit and Hunza, into what is now the restricted zone controlled by Pakistan. Baramula is the legendary place from which Vishnu is said to have drained the waters, which once filled the Kashmir valley.
Shadipur : Close to Shadipur, where the Sindh River flows into the Jhelum, there are the ruins of a number of Hindu and Buddhist shrines. Shadipur has a camping site and is noted for the abundant fish in the waters around it.
Other Attractions :
Houseboats, Doongas and sailing boats can be hired on the lake. The three main mooring places are at Ningal Nullah, Kiuhnus Bay and at Ajus Spur on the south east side. Around the lake there are various canals, which lead through the silt at the river mouths up into the rivers themselves. One of the best is to the Erin valley, which starts from Nodhal and winds 6½-km up to two high altitude lakes.
How To Get There :
Road: Buses leave the tourist reception centre in Srinagar in the morning for a day trip around Wular Lake and back. The bus first stops at Anchar Lake, then on to Safapur, to stop at Manasbal Lake, thence to Bandipur, 56-km away. This is followed by lunch at Watlab where there is a government rest house, and a tour of the mosque of Baba Sakar-ud-Din, then on to Sopur. The lake can be reached by river as well as road.
Location : 50-km From Srinagar, Jammu & Kashmir
Famous As: A Picnic Spot
Significance: Said To Be The Largest Fresh Water Lake In India.
Best Time To Visit: June To August