School series lake 28

 Lakes of India — 6

Dal — The Lake That Has a Life of Its Own

In the heart of Srinagar lies Dal Lake, perhaps one of India's most familiar lakes. Yet there is much more to it than its famous shikaras and houseboats.

Dal is almost a world of its own.

People live on the lake in houseboats. Shikaras serve as boats, taxis and even floating shops. Early in the morning, the lake comes alive with the floating vegetable market, where farmers bring their produce by boat. We did spend one evening and night in the boat house during our trip to Srinagar in 2018_ 19. It's an amazing experience.

There are also floating gardens, where vegetables are cultivated on specially prepared masses of vegetation and soil.

And then there is the reflection.

The surrounding mountains, sky, trees and houseboats are mirrored in the still waters, making the lake appear to become part of the landscape itself.

In winter, the character of the lake changes again. Mist settles over the water, the mountains become hazy and the famous Kashmir atmosphere takes on an almost dreamlike quality.

Perhaps that is what makes Dal different.

It is not merely a lake to look at.

It is a lake to live on.

Boats move, vegetables are sold, gardens float, people travel and life goes on—all upon the water.

One lake. A floating neighbourhood. A floating market. A floating way of life.

School series lake 27

 Lakes of India — 5

Sambhar — The Lake That Makes Salt

In the dry landscape of Rajasthan lies Sambhar Lake, India's largest inland salt lake.

At first glance, it may look like an enormous sheet of water. But Sambhar has a remarkable secret:

It makes salt.

Several seasonal streams bring water into the lake. The intense heat of Rajasthan causes much of the water to evaporate, leaving behind the salt. For centuries, people have harvested this natural salt.

The lake also becomes a spectacular destination for migratory birds. Flamingos and many other waterbirds arrive here, turning the stark landscape into a scene full of life.

And there is something fascinating about its appearance.

The lake does not always look like a conventional lake. During the dry season, vast salt pans and glistening white surfaces can stretch across the landscape.

So Sambhar is not simply a lake holding water.

Water enters.

The sun takes the water away.

Salt remains.

Birds arrive.

People harvest.

Nature has created, right in the middle of Rajasthan's arid landscape, a giant natural salt-making factory.

One lake. One sun. One extraordinary natural process.

School series lake 26

 Lakes of India — 4

Pangong Tso — The Lake of Changing Colours

High in the mountains of Ladakh, at about 4,225 metres above sea level, lies one of India's most spectacular lakes.

Pangong Tso is an extraordinary sight—not only because of its stark beauty, but because its waters can appear to change colour.

Depending on the sunlight, weather, time of day and viewing angle, the lake may appear deep blue, turquoise, greenish or even grey.

But there is another remarkable fact.

Pangong Tso is not entirely in India. About one-third lies in India and the rest extends into Tibet, under Chinese control.

It is also a saline lake, despite being surrounded by some of the world's highest mountains.

In winter, its surface can freeze completely, turning the brilliant blue lake into a vast sheet of ice.

There is something almost surreal about the scene:

Blue water.

Brown mountains.

A cloudless sky.

No trees.

And an immense silence.

Pangong teaches us something simple:

Nature does not need colour to be ordinary—or silence to be empty.

One lake. Two countries. Many colours. One unforgettable landscape.

And Pangong is not alone in changing colour.

The mountains around Ladakh have colours of their own. Golden in one light, brown in another, black, grey or even reddish elsewhere. Some appear to glow in the morning sun and turn almost silver towards evening.

There are no lush forests to soften the landscape. Instead, there are bare mountains, deep blue skies, shimmering waters and an extraordinary silence.

It is a landscape painted without a painter.

Perhaps that is Ladakh's greatest magic: nothing seems to be there, yet everything is there.

Colour. Light. Space. Silence. And a beauty that is difficult to describe.

School series lakes 25

 Lakes of India — 3

Chilika — Where the Lake Meets the Sea

On the coast of Odisha lies a lake that is neither completely a lake nor completely a sea.

Chilika Lake is a vast brackish-water lagoon, separated from the Bay of Bengal by a narrow stretch of land. Freshwater from rivers enters it, while seawater enters from the ocean.

The result is a remarkable meeting place of river, lake and sea.

But Chilika has another surprise.

Every winter, hundreds of thousands of migratory birds arrive here from distant parts of the world. For them, Chilika becomes a vast seasonal home.

And beneath its waters lives another unusual visitor—the Irrawaddy dolphin, a rare and endangered dolphin species.

Chilika is also a lifeline for thousands of fishermen whose lives are closely connected with its waters.

So this is much more than a beautiful lake.

Freshwater comes in.

Seawater comes in.

Birds come from distant lands.

Dolphins live beneath the surface.

And people make their living from its waters.

Chilika is a place where land, river, sea, wildlife and human life meet.

One lake. Many worlds.

School series lake 24

Lakes of India — 2

Loktak — The Lake That Floats

In the north-eastern state of Manipur lies a lake that seems to defy nature.

Loktak Lake is the largest freshwater lake in the north-east of India. But its real wonder is not its size.

It floats.

Scattered across its surface are enormous floating masses called phumdis. They are made of vegetation, soil and organic matter held together naturally. Some are small, while others are large enough to support vegetation, houses and human activity.

And then comes the extraordinary part.

One of these floating formations is home to Keibul Lamjao National Park—the world's only floating national park.

It is also the last natural refuge of the sangai, the endangered brow-antlered deer found only in Manipur.

So here is a lake where:

The land floats.

The forest floats.

A national park floats.

And a rare deer walks upon floating earth.

Nature does not always make its wonders obvious.

Sometimes, even the land refuses to stay still.

Loktak — a lake where the impossible seems perfectly natural.

School series lake 23

 Lakes of India — 1

Lonar: The Lake That Came From Space

In Maharashtra lies a lake unlike almost any other in India.

It is Lonar Lake—and its story begins not on Earth, but in space.

About 50,000 years ago, a meteorite travelling at enormous speed struck the Deccan basalt rock of Maharashtra. The impact created a huge circular crater. Over time, rainwater collected in the depression and Lonar Lake was born.

What makes it even more remarkable is that the crater was formed in basalt, the hard volcanic rock of the Deccan Plateau.

The lake is also unusual chemically. Its water is saline and alkaline, creating an environment in which unusual microorganisms can survive.

Around the crater grew forests, temples and other signs of human settlement. So Lonar is not merely a geological wonder—it is also a place where nature, science and history meet.

And there is one more curiosity.

From above, Lonar looks almost like a perfect circular eye set into the Earth.

Imagine standing beside it and looking across the water:

You are looking into a scar left on Earth by something that came from space.

That is Lonar.

One lake. One meteorite. One extraordinary story.

Distributed.

108 divyadeshams

Divya Desams

Tamil Nadu

84

Kerala

11

Uttar Pradesh

4

Uttarakhand

3

Andhra Pradesh

2

Gujarat

1

Nepal

1

Celestial Divya Desams

2

Total

108

Further

The 84 in Tamil Nadu can be further divided according to the traditional Sri Vaishnava geographical classification:

Chola Nadu — 40

Thondai Nadu — 22

Pandya Nadu — 18

Nadu Nadu — 2

Malai Nadu — 2 within present-day Tamil Nadu

That makes 84.

Then the 11 Kerala Divya Desams constitute the remainder of traditional Malai Nadu, making 13 Malai Nadu Divya Desams altogether. 

And Vada Nadu — 11 comprises the northern Divya Desams: Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Gujarat and Andhra Pradesh, with Muktinath in Nepal traditionally included as well. 

Traditional classification:

Chola 40 → Thondai 22 → Pandya 18 → Malai 13 → Nadu 2 → Vada 11 → Vinnulagam 2.

Modern state-wise classification:

Tamil Nadu 84 → Kerala 11 → Uttar Pradesh 4 → Uttarakhand 3 → Andhra Pradesh 2 → Gujarat 1 → Nepal 1 → Vinnulagam 2.