Naini Lake / Nainital Lake
Naini Lake/Nainital Lake, a natural freshwater body, situated amidst the township of Nainital in Uttarakhand State of India, tectonic in origin, is kidney shaped or crescent shaped and has an outfall at the southeastern end. Nainital is most popular hill station of Kumaon district. It is famous for its Naini Lake located at the center of the town and several other lakes of nearby areas. Nainital is a sparkling gem in the splendid Himalayan kingdom. This picture perfect spot of nature is dotted with many lakes, earning it the distinction of being known as the ‘Lake District of India’.
Naini Lake, Lake District of India is one of the four lakes in the Kumaon hills, the three other being Sat Tal, Bhimtal and Naukuchiya Tal. Three mountain peaks border the lake, namely the Naina Peak on the north-western front, Tiffin Top on the southwestern front and snow-capped peaks on the northern front. Naini Lake is chiefly fed by the Balia Nala stream. This enchanting lake is Nainital’s tourist hot spot, with yachting and boating being very popular activities. All the elite hotels are in the lake’s vicinity and it is also a popular recreational spot.
The Nainital Lake is an important lake of this region. This lunar-shaped natural freshwater lake was born from a depression in the Nainital town of the Kumaon region, owing to tectonic movement. The Naini lake is fed by freshwater streams from the upper slopes and is surrounded by peaks blanketed with vegetation, characteristic of high altitude vegetation such as conifer forests and chir pine forests.
There is the Nainital Boat Club that offers yachting facilities at the lake, where a fleet of Half Raters, designed by Linton Hope, sails.. The Annual Kingfisher Yachting Competition (Regatta) is held here in the third week of June. The Kumaon festival which brings out the local cultures and traditions is organized every year during the winter months of October and November, by the Tourism Department.
The origin of the Naini Lake is rooted in many a mythological tale. One story says that Naini Lake was earlier known as ‘Tri-Rishi-Sarovar’, meaning ‘the lake of the three sages’. These three sages – Atri, Pulastya and Pulaha – of the Saptirshi group landed in Nainital during a pilgrimage, and did not find water to drink. They dug the ground and worshipped the spot in the hope that water would emerge from the ground. It is believed that their worship resulted in the hole overflowing with water drawn from the sacred Mansarovar Lake. Hence, the locals consider it sacred to take a dip in Naini Lake.
According to another local legend, Sati, Lord Shiva’s consort, committed suicide at the yajna of Daksha Prajapati. When Lord Shiva wandered across the universe carrying her dead body, Sati’s eye fell near the lake, where the Naina Devi Temple stands today. The waters of the lake are therefore considered holy and the Naina Devi Temple is the venue of an autumnal fair.
Historical records confirm that in 1839, Mr. P. Barron, who is supposed to be the first one who visited Nainital, from Rosa, an English business man in sugar trade, on a hunting expedition accidentally coming across the Naini lake at Nainital was so captivated that he decided to build a European Colony on shores of the lake. The news magazine, the Englishman Calcutta, reported in 1841 discovery of this lake near Almora. It is believed that two Indian sages visited there, wandering, it is a belief of people that they blessed the Naini lake with divine power, one can acquire divinement by taking bathe in it, and the same as in the Mansarovar lake.
