Nilnag Lake
Nilnag Lake
Blue water lake[1] | |
|---|---|
Rural | |
 A view of the blue waters of Nilnag Lake | |
  Nilnag Lake Location in Jammu & Kashmir, India  Nilnag Lake Nilnag Lake (India) | |
| Coordinates:33°51′20.8″N74°41′32.55″E/ 33.855778°N 74.6923750°E | |
| Country |  India |
| Union territory | Jammu and Kashmir |
| District | Budgam |
| Elevation | 2,390 m (7,840 ft) |
| Languages | |
| • Official | Kashmiri,Urdu,Hindi,Dogri,English[2][3] |
| Time zone | UTC+5:30(IST) |
| Vehicle registration | JK04 |
| Website | budgam |
Nilnag[4](lit. 'blue-water lake';Urdu pronunciation:[niːlnɑːɡ];Kashmiri pronunciation:[nilɨnaːɡ]) is afreshwaterlake5 km (3.1 mi) away fromYousmarginBudgamdistrict ofJammu and Kashmir,India.[5]It is around 47 km (29 mi) away fromSrinagar,thesummer capitalof the union territory.[6]The lake is famous for its turquoise water. The route from Yousmarg is rather difficult and unmotorable and goes through a dense forest. The lake's crystal-clear blue water gave it its name:nagstands for lake (or a spring) andnilfor the blue colour.[7]The location is a great for picnic spot.
History
[edit]The lake was Eric Biscoe's favourite destination.Biscoe(died in 1949), who was the founder ofTyndal Biscoe schoolin Jammu and Kashmir, wanted to be buried by the lake side. To honour his wishes, his ashes were brought and buried there.[8]Hugh Tyndale-Biscoein his book states:[9]
“In his introduction Parwez said that I was bringing back to Kashmir the mortal remains of Mr Eric to be cast into Nil Nag…. Some days later a party of students and staff accompanied us to Buzgu village, where I explained to the villagers Eric's wish and sought their approval. They gave approval and accompanied us to the lake where I paddled out on a couple of logs and shook the ashes into the waters of the lake.”
— Hugh Tyndale-Biscoe, The Missionary and the Maharajas: Cecil Tyndale-Biscoe and the Making of Modern Kashmir, p.308
Access
[edit]Nilnag is easily accessible fromSrinagarorSrinagar Airport (SXR),in under 2–3 hours from car or bus. The routes of Nilnag are fromSrinagartoChadoora,and then to Buzgu via Nagam. The total distance is about 47 km (29 mi).[10]
By road
[edit]Nilnag can be reached in from under 2 hours by car or taxi from Srinagar. The roads have recently been reconstructed, however, at certain places, the roads may be uneven. Another route is fromYousmargto Nilnag, however, it is only pliable by motorbikes.
By air
[edit]The nearest airport is theSheikh-ul-Alam International Airport(Srinagar, Jammu and Kashmir). Nilnag is at a distance of 41 km (25 mi) from the airport, and it takes about 2 hours by car.
Recent developments
[edit]The lake basin in going through shallowing owing tosiltation,an indicator of which is the emergentvegetation cover"in the lake littorals".[11]In 2017, Yousmarg Development Authority (YDA) undertookdredgingof the lake basin. The boundaries were also widened, and huts were built for monitoring.[8]
References
[edit]- ^"Places of Interest".Retrieved29 July2023.
- ^"The Jammu and Kashmir Official Languages Act, 2020"(PDF).The Gazette of India. 27 September 2020.Retrieved27 September2020.
- ^"Parliament passes JK Official Languages Bill, 2020".Rising Kashmir.23 September 2020.Retrieved23 September2020.
- ^"Jammu & Kashmir Film Development Council".jkfilm.jk.gov.in.Retrieved1 November2023.
- ^"Nilnag Lake in Yusmarg | Jammu & Kashmir | Tour My India".tour-my-india.Retrieved29 July2023.
- ^Ramanan, J. Ramanan & Vrinda (22 August 2019)."Kashmir — the lush valley owes it to a sage".The Hindu.ISSN0971-751X.Retrieved31 October2023.
- ^"Places of Interest | District Budgam, Government of Jammu & Kashmir | India".Retrieved29 July2023.
- ^ab"Nilnag: Kashmir's lesser known historic lake".risingkashmir.com.Retrieved29 July2023.
- ^Tyndale-Biscoe, Hugh(18 December 2018).The Missionary and the Maharajas: Cecil Tyndale-Biscoe and the Making of Modern Kashmir.Bloomsbury Publishing. p. 308.ISBN978-1-78673-544-7.
- ^"Nilnag Lake".The Times of India.ISSN0971-8257.Retrieved29 July2023.
- ^Wani, Shahid; Yaqoob, Kanwsar; Pandit, Ashok (2007)."Diversity and Distribution of Emergent Macrophytes in Nilnag Lake, a Pine Forest Lake in Western Himalaya"(PDF).Journal of Research & Development.pp. 45–50.