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Madhya Pradesh Upper Lake Bhopal
There are a few things which are common in all kinds of people throughout the world. Among these things, travelling to new destinations is one of the most important. Everyone feels the need to escape his surroundings at some point of time or the other. These people are extremely invested in exploring the world in search of new and unseen locations. India is a very diverse country which has a lot of different options for people in terms of tourism. One of these numerous tourist destinations which have garnered a lot of attention in the recent past is Upper Lake in Bhopal.
This lake is extremely large in its size and is located in the city of Bhopal in Madhya Pradesh.This lake is also referred to as Bhojtal. The Upper Lake is situated on the western fringe of Bhopal which is the capital of Madhya Pradesh. There are a lot of different functions which are served by the lake besides attracting tourists. These functions include the most important task of providing drinking water for the residents of the city. Almost 40% of the total population of the city avail the water from this lake. The actual amount of water often reaches 30 million imperial gallons. The Bhoj Wetlands are the areas around the Upper Lake. These areas include the Chhota Talaab and the Bada Talaab. These are Hindi words which mean small lake and big lake respectively.These areas have been under conservation and preservation and are a part of the Ramsar sites.
History Of The Lake And Its Surroundings
There is a lot of folklore which is associated to the Upper Lake. There are some references which site that the Malwa emperor Parmara Raja Bhoj as the founder of Bhojtal. This king is also said to have established the city of Bhopal which was then named Bhojpal. The legend surrounding the Upper Lake states that there is a reason behind the building of the lake. It is said that Raja Bhoj had once suffered from a skin disease. Numerous doctors had failed in their attempt to cure the king from his illness but had proved to be unsuccessful. A saint had then advised the king to construct a tank which would have to be filled from a combination of three hundred and sixty five different sources. The king would then have to bathe in the lake and his illness would be cured. It is because of this reason that the king had built this lake. But the king was only successful in gathering the water from three hundred and fifty nine tributaries.
The deficit was met after a Gond Commander by the name of Kalia merged a number of other tributaries to the lake. The construction of the Upper Lake consisted of the building of an earthen dam on the River Kolans. The most recent addition to this system of dams was the construction of the Bhadbhada dam in 1965. This dam has eleven gates and is responsible for controlling the flow of the river Kaliasote.
Attractions
The lake covers an area of 31 square kilometres and is flanked on one side by the Van Vihar National Park and other human settlements and irrigation lands on other sides. Lake Upper is extremely important for the local people and holds a lot of weight in terms of religious and social sentiments. This lake is home to the oldest National Sailing Club in India. There is an abundance of a lot of different flora and fauna in this lake which can be reached via road, rail or air. The numerous attractions of this tourist destination have resulted in it being considered as an important tourist spot in India.
How To Reach
People can reach there by various ways such buses, private cars. But before that they need to reach the destination from where they can get a car for rent to travel at the lake site.
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