Hamirsar Lake is a man made lake situated in the centre of

Bhuj Bhuj () is a Municipality and District Headquarters of Kutch District in the state of Gujarat, India. Etymology According to legend, Kutch was ruled by the Nāga chieftains in the past. Sagai, a queen of Sheshapattana, who was married to Kin ...

, the headquarters of Kutch district,

Gujarat Gujarat (, ) is a state along the western coast of India. Its coastline of about is the longest in the country, most of which lies on the Kathiawar peninsula. Gujarat is the fifth-largest Indian state by area, covering some ; and the ninth ...

India India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the so ...

History

Hamirsar lake is a 450-year-old lake named after

Jadeja The Jadeja (also spelled Jarejo) (Gujarati: ) is a Rajput clan that inhabits the Indian state of Gujarat. They claim to be descended from the legendary Jamshed of Iran. They also claim descent from Krishna. They originated from pastoral communi ...

ruler Rao Hamir (1472-1524), the founder of

. The lake was built during the reign of Rao

Khengarji I Khengarji I (1510-1585) was an Indian ruler belonging to Jadeja clan of Rajputs. He was the ruler of Morbi from 1538-1585 and later became ruler of Cutch, assuming title of Rao of Cutch, ruling unified Cutch from 1548 to 1585. Early life Khenga ...

(1548–1585), the founder of Jadeja dynasty in Cutch, who named it after his father Rao Hamir. Rao Khengarji I chose this place as an oasis in saline and arid Kutch; and over several decades, developed canals and tunnels to bring together water from three river systems and recharge acquifier, to fulfill the needs of Bhuj, which was also declared as capital of his kingdom by him in 1549.Understanding the water system of Bhuj - on www.bhujbolechhe.org
/ref> Hamirsar

The embankment of Lake Hamrisar was made during reign of Pragmalji II and further improvements done during early part of reign of

Khengarji III Maharajadhiraj Mirza Maharao Sir Khengarji III Sawai Bahadur (23 August 1866 – 15 January 1942) was a progressive and one of the longest ruling monarchs of a dependent state and also the longest ruling king of the Princely State of Cutch ...

under supervision of state Gaidher, Jairam Ruda Gajdhar. The embankment work was done by local mason community - the

Mistris of Kutch Kutch Gurjar Kshatriya (also known as Mistri or Mestri) are a minority Hindu and one of the Socially and Educationally Backward communities of Gujarat in India, who claim to be Kshatriyas. They are an artisan community related with Kadia wor ...

. Even before the earthquake of 2001 in Kutch, Hamirsar had lost much of its catchments, and ability to energize the acquifiers of Bhuj. However, after the earthquake, with a view to revive the traditional water system and to develop its catchment to meet the domestic water needs of population of Bhuj, awareness campaign mobilized the citizens, municipality, local press to do the bare minimum repairs to fill up the lake in 2003. The lake became safe and sound before the monsoons of 2003 to impound water. Highest rainfall (22 inches) in the last 50 yrs of span was recorded in 2003 which overflowed the Hamirsar lake making it an occasion to celebrate.

''Puja'' tradition

There is a tradition from the days when Kutch was a princely state and the puja was performed by the royalty, whenever lake overflowed due to rains and a

prasad 200px, Prasad thaal offered to Swaminarayan temple in Ahmedabad ">Shri Swaminarayan Mandir, Ahmedabad">Swaminarayan temple in Ahmedabad Prasada (, Sanskrit: प्रसाद, ), Prasadam or Prasad is a religious offering in Hinduism. Most o ...

ladoo ''Laddu'' or ''laddoo'' (; ms, kuih laddu; id, kue laddu) is a spherical sweet originating from India and spread through the Indian subcontinent and the Malay world. Laddus are primarily made from flour, fat (ghee/butter/oil) and sugar or j ...

s called ''megh laddoos'' distributed to citizens. Recently, in August, 2010, this historic tradition was once again en lived even though days of royalty have long gone, when the Bhuj municipal president held thanksgiving ceremony in the form of the traditional ''puja'' of the lake and offer ''megh laddoos'' to its residents at a community dinner. Records indicate that is only 18 times since independence that lake has overflowed.Bhuj’s Hamirsar lake overflows, Kutch starts celebrating it
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Geography

The lake is spread over an area of 28 acres and have a beautiful mid-lake garden just like

Kankaria Lake Kankaria Lake is the second largest lake in Ahmedabad, Gujarat, India. It is located in the south-eastern part of the city, in the Maninagar area. It was completed in 1451 during the reign of Sultan Qutb-ud-Din Ahmad Shah II though its origin i ...

Ahmedabad Ahmedabad ( ; Gujarati: Amdavad ) is the most populous city in the Indian state of Gujarat. It is the administrative headquarters of the Ahmedabad district and the seat of the Gujarat High Court. Ahmedabad's population of 5,570,585 (per t ...

.Hamirsar Lake ready for another celebration
/ref> The mid-lake island in center of lake, which was earlier known as Green Island but has now been renamed Rajendra Park and is maintained as a beautiful garden.

Leisure

Hamirsar Lake is where people go to swim, or sit under a tree and enjoy the water besides walking along the edge of the lake one can see Aina Mahal,

Prag Mahal The Prag Mahal is a 19th-century palace located next to the Aina Mahal in Bhuj, Gujarat, India. History Prag Mahal is named after Rao Pragmalji II, who commissioned it and construction began in 1865.Kutch Museum Kutch Museum is located in Bhuj, Kutch district of Gujarat, India. It is the oldest museum of Gujarat which was founded in 1877. It is located opposite Hamirsar Lake. The museum was earlier known as Fergusson Museum. History Kutch museum was in ...

, Alfred High School and many temples, which are located on eastern edge of the lake.Hamirsar Lake
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References

{{Hydrography of Gujarat Lakes of Gujarat Geography of Kutch district Bhuj Tourist attractions in Kutch district Water Heritage Sites in India