Sursagar Lake, also known as the Chand Talao, is a lake situated in the middle of the city of

Vadodara Vadodara (), also known as Baroda, is the second largest city in the Indian state of Gujarat. It serves as the administrative headquarters of the Vadodara district and is situated on the banks of the Vishwamitri River, from the state capital ...

in the state of

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 ...

. The lake was rebuilt with stone masonry in the 18th century. The water in this lake remains in it for the whole year. A concrete wall surrounds the lake on which the people use to sit. A tall statue of lord Shiva built by Vadodara Mahanagar Seva Sadan stands in the middle of the lake. The construction of the statue started in 1996 and it was completed in 2002. In 2023 on the festival

Mahashivratri Maha Shivaratri ( IAST: Mahāśivarātri) is a Hindu festival celebrated annually in honour of the god Shiva. The name also refers to the night when Shiva performs the heavenly dance called Tandava. In every month of the luni-solar Hindu ...

the statue of

Lord Shiva Shiva (; sa, शिव, lit=The Auspicious One, Śiva ), also known as Mahadeva (; ɐɦaːd̪eːʋɐ, or Hara, is one of the principal deities of Hinduism. He is the Supreme Being in Shaivism, one of the major traditions within Hindu ...

was

gilded Gilding is a decorative technique for applying a very thin coating of gold over solid surfaces such as metal (most common), wood, porcelain, or stone. A gilded object is also described as "gilt". Where metal is gilded, the metal below was tradi ...

. The gilding utilized about of gold. The gold plated statue of Lord Shiva has now been officially dedicated to the city and its people. The value of gold itself is about 12 Crore

Indian Rupees The Indian rupee (symbol: ₹; code: INR) is the official currency in the republic of India. The rupee is subdivided into 100 ''paise'' (singular: ''paisa''), though as of 2022, coins of denomination of 1 rupee are the lowest value in use wher ...

($1,449,879.60 as of February 2023) The statue of

Shiva Shiva (; sa, शिव, lit=The Auspicious One, Śiva ), also known as Mahadeva (; ɐɦaːd̪eːʋɐ, or Hara, is one of the principal deities of Hinduism. He is the Supreme Being in Shaivism, one of the major traditions within Hindu ...

is lit with lights on

. There are many underwater gates in the lake which empty the lake if it overflows. The water from the lake empties in the Vishvamitri River. The lake was used for boating. In 2023 after the remodeling of the statue and the surroundings boating has been resumed in the lake. The lake is known for a large number of suicides which occur yearly. Between January and October 2014, 15 suicides were reported to the authorities, who attribute the lake's isolation and seclusion make it a choice destination for suicides.

References

External links

Architect who gave Vadodara its character

Municipal body unaware about decaying infrastructure,water quality at Sursagar

Rs 24.07cr renewal plan for Sursagar
Lakes of Gujarat Tourist attractions in Vadodara {{Vadodara-geo-stub