Bhojtal, formerly known as Upper Lake, is a large lake which lies on the western side of the capital city of
Madhya Pradesh
Madhya Pradesh (, ; meaning 'central province') is a state in central India. Its capital is Bhopal, and the largest city is Indore, with Jabalpur, Ujjain, Gwalior, Sagar, and Rewa being the other major cities. Madhya Pradesh is the seco ...
,
Bhopal
Bhopal (; ) is the capital city of the Indian state of Madhya Pradesh and the administrative headquarters of both Bhopal district and Bhopal division. It is known as the ''City of Lakes'' due to its various natural and artificial lakes. It i ...
,
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 ...
. It is a major source of drinking water for the residents of the city, serving around 40% of the residents with nearly of water per day. Bada talaab, along with the nearby Chhota Talaab, meaning small lake in Hindi, constitute
Bhoj Wetland
The Bhoj Wetland consists of two lakes located in the city of Bhopal, the capital of the central Indian state of Madhya Pradesh. The two lakes are the Bhojtal ( Upper Lake) & the Lower Lake, which lie to the west of the city center. The Bhoj ...
, which is now a
Ramsar site
A Ramsar site is a wetland site designated to be of international importance under the Ramsar Convention,8 ha (O)
*** Permanent 8 ha (P)
*** Seasonal Intermittent < 8 ha(Ts)
**
Paramara
The Paramara dynasty (IAST: Paramāra) was an Indian dynasty that ruled Malwa and surrounding areas in west-central India between 9th and 14th centuries. They belonged to the Parmara clan of the Rajputs.
The dynasty was established in either th ...
Raja Bhoj
Bhoja (reigned c. 1010–1055 CE) was an Indian king from the Paramara dynasty. His kingdom was centered around the Malwa region in central India, where his capital Dhara-nagara (modern Dhar) was located. Bhoja fought wars with nearly all h ...
during his tenure as a king of
Malwa
Malwa is a historical region of west-central India occupying a plateau of volcanic origin. Geologically, the Malwa Plateau generally refers to the volcanic upland north of the Vindhya Range. Politically and administratively, it is also syno ...
(1005–1055). He is also said to have established the city of Bhopal (also named after him, then as Bhojpal) to secure the eastern frontier of his kingdom. There is a legend why they built the lake. Once king Bhoj suffered from skin disease and all ''Vaidyas'' (Doctor in English) failed to cure him. Then, one day a
saint
In religious belief, a saint is a person who is recognized as having an exceptional degree of Q-D-Š, holiness, likeness, or closeness to God. However, the use of the term ''saint'' depends on the context and Christian denomination, denominat ...
told the king to build a tank to combine 365 tributaries and then have a bath in it to wipe out the skin disease. Bhoj called upon his engineers to build up a huge tank. They spotted a place near river
Betwa
The Betwa (Hindi: बेतवा, Sanskrit: वेत्रवती) is a river in Central and Northern India, and a tributary of the Yamuna. It rises in the Vindhya Range (Raisen) just north of Narmadapuram in Madhya Pradesh and flows northe ...
, which was 32 km away from Bhopal. It was found that it has only 359 tributaries. A Gond Commander Kalia fulfilled this shortage. He then gave the address of an invisible river. After merging the tributaries of this river the number 365 was completed.
The lake was created by constructing an earthen dam across the Kolans River. An eleven gate dam called the Bhadbhada dam was constructed at Bhadbhada in 1965 at the southeast corner of the Lake, and now controls the outflow to the river Kaliasote.
The lake was known as the Upper Lake or ''Bada Talab'' ("Big Pond") until March 2011 it was renamed to Bhojtaal in honour of the Great King Raja Bhoj who built it. A huge statue of Raja Bhoj, standing with sword, was also installed on a pillar on one corner of the lake to cement the name of Bhopal as the city of lakes
Geography
Bhojtal is situated on the west central part of Bhopal city and is surrounded by
Van Vihar National Park
Van Vihar National Park is a national park in Bhopal, the capital city of Madhya Pradesh in central India. Declared a national park in 1979, it covers an area of about 4.45 km2. It has the status of a national park, but is developed and ma ...
on the south, human settlements on the east and north, and agriculture fields on the west. It has an area of 31 km2, and drains a catchment or watershed of 361 km2. The watershed of the Upper Lake is mostly rural, with some urbanized areas around its eastern end. The Kolans was formerly a tributary of the
Halali River
The Halali reservoir is a reservoir in Madhya Pradesh state of India, spanning Bhopal, Raisen, and Vidisha districts. It is built on the Halali River, and lies 40 km northwards from the state capital Bhopal.
The major fish species found in t ...
, but with the creation of the lake using an earthen dam and a diversion channel, the upper reach of the Kolans River and Bada Talaab now drain into the Kaliasote River.
Social and cultural significance
Since the construction of the lake in the 11th century, Bhopal city has grown around it. The people are religiously and culturally attached to the lakes. The lakes meet their needs of water supply and they wash clothes in them (very harmful for the lake ecosystem), cultivate water chestnut in Bhojtal and lotus in Chhota Talaab. The idols of gods and goddesses are also immersed in the lake during religious festivals, though the local administration is advising devotees not to do so. The Takia island in Upper lake has a tomb of the Shah Ali Shah, which has religious and archaeological significance.
Economy and entertainment
The fishing rights to Bhopal have been given on long lease by the Bhopal Municipal Corporation to a co-operative consisting of some 500 fishermen families. Fishing is mainly done on its south-eastern shores. The lake also serves as the source of water for irrigating a large area. There are 87 villages in its catchment area in the Bhopal as well as Sehore districts. Agriculture is the main source of livelihood for people in these areas and most farmers have livestock as well. While some farmers have large landholdings, many farmers are small and marginal farmers with only a few acres of land.
Bhojtal attracts tourists due to its scenic beauty. The National Sailing School was established at the Boat Club on its eastern side. This club offers various water sports such as
kayaking
Kayaking is the use of a kayak for moving over water. It is distinguished from canoeing by the sitting position of the paddler and the number of blades on the paddle. A kayak is a low-to-the-water, canoe-like boat in which the paddler sits fac ...
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canoeing
Canoeing is an activity which involves paddling a canoe with a single-bladed paddle. Common meanings of the term are limited to when the canoeing is the central purpose of the activity. Broader meanings include when it is combined with other acti ...
,
rafting
Rafting and whitewater rafting are recreational outdoor activities which use an inflatable raft to navigate a river or other body of water. This is often done on whitewater or different degrees of rough water. Dealing with risk is often a ...
,
water skiing
Water skiing (also waterskiing or water-skiing) is a surface water sport in which an individual is pulled behind a boat or a cable ski installation over a body of water, skimming the surface on two skis or one ski. The sport requires suffic ...
,
parasailing
Parasailing, also known as parascending, paraskiing or parakiting, is a recreational kiting activity where a person is towed behind a vehicle while attached to a specially designed canopy wing that resembles a parachute, known as a parasail ...
etc. A number of operators provide facilities for exciting trips by sail, paddle and motor boats.
Van Vihar National Park
Van Vihar National Park is a national park in Bhopal, the capital city of Madhya Pradesh in central India. Declared a national park in 1979, it covers an area of about 4.45 km2. It has the status of a national park, but is developed and ma ...
, situated on the south-eastern side of the lake, attracts tourists. The road passing through it has on one side the animals in their natural habitats, and on the other hand is the scenic beauty of the lake.
The other major attraction close to the lake is the Bhopal Zoo on the bank of the lake. This makes the lake a complete entertainment location for all visitors. The zoo is kept in quite natural way.
Biodiversity
The two lakes support flora and fauna.
White stork
The white stork (''Ciconia ciconia'') is a large bird in the stork family, Ciconiidae. Its plumage is mainly white, with black on the bird's wings. Adults have long red legs and long pointed red beaks, and measure on average from beak tip to en ...
spoonbill
Spoonbills are a genus, ''Platalea'', of large, long-legged wading birds. The spoonbills have a global distribution, being found on every continent except Antarctica. The genus name ''Platalea'' derives from Ancient Greek and means "broad", refe ...
etc., that have been rare sightings in the past, have started appearing. A recent phenomenon is the gathering of 100-120 sarus cranes in the lake. The largest bird of India, sarus crane (''Grus antigone'') is known for its size, majestic flight and lifetime pairing.
Flora
106 species of Macrophytes (belonging to 87 genera of 46 families), which includes 14 rare species and 208 species of Phytoplankton comprising 106 species of Chlorophyceae, 37 species of Cyano phyceae, 34 species of Euglenophyceae, 27 species of Bacilariophyceae and 4 species of Dinophyceae.
Fauna
105 species of zooplanktons, which includes (Rotifera 41, Protozoa 10, Cladocera 14, Copepoda 5, Ostracoda 9, Coleoptera 11, and Diptera 25). There are 43 species of fish (natural and cultured), 27 kinds of birds, 98 species of insect and more than 10 species of reptiles and amphibians (including 5 species of tortoise).
Threat
The lake is shrinking and being polluted due to human activities in recent times. The waste and drainage generated by nearby city of Bhopal is dumped in lake affecting its ecology.
Gallery
File:Upper lake 1961.png, Bhojtal 1961 with Yacht club
File:Upper Lake, Bhopal.jpg, Takia Taapu and Bhojtal.
File:Boat club bhopal.jpeg, Situated at the Bhojtal, the Boat Club offers facilities for various water sports and tourism.
File:VIP Road Bhopal.JPG, VIP Road and Bhojtal.
File:Upper Lake & VIP Road, Bhopal.JPG, A view of the Bhojtal & Raja Bhoj Road.
File:Bhopal Architecture.JPG, Gohar Mahal Near Bhojtal.
File:Bhopal lake.jpg, Bhojtal as viewed from Manav Sangrahalaya.
File:Bhojtal and Raja Bhoj Statue at sunset.jpg, Bhojtal and Raja Bhoj Statue
File:Noha installation in Bhopal lake .jpg, Noha Installation
File:Noha installation friend view from Bhopal lake.jpg, Noha Installation front view