Sambhar is India's largest saline lake, 190 sq km in extent at full capacity, and lays some 60 km west of Jaipur, just outside prosaically named Salt Lake City. This vast body of glacial saline is on average just 0.6 cm deep and never more than 3 m even just after the monsoon.
Fast facts:
Area: 24,000 hectares
State: Rajasthan
Languages: Hindi, English
Best Time to visit: October-March
Sambhar Wildlife Sanctuary:
Sambhar Lake, situated in the Indian state of Rajasthan, is a place where horizons stretch to infinity, where water and sky merge in a shimmer of gauzy blue. Civilization here goes back a long, long time and legends asambhar lake, sambhar lake national park & wildlife sanctuary, sambhar lake tiger reserve, sambhar lake national park, sambhar lake wildlife sanctuary, sambhar lake wildlife park bound. According to one reference in the epic Mahabharata, Raja Yayati, emperor of Bharatvarsh (India) and a descendant of Lord Brahma the Creator, married Devyani, daughter of Shukracharya (the guru of demons) who lived by the lake.
The vast, roughly elliptically shaped lake has been divided into two sections by a 5-km long stone dam. The eastern section contains the reservoirs for salt extraction, canals and saltpans. Water from the vast shimmering western section is pumped to the other side via sluice gates when it reaches a degree of salinity considered optimal for salt extraction. The waters here are glacially still, edged with a glittering frost of salt. Flies abound, drawn by the blue-green algae in the water, and queue up in order to crawl into your mouth and ears. There is a sharp briny tang in the air that takes one straight back to coastal fish markets. An indigenously developed rail trolley system-the lines were laid by the British-takes one across the dam and to various far-flung points in the salt works.
Around Sambar Wildlife Sanctuary:
From Sambar: you can also head to Naliasar Pond, which is home to some other species of birds like common teals, waterfowl-shovelers, common pochards, pintails, tufted pochards, gadwalls, bar-headed geese and graylag. You can also visit excavation site near Naliasar, where terracotta figurines have been found.
Travel Tips: Prior travel information will help you in making you tour a smooth affair. Binocular and camera are essential items that you should take with you to enjoy bird watching at Sambar Lake.
Climate: Sambar has tropical climate with temperature touching 45°C in summer and dipping below 10°C during winter. October to March is an ideal time to visit Sambar Lake, however it is better to find out the climate of the area before heading for Sambar Wildlife Sanctuary.
How To Reach:
For Jaipur-based visitors, Sambhar Lake is within a day's trip. One can take National Highway 8 to Dudu and then head north to Sambhar. Alternatively, one can take NH 8 to Malhan and then ask for Phulera, which is just short of Sambhar.
