Nainital Lake

Naini Lake, noted for its boat riding, dominates the city of the Nainital. It is a freshwater lake, which looks like a mysterious gem located amidst the Oak trees in the foothills of Himalaya. Shaped like a pear, measuring 1.432 km, its shoreline is scattered with mall road, trees, guest houses and temples. Encircled by seven hills, Nainital Lake is a favourite spot amongst the romantic travellers around the world. The panorama of craggy hilltops, mountain tarns and glittering lakes has been stirring the imagination of many poets and writers, who have tried to capture the beauty of the lake through their poem and stories. Spread over two miles at an altitude of 2000 meters, this pear shaped lake was found by P Baron in the year 1839. One can even see the mention of the Nainital Lake in the famous religious text, Skanda Puran as ‘Tri-Rishi-Sarovar.’ This name, Tri-Rishi-Sarovar, refers to the three great sages of old times who have meditated here. The three sages were Atri, Pulastya and Pulaha. A hole dug by these sages soon gets filled with water and known as Tri-Rishi-Sarovar or Nainital Lake. Some even say that the lake is one of the emerald green eyes of Shiva’s wife, Sati.

Naini Lake topology has two parts – Mallital towards the north and Tallital towards the Southern part. The picturesque Naini Lake has an abundant aquatic life and its surrounding are ideal for animals and birds to flourish. A visit to Nainital is incomplete without a boat ride on Naini Lake. Naini lake spring to life during the as this is when the lake hosts the famous boast riding festival. Tourists who are planning a trip to Nainital can reach Naini Lake by walking or taking a rickshaw from the main bus stand.

Geography of Naini Lake Nainital
The lake is so big that it has been divided into two segments- Tallital and Mallital. The upper segment is called Mallital and the lower one is called Tallital. The lake is surrounded by seven colossal peaks namely, Laria Kanta, Sher ka Danda, Cheena Peak, Handi Bandi, Aryapata and Deopata. The lake boasts of a mixed flora which comprises of Coniferous trees, Oak trees, and the famous Bicchu Booti plant of Nainital (Kumaon).

Folklore/ History of Naini Lake Nainital
The local legend is about an extremely powerful king Daksha who was the father of a beautiful girl Sati. As the time passed by and Sati reached marriageable age, Daksha started looking for a suitable match for her. Meanwhile Sati fell in love with Lord Shiva whom Daksh did not approve of. Nonetheless, Sati and Shiva got married and started their married life.

Angry Daksha organized a Yajna which included a ritual of sacrificing something specific in the fire but he did not invite Sati and Shiva. Disappointed yet in her Father’s love, Sati went to attend the ritual. Daksha’s agony had not subsided and he disrespected the couple. Sati, a devoted wife could not bear the insult and jumped into the sacrificial Yajna fire.

The news was beyond the bearing for Shiva and the enraged husband started performing ‘Tandava’, the celestial dance of destruction. A portion of Tandava was performed at the Naini lake as well. Amid the constant pleas by other Gods for Shiva to stop, Lord Vishnu decided to use his Sudarshan Chakra on Sati’s dead body and cut it into 51 parts which fell at different locations across the country. There is a temple erected at each such location. The Naini Devi temple in Nainital is where Sati’s eye or ‘Nayan’ fell and hence the name.

Another historical significance related to the Naini lake is the mention of a water body in the Hindu Scripture ‘Skanda Purana' which is named as ‘Tririshi Sarovar’ or lake of three saints. This water body is believed to be the Naini Lake. Also, the town of Nainital, to a great extent, exhibits similarity to the European colonies. This is so because a European Businessman, P. Barron accidentally discovered Nainital during his hunting expedition. Mesmerized by its beauty and charm, he decided to build a European-like township around the lake which would serve as an alluring summer escape.