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| Dal Lake | |
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  Dal Lake | |
| Location | Kangra district VillageTota Rani |
| Coordinates | 32°14′50″N76°18′39″E / 32.247148°N 76.310719°E /32.247148; 76.310719 |
| Type | Mid altitude lake |
| Basin countries | India |
| Surface elevation | 1,775 m (5,823 ft) |
| References | Himachal Pradesh Tourism Dep. |
Dal Lake is a small mid-altitudelake (1,775 m above sea level) near the village of Tota Rani inKangra district ofHimachal Pradesh state in northern India.
The wordDal means 'lake' in several languages of thewestern Himalayas. The lake is surrounded bydeodar trees and is considered to be a sacred spot as there is smallShivamandir (shrine) on its bank. There are different kinds of fish that live in this lake. The lake has greenish water. This lake is situated near Rikkarmar on Balan Dhar. There is also a temple dedicated to 'Lord Driveshwar' built by sage Agastya. This lake may be referred to as "Bhagsunag Lake" but it is mainly referred to as Dal Lake by the locals. Bhagsunag is the name of a village which is given to this lake because of its close proximity to the lake.
Durvasa Rishi had come here fromMaharashtra to cool his right side. Pointing to a slab of stone,she [shri Mataji] said Durvasa Rishi had done tapasya on this shila (stoneslab) and that is why the city was calledDharam shila ( धर्म शिला ), but theBritish pronounced it as Dharamshala! (Originally this area wasnamed afterDurvasa ( दुर्वासा ) Rishi asDurveshwar ( दुर्वेश्वर ). The Britishchanged it to Dal Lake.
From the book : "The Tenth Incarnation", by Yogi Mahajan, Paperback, in Volume I, Chapter 14, page 89
According to ancient legend, Sage Durvasa performed a rigorous penance in the area, which caught the attention of Lord Shiva. Impressed by the sage’s devotion, Shiva granted him a boon. Sage Durvasa, acknowledging the region’s water scarcity, requested the presence of water near his place of meditation. Lord Shiva, in response, blessed the area with seven streams representing the Saptarishi (seven sages), and thus, Dal Lake was formed.
| Low-altitude lakes | |
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| Mid-altitude lakes | |
| High-altitude lakes | |
| Reservoirs | |
| Related topics | |
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