Nilnag[4] (lit. 'blue-water lake'; Urdu pronunciation: [niːlnɑːɡ] ; Kashmiri pronunciation: [nilɨnaːɡ]) is a freshwater lake 5 km (3.1 mi) away from Yousmarg in Budgam district of Jammu and Kashmir, India.[5] It is around 47 km (29 mi) away from Srinagar, the summer capital of the union territory.[6] The lake is famous for its turquoise water. The route from Yousmarg is rather difficult and unmotorable and goes through a dense forest. The lake's crystal-clear blue water gave it its name: nag stands for lake (or a spring) and nil for the blue colour.[7] The location is a great for picnic spot.
Nilnag Lake
Blue water lake[1] | |
|---|---|
Rural | |
 A view of the blue waters of Nilnag Lake | |
  Nilnag Lake Location in Jammu & Kashmir, India  Nilnag Lake Nilnag Lake (India) | |
| Coordinates: 33°51′20.8″N 74°41′32.55″E / 33.855778°N 74.6923750°E | |
| Country |  India |
| Union territory | Jammu and Kashmir |
| District | Budgam |
| Elevation | 2,390 m (7,840 ft) |
| Languages | |
| • Official | Kashmiri, Urdu, Hindi, Dogri, English[2][3] |
| Time zone | UTC 5:30 (IST) |
| Vehicle registration | JK04 |
| Website | budgam |
History
editThe lake was Eric Biscoe's favourite destination. Biscoe (died in 1949), who was the founder of Tyndal Biscoe school in Jammu and Kashmir, wanted to be buried by the lake side. To honour his wishes, his ashes were brought and buried there.[8] Hugh Tyndale-Biscoe in his book states:[9]
“In his introduction Parwez said that I was bringing back to Kashmir the mortal remains of Mr Eric to be cast into Nil Nag…. Some days later a party of students and staff accompanied us to Buzgu village, where I explained to the villagers Eric's wish and sought their approval. They gave approval and accompanied us to the lake where I paddled out on a couple of logs and shook the ashes into the waters of the lake.”
— Hugh Tyndale-Biscoe, The Missionary and the Maharajas: Cecil Tyndale-Biscoe and the Making of Modern Kashmir, p.308
Access
editNilnag is easily accessible from Srinagar or Srinagar Airport (SXR), in under 2–3 hours from car or bus. The routes of Nilnag are from Srinagar to Chadoora, and then to Buzgu via Nagam. The total distance is about 47 km (29 mi).[10]
By road
editNilnag can be reached in from under 2 hours by car or taxi from Srinagar. The roads have recently been reconstructed, however, at certain places, the roads may be uneven. Another route is from Yousmarg to Nilnag, however, it is only pliable by motorbikes.
By air
editThe nearest airport is the Sheikh-ul-Alam International Airport (Srinagar, Jammu and Kashmir). Nilnag is at a distance of 41 km (25 mi) from the airport, and it takes about 2 hours by car.
Recent developments
editThe lake basin is actively going through shallowing owing to siltation, an indicator of which is the emergent vegetation cover "in the lake littorals".[11] In 2017, Yousmarg Development Authority (YDA) undertook dredging of the lake basin. The boundaries were also widened, and huts were built for monitoring.[8]
References
edit- ^ "Places of Interest". Retrieved 29 July 2023.
- ^ "The Jammu and Kashmir Official Languages Act, 2020" (PDF). The Gazette of India. 27 September 2020. Retrieved 27 September 2020.
- ^ "Parliament passes JK Official Languages Bill, 2020". Rising Kashmir. 23 September 2020. Archived from the original on 24 September 2020. Retrieved 23 September 2020.
- ^ "Jammu & Kashmir Film Development Council". jkfilm.jk.gov.in. Retrieved 1 November 2023.
- ^ "Nilnag Lake in Yusmarg | Jammu & Kashmir | Tour My India". tour-my-india. Retrieved 29 July 2023.
- ^ Ramanan, J. Ramanan & Vrinda (22 August 2019). "Kashmir — the lush valley owes it to a sage". The Hindu. ISSN 0971-751X. Retrieved 31 October 2023.
- ^ "Places of Interest | District Budgam , Government of Jammu & Kashmir | India". Retrieved 29 July 2023.
- ^ a b "Nilnag: Kashmir's lesser known historic lake". risingkashmir.com. Retrieved 29 July 2023.
- ^ Tyndale-Biscoe, Hugh (18 December 2018). The Missionary and the Maharajas: Cecil Tyndale-Biscoe and the Making of Modern Kashmir. Bloomsbury Publishing. p. 308. ISBN 978-1-78673-544-7.
- ^ "Nilnag Lake". The Times of India. ISSN 0971-8257. Retrieved 29 July 2023.
- ^ Wani, Shahid; Yaqoob, Kanwsar; Pandit, Ashok (2007). "Diversity and Distribution of Emergent Macrophytes in Nilnag Lake, a Pine Forest Lake in Western Himalaya" (PDF). Journal of Research & Development. pp. 45–50.