Lake Festival: Surinsar Lake- Mansar Lake

In order to showcase natural endowments i.e picturesque locations, rich flaura and fauna etc all around the beautiful and divine twin lakes i.e Surinsar and Mansar lakes, the Directorate of Tourism, Jammu intends to celebrate lake festival in a magnificent manner making it a grand gala event for 02 days. As per mythology there is an underground link between the two lakes. Legend has it that Arjuna shot an arrow into the ground at Mansar and the arrow pierced the earth and came out through a place in Surinsar. The two lakes are together called Dwigrit (two pits). Surinsar Lake: It is also a picturesque Lake with an island situated in the middle. It is a wetland and has a bird sanctuary rich in avifauna in its periphery. Water birds of variety make this lake a bird watcher’s haven. To spend quality time one can visit Surinsar Lake having water based lotus garden. The lake is a great picturesque spot in summer when the surface is covered with countless lotus flowers. The hills in the backdrop of the lake separate it from the urban areas and provide a calm and divine feel. There are many attractions and places to see and the tranquil peace in the lap of Mother Nature is quite refreshing. Excellent accommodation units with all the facilities near the lake are being provided by the Tourism Department. The lake and nearby area is eye soothing and known for the divine natural beauty. The events planned at Surinsar Lake are LED tron Act, Laser show, Nature Walk around lake, Virtual cracker Show, adventure activities like Artificial wall climbing, trekking etc. One can enjoy rowing and paddle boating here. Also located in vicinity is an adventure park having giant swing, trampoline and artificial wall etc. Mansar Lake: It’s a very picturesque lake with pine forested hills surrounding it on all sides. It is at a distance of 47 KMs from Jammu via Surinsar. A peculiar feature of the lake is the presence of a large number of huge turtles in the lake. The lake is a habitat to turtles, birds, other aquatic life, floura and fauna etc. There are several temples located on the periphery of the Lake. On the eastern bank of Mansar Lake there is a shrine dedicated to Sheshnag, a mythological snake with six heads. Newlywed couples consider it auspicious to perform three circumambulations (Parikarma) around the lake to seek the blessings of Lord Sheshnag. Two ancient temples of Umapati Mahadev and Narsimha and a temple of Durga are also situated in the vicinity of the Mansar Lake, which are visited by devotees in large numbers. People take a holy dip in the water of the lake on festive occasions. Certain communities of Hindus perform the Mundan ceremony (first hair cut) of their male children here. Boating facilities for recreational purpose are also available in Mansar Lake. There is a wild life sanctuary housing wild life including Spotted Deer and Neelgai and water birds such as Cranes and Ducks.