Tulbul Project

Wular Lake (), also known as Wolar () in Kashmiri, is one of the largest freshwater lakes in the Indian subcontinent. It is located near Bandipora town in the Bandipora district of Jammu and Kashmir, India. The lake basin was formed as a result of tectonic activity and is fed by the Jhelum River and the streams Madhumati and Arin.

The lake's size varies seasonally from 30 to 189 square kilometres. In addition, much of the lake has been drained as a result of willow plantations being built on the shore in the 1950s.

Background

Etymology

In ancient times, Wular Lake was also called Mahapadmasar (Sanskrit: महापद्मसरः). Nilamata Purana also mentions it as ''Mahapadmasaras''. The lake, with its big dimensions and the extent of water, gives rise to high leaping waves in the afternoons, called Ullola in Sanskrit, meaning "stormy leaping, high rising waves". Therefore, it was also called ''Ullola''. It is believed to have gotten corrupted over the centuries to ''Wulor'' or ''Wular''.Ramsar Sites of India: Wular Lake, Jammu and Kashmir
World Wide Fund for Nature, India, 1994, ''... The name "Vulla" from which the present name Wular or Volar (Vulgo Woolar) seems to have been derived, is found in the Janarajas chronicle and can be interpreted as 'turbulent' or the lake with high-going waves' ...''Imperial Gazetteer of India
Sir William Wilson Hunter, pp. 387, Clarendon Press, 1908, ''... Wular Lake - Lake in Kashmir State ... bad reputation among the boatmen of Kashmir, for when the winds come down the mountain gorges, the quiet surface of the lake changes into a sea of rolling waves ... corruption of ullola, Sanskrit for 'turbulent' ... The ancient name is Mahapadmasaras, derived from the Naga Mahapadma, who is located in the lake as its tutelary deity ...'' The origin may also be attributed to a Kashmiri word 'Wul', which means a gap or a fissure, an appellation that must have come also during this period. The word Wul (gap or fissure) is also an indicator of its origin from a fissure or gap created.

History

The Kashmiri sultan Zain-ul-Abidin is reputed to have ordered the construction of the artificial island of Zaina Lank in the middle of the lake in 1444.

According to the traditional beliefs in the vicinity of Wular Lake, there once stood a city whose king was Raja Sudrasen. By the reason of the enormity of his crimes, the waters of the lake rose and drowned him and his subjects. It was said that during the winter months, at low water, the ruins of the submerged idol temple might be seen rising from the lake. Zayn Ul Aabidin constructed a spacious barge which he sank in the lake and upon which he laid a foundation of bricks and stones till it rose high enough to be at level as the water. Upon this, he erected a Mosque and other buildings and gave the islet the name of Lanka. The expense of this work was defrayed by the fortunate discovery of two idols of solid gold, which had been brought up from the lake by divers.

Ecology

Fish

Wular Lake is an important fish habitat, the main species being the common carp (''Cyprinus carpio''), rosy barb (''Barbus conchonius''), mosquitofish (''Gambusia affinis''), ''Nemacheilus'' species, ''Crossocheilus latius'', and various snowtrout species in the genera ''Schizopyge'' and ''Schizothorax''. Snowtrout species identified in the lake include the Sattar snowtrout (''Schizopyge curvifrons''), Chirruh snowtrout (''Schizopyge esocinus''), ''Schizothorax planifrons'', ''Schizothorax macropogon'', ''Schizothorax longipinus'' and Chush snowtrout (''Schizopyge niger'').

Birds

The lake sustains a rich population of birds. Terrestrial birds observed around the lake include the black-eared kite, Eurasian sparrowhawk, short-toed eagle, Himalayan golden eagle, Himalayan monal, chukar partridge, koklass pheasant, rock dove, common cuckoo, alpine swift, Indian roller, Himalayan woodpecker, hoopoe, barn swallow, golden oriole, and others.

Economy

Aquatic greens

Many other families harvest the aquatic plants, such as the grass ''Phragmites'' and the waterlily-like ''Nymphoides'', from the lake for human consumption and animal fodder.

Fishing

Fish from Wular Lake make up a significant part of the diet for many thousands of people living on its shores and elsewhere in the Kashmir Valley. More than eight thousand fishermen earn their livelihood from the lake, primarily fishing for the endemic ''Schizothorax'' species and the non-native carp. Their catch comprises about 60 percent of the total yield of fish in Kashmir. Hundreds of other local villagers are employed by cooperative societies that trade the fish catch..

Tourism

Boating, water sports, and water skiing have been launched by the Government of India Tourism in collaboration with Kerala Tourism and J&K Tourism. The contract for the operation of the site was awarded in September 2011.

Issues

Environmental threats

The lake is one of the 80 Indian wetlands designated as a Ramsar site