The name, Taudaha Lake, comes from a combination of Newari words 'Ta', meaning snake and 'Daha', which means lake. The lake is believed to be a remnant pool of the huge lake that once existed where now the city of Kathmandu sits. According to mythology, a Buddhist mythical character Manjushree cut the hill in the valley's south, allowing the lake's water to drain off, thereby creating land that was duly occupied by people. Folklore suggests that this "cut" in the hill is the Chobar Gorge, a narrow passage from which the Bagmati River exits the Kathmandu Valley. After the water of the ancient lake drained away, a few small lakes and ponds were created beyond the hills. Taudaha is believed to be one of those ponds.[1]
When the lake was drained, countless nagas, mythological creatures that were half human and half serpent, were left homeless. This made the Naga King Karkotak livid. In order to allay his wrath, the locals living near Taudaha built an underwater palace, studded with precious stones and riches beyond imagination.[1] The Serpent King was pleased and ruled his serpent subjects in their underwater kingdom. The king also promised to protect the humans living around the lake, on the condition that the tranquility of his water abode never be disrupted. It is due to this that even today locals do not swim or fish in the lake.
There are many species of fishes in the lake. It is well known for large carps. Common carp, silver carp, grass carp, bighead carp and colourful carps have been introduced in the lake. These non-native species have disrupt the ecosystem and are out-competing the native species. Native fish species include catfishes and snakeheads.
The lake, arguably the only clean water body remaining in the Kathmandu Valley, is a stop over for numerous migratory bird species. In the winter, hundreds of water birds can be seen in and around the lake. Taudaha Lake is one of the important site for bird watching.
Galleryedit
The small island of Taudaha Lake
Checkered keelback at Taudaha Lake
Gadwalls in flight
A great cormorant, little egret and gadwell duck in Taudaha Lake
A gull flying over Taudaha Lake
Birds at dawn at lake Taudaha and the fog illuminated by the sunlight
Snakehead at Taudaha Lake
Red eared slider turtle basking at Taudaha Lake
Great cormorant swallowing carp fish
Ruddy shelduck
Lotus growing in Taudaha Lake
View of Taudaha Lake
Referencesedit
^ abCandiani, Gianantonio. . ECS Nepal. Archived from the original on 3 April 2013. Retrieved 18 February 2013.
External linksedit
International Journal of Multidisciplinary Research and Development,A checklist of birds of Taudaha Lake of Kathmandu, Nepal, May 28, 2018
November 10, 2023
taudaha, lake, this, article, needs, additional, citations, verification, please, help, improve, this, article, adding, citations, reliable, sources, unsourced, material, challenged, removed, find, sources, news, newspapers, books, scholar, jstor, 2013, learn,. This article needs additional citations for verification Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources Unsourced material may be challenged and removed Find sources Taudaha Lake news newspapers books scholar JSTOR May 2013 Learn how and when to remove this template message Taudaha Lake is a small lake in the outskirts of Kathmandu in Nepal Taudaha LakeAerial view of Taudaha LakeTaudaha LakeLocation in NepalLocationKathmandu District KirtipurCoordinates27 38 55 N 85 16 55 E 27 6487 N 85 2820 E 27 6487 85 2820Lake typeFreshwaterPrimary inflowsGenerally natural waterbody but inlets from nearby irrigation of remaining field waterPrimary outflowsOverflows through two taps during rainy seasonBasin countriesNepalSurface area463 hectares 1 140 acres SettlementsKirtipur Contents 1 Mythological origins 2 Animals 3 Migratory birds 4 Gallery 5 References 6 External linksMythological origins editThe name Taudaha Lake comes from a combination of Newari words Ta meaning snake and Daha which means lake The lake is believed to be a remnant pool of the huge lake that once existed where now the city of Kathmandu sits According to mythology a Buddhist mythical character Manjushree cut the hill in the valley s south allowing the lake s water to drain off thereby creating land that was duly occupied by people Folklore suggests that this cut in the hill is the Chobar Gorge a narrow passage from which the Bagmati River exits the Kathmandu Valley After the water of the ancient lake drained away a few small lakes and ponds were created beyond the hills Taudaha is believed to be one of those ponds 1 When the lake was drained countless nagas mythological creatures that were half human and half serpent were left homeless This made the Naga King Karkotak livid In order to allay his wrath the locals living near Taudaha built an underwater palace studded with precious stones and riches beyond imagination 1 The Serpent King was pleased and ruled his serpent subjects in their underwater kingdom The king also promised to protect the humans living around the lake on the condition that the tranquility of his water abode never be disrupted It is due to this that even today locals do not swim or fish in the lake Animals editVarious species of birds have been recorded out of which many are residents a few are summer migrants and rest are winter migrants Some of the resident birds include the black kite black drongo cattle egret Oriental magpie robin common myna jungle crow rose ringed parakeet white throated kingfisher and red vented bulbul Barn swallows and Indian cuckoos are summer visitors while winter migrants include the great cormorant ruddy shelduck northern shoveler mallard duck gadwall Eurasian coot northern pintail and common teal There are many species of fishes in the lake It is well known for large carps Common carp silver carp grass carp bighead carp and colourful carps have been introduced in the lake These non native species have disrupt the ecosystem and are out competing the native species Native fish species include catfishes and snakeheads Mammals such as the golden jackal Indian grey mongoose and several rodents are found around the lake Checkered keelback and oriental garden lizard are frequently sighted reptile species Migratory birds editThe lake arguably the only clean water body remaining in the Kathmandu Valley is a stop over for numerous migratory bird species In the winter hundreds of water birds can be seen in and around the lake Taudaha Lake is one of the important site for bird watching Gallery edit nbsp The small island of Taudaha Lake nbsp Checkered keelback at Taudaha Lake nbsp Gadwalls in flight nbsp A great cormorant little egret and gadwell duck in Taudaha Lake nbsp A gull flying over Taudaha Lake nbsp Birds at dawn at lake Taudaha and the fog illuminated by the sunlight nbsp Snakehead at Taudaha Lake nbsp Red eared slider turtle basking at Taudaha Lake nbsp Great cormorant swallowing carp fish nbsp Ruddy shelduck nbsp Lotus growing in Taudaha Lake nbsp View of Taudaha LakeReferences edit a b Candiani Gianantonio The lake of snakes ECS Nepal Archived from the original on 3 April 2013 Retrieved 18 February 2013 External links editInternational Journal of Multidisciplinary Research and Development A checklist of birds of Taudaha Lake of Kathmandu Nepal May 28 2018 Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Taudaha Lake amp oldid 1166783612, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,
