Monday, April 1, 2013

Chilka Lake

Chilka Lake is a brackish water lagoon with water spread ranging from 1100 sq km in the rainy season to 906 sq km in the dry season along the coastal Orissa. It is spread across Puri, Khurda and Ganjam districts in Orissa state on the east coast of India. This lake which is at the mouth of the Daya River, flowing into the Bay of Bengal, is the largest lake in Asia and second largest in the World.



There are several entry points to the lake. During our trip of Orissa we started an early morning from Puri after vising Puri Jaganath Temple. We reached the lake through Satapada which is around 60 kms from Puri. 



The ecosystem of this lake has large fishery resources supporting livelihood of lot of families on the coast. In the winter season large number of migratory birds flock to this region from as far as Caspian Sea, Lake Baikal, Aral Sea and other remote parts of Russia, Kirghiz steppes of Mongolia, Central and southeast Asia, Ladakh and Himalayas. Unfortunately when we were there it was almost end  of season but we tried to make most of what we could get to see.



The kids were excited in the 3 hour trip through the lake and other prominent attracktions here are:
  • Red crab
  • Fresh water pearl
  • Temple by the side of lake
  • New Sea Mouth
  • Irrawaddy Dolphins 

This lake is the home to the only known population of Irrawaddy dolphins in India. This is a endangered species and this lake is one of only two lagoons in the world that are home to this species.


Birds at Chilka: Black Headed Ibis, Eastern Egret, Cormorant, Indian River Tern, Great Eastern Egret Fishing,  Colony of Indian River Tern (1 ),  

50 comments:

Maude Lynn said...

Looks like a fun place to visit!

Fun60 said...

Despite the time of year you still saw lots of wildlife.

Gemma Wiseman said...

I amazed at the size of the lake! I guess I am surprised to see such a large body of water in India, but I guess being at the mouth of a river helps!

Kim, USA said...

Hope they catch plenty of fish. Awesome shots!

Kim,USA

http://joshidaniel.com/ said...

cool fishing shot :)

The Mukhtiars said...

great captures

Magical Mystical Teacher said...

The fishermen are sure-footed folks!

Desert Reds

Jeevan said...

Beautiful photos! Hope the ecosystem continues to be same. This remind me the Pulicat Lake near Chennai.

Deborah Kay at The Paint Splash said...

Great photos. Love the one of the fishermen and their net. Visiting from Mellow Yellow. Blessings, Debbie

eileeninmd said...

Pretty shots of the lake and I love all the birds. It would be cool to see the dolphins. Great post!

Sallie (FullTime-Life) said...

No wonder the kids were excited -- I would have been too! Dolphins are wonderful...I hope they thrive in your lakes.

Anonymous said...

What joy !

Thank you for this nice journey.

robert geiß

islandwonder said...

Excellent! Such an interesting post.

Al said...

It looks like a beautiful lake. Sometimes I wish I lived near the water, but it's nearly a desert here.

George said...

A cruise on this lake sounds absolutely wonderful. Thanks for the information on this interesting lake.

eastcoastlife said...

Would love to see the dolphins and catch some crabs. :)

Alice said...

Look like a interesting visit to the lake. Nice information and photos about the huge lake.

Gattina said...

Must be a very nice place to spend some holidays !

R Niranjan Das said...

This is a lovely lake and you have captured it well.

http://rajniranjandas.blogspot.in/2013/04/ruralscapes-of-india.html

LifeRamblings said...

the lake looks wonderful and it would be a great experience to see the dolphins up close.

anthonynorth said...

A wonderful, serene looking place.

Pearl said...

what an important system to protect. nice photo of the fisherman on the lake.

Leslie: said...

Looks like a lovely lake to spend some lazy summer days!

Leslie
abcw team

TexWisGirl said...

that crow has an amazing hooked bill!

nice place to fish, looks like!

Carver said...

Beautiful lake and an interesting post. Carver, ABC Wed. Team

Carletta said...

Very interesting post Rajesh. Nice collage of the birds you saw.
I would think the fishing would be detrimental to the dolphins. Perhaps the fishing is limited?
Lovely shots!

photowannabe said...

What an amazingly Large Lake.
Very interesting photos too.

Roger Owen Green said...

fascinating how far birds migrate!
ROG, ABC Wednesday team

HansHB said...

A great bird post, well done!

Anonymous said...

More beautiful places and photos of your country ~ Great post for 'L' ~ ^_^

joanne said...

love learning about different places around the world...thanx for sharing your pix and commentary....

Anonymous said...

nice side trip to all the temple visiting.

mick said...

A great series of photos and a very interesting place to visit.

Leovi said...

wonderful photos, a beautiful lake ...!

Karen said...

Looks like a great place for the birds to fish!

Jenn Valmonte said...

The picture of the boat... beautiful!

Anonymous said...

Wonderful captures. I think this would be a great place to visit.

Lina Gustina said...

Stunning lake!

http://www.1sthappyfamily.com/2013/04/a-ready-boat.html

A Colorful World said...

Fascinating place! Looks like the kids are all having great fun!

MaR said...

Beautiful lake and scenery. Thanks for sharing.

L is for...

Joy said...

What a size, it must be quite a sight when all the migratory birds arrive. I like the photo of the one takings its chance with the fishing nets, always opportunists.

Ann, Chen Jie Xue 陈洁雪 said...

Irrawaddy dolphins from Burma? did they escape from there?

Rajesh said...

Thank you all for appreciating this beautiful lake.

Stewart M said...

The beak on that crow is remarkable!

Cheers and thanks for linking to WBW- Stewart M - Melbourne

Chubskulit Rose said...

Looks like a very peaceful lake.


Catching up (again) for L entries, oh Lord, I am always LATE!
Rose, ABC Wednesday Team

Anita Sabat said...

Looks like you had a great time.
Lovely that you shared this.
Great pics :)

Anonymous said...

I remember going there with my parents. The post invoked those happy moments.

hindustanisakhisaheli said...

really good shot!!

Anonymous said...

Being a person from that area, I should thank you first for putting Chilka to the world of blogs :) You should visit Chilka in Oct-Dec to experience its beauty through the Siberian birds...

Tomichan Matheikal said...

Delightful pics.