Damdama

Introduction

A serene gray-green lake disappearing into a cluster of hazy hillocks, a fairy-castle-like tourist complex glistening in the sunshine, and carpet of star-like flowers dotting the lake-this is what Damdama, a picturesque resort just 64 kilometers from Delhi, is all about. The Saras Tourist Complex that stands on the bank is a neat little place with tastefully done-up guest rooms, each with a separate balcony facing the lake. The colorful camping tents pitched on green slopes nearby are particularly charming.

The Damdama Lake recedes in winter reaching its lowest ebb in the summer. During the rains its level shoots up dramatically, reaching 50 to 60 feet in places and covering about 6 kilometers all round. The lake covers and area of about 5½ acres, though the exact area of Damdama is difficult to gauge because its numerous amoeba-like arms expand and contract unexpectedly, lending a new dimension to the lake almost everyday.

Cormorants, terns, egrets, robins, kingfishers, and sirus cranes flock to the lake every year. Summer, when the flaming tesu are in full bloom, is a good time to visit Damdama. Facilities for boating on the lake are also available.

There is a rocky hillock at the far end of the lake. On the way up, you'll come across poultry and goats in a little farm with ingeniously built stone huts belonging to nomadic Gujjars. A solitary Durga temple and overgrown ruins from some ancient fort combined to make up a picture of romance.