Ana Sagar Lake

Ana Sagar is a large artificial lake in Ajmer, about 13 km around and among the oldest man-made lakes in Asia. Anaji Chauhan, grandfather of Prithviraj Chauhan, had it dug in the 12th century to see the city through droughts, and its catchments still work more than nine hundred years later. Parks line much of the shore and the lake is especially popular at sunset.

The emperor Jahangir laid out the Daulat Bagh garden beside it, and Shah Jahan later added a row of white marble pavilions, the Baradaris, which give wide views over the water. Boats leave from the east side of Daulat Bagh for the island in the middle, and the Chowpatty and Jetty walkways are used for strolls and photographs. On the bank, Rishi Udyan marks the place where the ashes of the reformer Dayananda Saraswati were scattered after he died at Bhinai Kothi. It has an Arya Samaj temple and holds a three-day Arya Samaj fair each October on his death anniversary, with Vedic recitation contests, a yajna and a flag procession.