Phewa Lake


Phewa Lake or Phewa Tal is a freshwater lake in Nepal formerly called Baidam Tal located in the south of the Pokhara Valley that includes Pokhara city and parts of Sarangkot and Kaskikot. It is the third largest lake in Nepal and the largest in Gandaki Province after the Phoksundo lake in comparison to Nepal's water bodies. It is the most popular and most visited lake in Nepal. Phewa lake is located at an altitude of and covers an area of about. It has an average depth of about and a maximum depth of. The maximum water capacity of the lake is approximately. The Annapurna range on the north is only about 28 km away from the lake. The lake is also famous for the reflection of Mount Machhapuchhre and other mountain peaks of the Annapurna and Dhaulagiri ranges on its surface. The Tal Barahi Temple is situated on an island in the lake. It is located 4 km from the city's centre Chipledhunga.

Origin

An analysis of lake sediments reveals its age to be BC 12640 - 12025. However, Phewa lake is regarded to have been formed circa 13000 BC.

Lake economy

Phewa lake and water sports is one of the major tourist attractions of Pokhara city and the north shore of the lake has developed into a tourist district, commonly called Lakeside, with hotels, restaurants and bars catering to the tourists. The water from Phewa lake's outlet is used to generate electricity. The Phewa Power House is located about from the southern part of the Phewa lake. A part of the lake is also used for commercial caged fisheries.

Major Attraction

  • Tal Barahi Temple, located at the center of Phewa Lake, is the most important religious monument of Pokhara.This two-storied pagoda is believed to be dedicated to one of the Hindu gods known as Vishnu. It usually gets crowded on Saturdays.
  • Baidam is the eastern bank of Phewa lake also known as Lakeside. This part contains seemingly endless strip of hotels, lodges, restaurants, bookshops and souvenir shops. This site is one of the best-known tourist areas of Nepal. It is also the starting point of the tour to Pokhara.
  • Sarangkot and paragliding, Sarangkot is the only place in Nepal for paragliding, from where you can fly over the Phewa lake.
  • Ratna Mandir, a former palace used by the Nepalese royal family.