Tam Dil
Ṭam Dil is a reservoir lake situated 6 km from Saitual, the nearest town, and 110 km from Aizawl, the capital city of Mizoram, India. Acquired by the Fisheries Department of the Government of Mizoram, it is maintained as a fish rearing site. Also as a tourist attraction, a holiday resort is maintained by the Tourism Department.
The natural lake has attracted biodiversity researchers and contains several unique and rare species, particularly of amphibians and snakes. A unique frog, Leptobrachella tamdil was discovered in 2010. A novel species of snake, Smithophis mizoramensis was reported in 2024.
Name
In Mizo language, the word Ṭam is a contraction of anṭam, which means a mustard plant; and Dil means "lake".Origin and etymology
The origin and etymology of Ṭam Dil are shrouded in myth. Folklore has it that a married couple had a jhum plot in this small valley surrounded by small steep hills. The man unfortunately died leaving the wife to care for the crops alone. In the middle of the field was a robust mustard plant, conspicuously bigger than any other plants. One night the widow has a visitation by her husband, who informed her to take special care of the giant mustard plant as it was a harbinger of immense blessing. On the wake, she did as told, and the plant thrived very well.As time went, the widow remarried but the new husband objected to any thing reminiscence of the deceased husband, and so he plucked the plant up by the roots and discarded it. The vast hole left in the ground was then soon filled by water to become an exquisite lake. Hence the name of Ṭam Dil, for the "lake of the mustard".