Gajedi Taal
| Gajedi Taal गजेडी ताल | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Coordinates: 27°39.74′N 83°16.55′E / 27.66233°N 83.27583°ECoordinates: 27°39.74′N 83°16.55′E / 27.66233°N 83.27583°E | |
| Country |
 Nepal |
| Development Region | Western |
| Zone | Lumbini |
| District | Rupandehi |
| VDC | Gajedi |
| Village | Danapur |
| Ward No. | 3 |
| Time zone | Nepal Time (UTC+5:45) |
| Website | http://gajeditaal.blogspot.com/ |
Gajedi Taal (Nepali: गजेडी ताल) is one of the renowned lakes of Nepal which lies just 3 kilometres south of Mahendra Highway. The name Gajedi has been derived from the VDC it is located[(i.e. Gajedi). This lake spreads to the area of 4.5 square kilometres and surrounds by green beautiful jungle. This lake resides at very beautiful and peaceful place and very near to the world popular historical place Lumbini where Gautam Buddha had taken birth around 2600 years ago.[1]
Location
Gajedi Taal resides in country side; the village name is Danapur which is a part of Gajedi VDC. To reach Danapur village, we have to take a vehicle from Butwal, the headquarter of Rupandehi district and from there it is approximately 21 kilometers west. After you cross 19 kilometers, there is a place Bansgadhi where you have to turn south. Although the roads there are not so good, the green forests and natural beauty will make you forget the difficulties to reach that place.
Facilities
Boating
Boating on this lake is becoming popular day by day. Many tourists come here for boating on fresh water and fully enjoy there. If you are alone and need help, there are some people already trained with boating and they will be with you. The guys there are the inhabitants of that place and they know everything about the lake. Even sometimes they make you scary telling the past stories of accidental death of people.
Jungle Safari
Jungle safari might be joyful because of the green jungle around the lake, is the place not to miss whenever you reach there. The people there have created organizations like AAMA SAMUHA(Mother's group),[2] SAMUDAYIK BAN (सामुदायिक वन) etc. they are fully devoted to the internal and external tourists. Even you can have a guide with very low cost who will take you everywhere.
Picnic
Another fantastic activity there is picnic. The last days when the lake was not popular, it was only the picnic place and people used to have come there from very far villages. Nowadays, it is one of the most facilitated picnic sport in the district. The picnic stalls are being developed and in the near future, it would be a popular picnic sport. People very far even from Butwal, Bhairahawa come there and celebrate the picnic program.
Sports
The location is good to organize sports like football and cricket. Sometimes, specially in festivals like Dashain, Tihar etc., we can see the sports going on.
Other Activities
Lausha Taal
Another renowned lake Lausha Taal also resides near Gajedi Taal, it is on the way to Gajedi Taal in Lausha village. Lausha Taal is not popular from tourists point of view, but if you come to visit Gajedi Taal, it is worth to visit Lausha Taal also. The location of Lausha Taal is not so straight forward, so you may be confused, in that case, you may ask the local people. People there are very polite and generous, so you may not face any problems to reach there, even in case you feel hungry, they will invite you for lunch or dinner.
Lumbini
Lumbini, the birthplace of Gautam Buddha, also known as The Light of Asia, is one of most visited places of Nepal and main attraction for internal and external tourists. Buddha was born in this place in the sixth century B.C.[3] Many tourists from different countries come to visit Lumbini where you can see arts, human creativity in beautiful temples, statues interspersed around the wide green forest.