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Rabindra
Sarobar
(previously
known
as
Dhakuria
Lake)
is
an
artificial
lake
in
South
Kolkata
in
the
Indian
state
of
West
Bengal.
The
name
also
refers
to
the
area
surrounding
the
lake.
It
is
flanked
by
Southern
Avenue
to
the
North,
Shyamaprasad
Mukherjee
Road
to
the
West,
Dhakuria
to
the
East
and
the
Kolkata
Suburban
Railway
tracks
to
the
south.
In
the
early
1920s,
the
Calcutta
Improvement
Trust
(CIT),
a
body
responsible
for
developmental
work
in
the
Kolkata
metropolitan
area,
acquired
about
192
acres
(0.78
km2)
of
marshy
jungles.
Their
intention
was
to
develop
the
area
for
residential
use
–
improving
the
roads,
raising
and
levelling
some
of
the
adjacent
land
and
building
lakes
and
parks.
Excavation
work
was
undertaken
with
the
plan
of
creating
a
huge
lake.
Originally
known
as
Dhakuria
Lake,
in
May
1958,
CIT
renamed
the
lake
as
Rabindra
Sarovar,
as
a
tribute
to
the
great
Bengali
writer
and
Nobel
Laureate,
Rabindranath
Tagore.
The
area
around
this
excavated
lake
was
later
developed
to
build
recreational
complexes,
which
included
children's
parks,
gardens
and
auditoria.
Today
the
lake
and
its
surrounding
areas
are
one
of
the
most
popular
recreational
areas
in
Kolkata.
73
acres
(300,000
m2)
are
covered
by
water,
while
shrubs
and
trees,
some
of
which
are
more
than
100
years
old,
occupy
the
rest
of
the
area.
A
partial
tree
census
in
2012
recorded
50
different
species.
In
the
winter,
one
can
spot
some
migratory
birds
around
the
lake,
though
the
numbers
are
dwindling
because
of
the
rise
in
pollution
level.
The
lake
itself
is
home
to
many
varieties
of
fish.
Fishing
is
strictly
prohibited.
In
2012
an
abandoned
waterhouse
in
the
premises
of
lake
turned
into
a
museum
run
by
Kolkata
Improvement
Trust
as
a
gallery
for
installation
art.
Locals
often
called
as
“thakur-der
gallery”
is
a
place
for
some
of
the
award-winning
Durga
idols
of
Kolkata.
A
number
of
people
come
for
a
walk
around
the
lake
in
the
mornings
to
enjoy
the
fresh
air.
Many
visit
the
sunrise
point
to
offer
their
prayers
to
the
sun.
During
the
day,
it
is
visited
by
families
on
a
picnic,
tourists,
young
lovers
and
joggers.