India's largest saline lake, the Sambhar Lake, is situated about 60 km west of
Jaipur.
It sprawls over an area of 190 sq km and is fed mainly by seasonal fresh water streams - Mendha and Rupangarh. Legend has it that the lake was gifted by the Goddess Shakambhari, about 2,500 years ago. A small white temple stands under a rocky outcrop projecting into the lake.
A bird watcher's paradise, the lake is the abode of about 140 species of avifauna.