Introduction

Widely hailed as one of the largest freshwater lake in Asia, Kabar Tal (Kabar lake or Kawar lake) covers a surface area of about 6737 to 7400 hectares. It is located at a latitude of 25° 35' N and a longitude of 86° 10' E. The lake is situated in the Begusarai district of the state of Bihar, in India. The nearest village to the lake is Manjhaul.


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The lake is a residual oxbow lake formed by meandering of the river Budhi Gandak. The lake lies between Budhi Gandak, Old Bagmati and Kare rivers. In the years of average rainfall, it gets connected with Budhi Gandak and nearby Nagri Jheel and Bikrampur Chaurs, to form a lakeof about 7400 ha. By the late summer however, water is confined to a smaller area and much of the area is exposed and converted to rice fields.

In the year of 1951, a drainage channel was excavated by the agriculture department to drain the water and expose more land for agriculture. This canal has since silted, desilted and again silted. This has supposedly resulted in an increase in the water levels in the lake.
A very important landmark or historical as well as religious importance exists on an island, Jaimanglagadh, on the southeast corner of the lake.

Kabar lake was declared a protected zone in 1986 under section 37 of Wildlife Protection Act, 1972 and subsequently as a bird sanctuary in 1986. Kabar tal wetland has also been identified as an important bird area (IBA).