A lake and a temple

Travelling on a deserted road in Rajasthan, we were looking forward to reaching Deegh, the summer palace of Bharatpur kings. Suddenly at a village oddly named Ghata, we came across a beatiful rock formation. 

The slope made a natural slide for rainwater. Possibly the water gathered in the foreground after streaming down the rocks.

Curiosity got the better of us and we deboarded the vehicle. The serene location took our breath away.

It had this little old temple on the banks of the lake. The temple was almost in ruins but it had a queer beauty to it. Amidst other green trees, there was a solitary dry tree, reflection of which gave the landscape an additional dimension.

The lake and the temple reminded me of hundreds of other places I had encountered through my travels across India. Once upon a time, every village, every city and literally every settlement of whatever size had its own fresh water source. And we had all this till recently. But all this is being lost and lost faster than we can imagine. 

However, exceptions do exist even today, by way of a few gems like this left untouched. The place is on the state highway towards Deegh when one travels from Delhi - Kosi Kalan - Deegh. It is some 25-30 kms before reaching Deegh.

We - myself and three other friends - had gone there on a beautiful winter morning. Although I remember the still lake waters and the quaint little temple on its bank, I ALSO remember the natural rock formation.