Sambhar Salt Lake, Salt lake and Ramsar site near Jaipur, India

Sambhar Salt Lake is a salt lake and Ramsar site near Jaipur in India, spreading across a wide, flat landscape. The water surface shifts between almost dry and covered with shallow water depending on the season, while white salt crusts glimmer along the shore and spread over large patches.

The lake appears in old texts and has supplied salt to the region for centuries. Finds of pottery and coins nearby show that people settled here long ago and used the salt for trade and daily needs.

The lake's name comes from Shakambhari, a form of Durga and tutelary goddess of the Chauhan Rajputs; the change to Sambhar is dated to around the sixth century. A temple near the lake is dedicated to Devayani, who in the Mahabharata married emperor Yayati here. A temple to Shakambhari also stands by the shore.

The basin is divided by a 5.1 km sandstone dam; salt water is released from the west to the east side by lifting the dam gates, and the evaporation pans lie east of it. A railroad built by the British runs east of the dam, linking Sambhar Lake City with the salt works. Summer temperatures reach 45 °C and winter lows fall to 5 °C, so plan around the heat.

The water takes on different colors, from green through orange to pink, depending on which tiny organisms grow in the salty environment. These color shifts follow the season and salt levels, making each arrival at the shore look different from the last.