Anang Tal lak

In News: Anang Tal lake declared monument of national importance through a gazette notification by the Ministry of Culture.

• In exercise of the powers conferred by section 4 of the Ancient Monuments and Archaeological Sites and Remains Act, 1958, the central government declared ancient site and remains to be of national importance.

Anang Tal lake

• The lake is situated in Mehrauli, Delhi and is claimed to be created by Tomar King, Anangpal II, in 1,060 AD.
• He is known to have established and populated Delhi in the 11th century.
• The millennium old Anang Tal signifies the beginning of Delhi.
• Anang Tal has a strong Rajasthan connection as Maharaja Anangpal is known as nana (maternal grandfather) of Prithviraj Chauhan .

Who was Anangpal II?

• Anangpal II, popularly known as Anangpal Tomar, belonged to the Tomar dynasty.
• He was the founder of Dhillika Puri, which eventually became Delhi.
• Multiple inscriptions and coins suggest Anangpal Tomar was the ruler of present-day Delhi and Haryana in between the 8th-12th centuries.
• He had built the city from ruins and under his supervision, Anang Tal Baoli and Lal Kot were constructed.
• Anangpal Tomar II was succeeded by his grandson Prithviraj Chauhan.
• Delhi Sultanate was established in 1192 after Prithviraj Chauhan’s defeat in the Battle of Tarain (present-day Haryana) by the Ghurid forces.

About the Tomar Dynasty

• Tomara dynasty is one of the minor early medieval ruling houses of northern India.
• Puranic evidence gives its early location in the Himalayan region, the dynasty was one of the 36 Rajput tribes.
• The history of the family spans the period between the reign of Anangpal, and the incorporation of Delhi within the Chauhan (Chahamana) kingdom in 1164.
• Although Delhi subsequently became decisively a part of the Chauhan kingdom, numismatic and late literary evidence indicates that Tomara kings such as Anangapal and Madanapal continued to rule as feudatories, presumably until the final conquest of Delhi by the Muslims in 1192–93.

Source: Indian Express

Previous Year Question

Q.1) Which one of the following is an artificial lake? (2018)

1. Kodaikanal (Tamil Nadu)
2. Kolleru (Andhra Pradesh)
3. Nainital (Uttarakhand)
4. Renuka (Himachal Pradesh)