The Pong Dam is an earth-fill embankment dam on the Beas River in the state of Himachal Pradesh, India. The purpose of the dam is water storage for irrigation and hydroelectric power generation. Construction on the dam began in 1961 and was completed in 1974. The lake created by the dam, Maharana Pratap Sagar, became a renowned bird sanctuary.
Maharana Pratap Sagar (महाराणा प्रताप सागर), also known as Pong Reservoir or Pong Dam Lake was created by Pong Dam in India on the Beas River in the wetland zone of the Siwalik Hills of the Kangra district of Himachal Pradesh. Named in the honour of Maharana Pratap (1572–1597), the reservoir or the lake is a well-known wildlife sanctuary and one of the 26 international wetland sites declared in India by the Ramsar Convention. The reservoir covers an area of 24,529 hectares (60,610 acres), and the wetlands portion is 15,662 hectares (38,700 acres).
This dam is managed by Bhakhra Beas Management Board (BBMB). The nearby city is Talwara Township in Punjab. Accommodations available in Talwara Township which is only 14km from Pong Dam and easily accessible by car or bus. Best time to visit it is winter. The closest railway stations to the project are Mukerian, at 30 km (18.6 mi), and Pathankot, at 32 km (19.9 mi). Nagrota Surian and Jawali, located on the periphery of the reservoir, are connected by a narrow gauge railway line, on the Kangra railway line, which connects Pathankot to Jogindernagar.
The Pong Lake is connected by a good network of roads to major cities in Himachal Pradesh and Punjab.
Distance from the main cities
Distance from Chandigarh – 250 km
Distance from Amritsar – 110 km
Distance from Dharamsala – 55 km
Distance from Kangra – 50 km
Nearest Airport -Dharamsala (120 kms), Amritsar (150 kms), Jammu (150 kms)
Nearest Railway Station - Pathankot (50 kms), Una (80 kms), Gurdaspur (90 kms)
Nearby Places
Bathu TempleMassrur Temple
Kangra
Colors of Talwara
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