- Dipor Bil/ Deepor Beel is located to the south-west of Guwahati city, in Kamrup district of Assam.
- It is a permanent freshwater lake, in a former channel of the Brahmaputra River, to the south of the main river.
- It is also called a wetland under the Ramsar Convention.
- The name Deepor Beel is stated to be derivative of the Sanskrit word dipa which means elephant, and bil means wetland or large aquatic body inhabited by elephants.
- It is claimed that beel was an important dockyard of the Tai-Ahom as well as the Mughals.
- It is also stated that Kampitha and Rambrai Syiemship (the supreme political authority known as the Syiemship in Meghalaya) had control over this area.
- The beel is bounded by the steep highlands on the north and south, and the valley formed has a broad U-shape with the Rani and Garbhanga hills forming the backdrop.
- Aquatic vegetation like Giant Water Lily, water hyacinth, aquatic grasses, water lilies and other submerged, emergent and floating vegetation are found during the summer season.
- Migratory water-fowl, residential water-fowl and terrestrial avifauna are common in paddy field areas, dry grassland areas and scattered forest areas.
- The largest congregations of aquatic birds can be seen, particularly in winter.
- Some of the globally threatened species of birds like spot billed pelican, lesser adjutant stork, Baer’s pochard, Pallas’ sea eagle), greater adjutant stork are found.
- Wild Asian elephants, leopard, jungle cat and the protected barking deer, Chinese porcupine and sambar are found in the beel.
Source: The Hindu
