Anangpur Dam
Introduction The '''Anangpur Dam''' is an Indian hydraulic engineering structure built during the reign of the King Anangpal I of the Tomara Rajputs in the 8th century. It is located near the Anangpur village in Faridabad district, Haryana, India.
History The territory ruled over by the Tomars consisted of modern eastern Punjab, Hariyana and the upper Doab of the rivers Ganges and Jamna.The first available historical reference to the Tomar family is an inscription that is undated but pertains to the time of MahendraPal, the Gurjar emperor of Kanauj who ruled 890 to 910 A.D. In his inscription, Gogga, a descendant of Bhunath Jaula is mentioned as a dignified administrative officer of the emperor. Mahendra Pal the Gurjar Pratihar. Bhunath means the lord of Earth, a Raja. Dr. Bhandarker has interconnected this BhunathJaula with Maharaja Torman Javul (an inscription now in Lahore Museum) and Jaola of Kara and had concluded by these three inscriptions that Tomars and Pratihars are Gurjars. The same view had been adopted by Dr. A.F. Rudolf Hornale, Mr. V. A. Smith, Mr.Rapson, K.M. Munshi, Yatendra, Kumar Verma etc. etc. in their history books. Rahim Dad Khan Maulai Shadai writes, "In 816,Nag Bhat a Raja of Gujar Qaum, (Gurjar race) conquered Kanauj.The Gujars ruled there for two countries. Among them Raja Bhoj (Mihir Bhoj) was most famous." A branch of the Gujars was Tunwar (Tomar), who founded the kingdom at Delhi. See page 56Tarikh Janatul Sindh (Written in Sindhi language. Also T. G. page295.. Anangpal I is often misunderstood to be Anangpal II.
Structure Sluice outlet from the damFile:Stepped "downstream" side of dam.jpg|Downstream view of the damFile:Steps going into the dam1.jpg| Gallery entry into the damFile:Steps going into the dam.jpg|Steps into the gallery inside the damFile:Sluice_(Anagpur_Dam).jpg|Sluice inlet in the damThe ancient and solid gravity dam structure, a pre-Islamic structure that fords a local nala (stream) is  in height and  in length between the two banks. It has been built with quartzite stones (locally available), duly chiselled and dressed, as a regular dam section with downstream base width increasing in steps with depth up to the foundation. It has entry manholes from the top of the dam, which lead into the body of the dam for inspection and control of flow through sluices for downstream uses. The intake entry into the sluice is on the upstream side. The downstream outlet end leads to the flat terrain below the dam at the ground level. The reservoir created by the dam is mostly silted over the centuries, but it is said to be in use.
Topography A local nala (stream) originating in the Aravalli hills was intercepted by building a dam at a chasm to store rain water. It is basically a water harvesting structure meant to store rain water during the monsoon season for beneficial uses of irrigation.It is an important biodiversity area within the Northern Aravalli leopard wildlife corridor stretching from Sariska Tiger Reserve to Delhi. Historical place around sanctuary are Badkhal Lake (6km northeast), 10th century ancient Surajkund reservoir, Damdama Lake, Tughlaqabad Fort and Adilabad ruins (both in Delhi), Chhatarpur Temple (in Delhi). It is contiguous to the seasonal waterfalls in Pali-Dhauj-Kot villages of Faridabad, the scared Mangar Bani and the Asola Bhatti Wildlife Sanctuary.
Access It is approachable by road from Delhi from the Delhi - Mathura road. Anangpur, which is  from the dam, is  from Delhi city and is approachable from Qutub Minar and Surajkund. But the access to the dam is through a path from the Anangpur village, which goes through flat pastureland and then over a rocky forested hill. Sarai metro station is nearest.
See also * Anangpal Tomar* Lal Kot* Surajkund* List of dams and reservoirs in Haryana
References