Quick answer: Kankaria Lake is a 15th-century lake in the Maninagar area of south-east Ahmedabad, completed in 1451 under Sultan Qutb-ud-Din Ahmad Shah II of the Gujarat Sultanate. Its redeveloped lakefront, run by the Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation (AMC), has the Nagina Wadi island garden, the city zoo, the Balvatika children’s park, a toy train and other rides, and it hosts the Kankaria Carnival in the last week of December. As of October 2026, the AMC heritage portal says the lakefront is open from Tuesday to Sunday, 9 am to 10 pm, and closed on Mondays. Rides and parks are ticketed separately.
Kankaria Lake at a glance
| Detail | What to know |
|---|---|
| Location | Kankaria, Maninagar, south-east Ahmedabad, Gujarat |
| Timings | Tuesday to Sunday, 9 am to 10 pm (AMC heritage portal, read October 2026) |
| Closed on | Mondays (lakefront and zoo) |
| Entry fee | Adults Rs 10, children Rs 5 per the AMC heritage portal (undated page; confirm at the gate). Separate tickets for parks, attractions and rides |
| Built | Completed 1451, Gujarat Sultanate |
| Best time to visit | Winter evenings (roughly November to February), or during the Kankaria Carnival in late December |
| Time needed | Half a day; longer if you visit the zoo and Balvatika |
History of Kankaria Lake
Kankaria Lake was dug during the Gujarat Sultanate. An inscription records that it was completed in 1451, in the reign of Sultan Qutb-ud-Din Ahmad Shah II, and names it Hauz-e-Qutb (the “pond of Qutb”); work is believed to have started under his father, Sultan Muhammad Shah II. The reservoir is a 34-sided polygon, and the AMC describes it as about 600 metres wide.
An earlier version of this article said the lake was built by “the best Mughal architects” and that Nagina Wadi held “the homes of the famous Mughals”. That is not correct. The lake was built more than a century before the Mughals took Gujarat in the 1570s. Later rulers, the Mughals among them, used the lake and its garden as a pleasure retreat.
The name is most often explained as coming from kankar, the Gujarati word for the limestone dug out during excavation; other local stories link it to a pebble and the Sufi saint Shah Alam. The lake was restored under British rule in 1872. Accounts of its history also record that it was declared protected under the Ancient Monuments Preservation Act in 1928.
By the early 2000s the lake had become neglected and polluted. The AMC’s Kankaria Lakefront Redevelopment Project, carried out in 2007 and 2008, rebuilt the lakefront with walkways, gardens and attractions. The new lakefront opened on 25 December 2008 with the first Kankaria Carnival.
Nagina Wadi and the lake’s design
At the centre of the lake is Nagina Wadi, an island garden reached by a causeway. Its old name was Bagh-e-Nagina; nagina means a jewel, which suits a garden set in the middle of a lake like a stone in a ring. The bridge to the island was originally built with 48 arches, and the garden contains a summer pavilion known as Ghattamandal. Walking out to Nagina Wadi is one of the most pleasant parts of a visit, especially in the evening.
Things to do at Kankaria Lake
The lakefront has enough to fill a few hours, and families can easily spend most of a day here. Each attraction has its own ticket and hours, so check at the counters on the day. Attractions on the lakefront include:
- Kankaria Zoo (Kamla Nehru Zoological Garden): the city zoo, started by the AMC in 1951 with the zoologist Reuben David, who later received the Padma Shri for his work. The AMC calls it one of the most visited zoos in India. Like the lakefront, the zoo is closed on Mondays.
- Balvatika: a children’s park (bal means child and vatika a garden) first set up in 1956. It was closed for a revamp from mid-2024 and, according to a November 2025 DeshGujarat report, reopened in July 2025 under a public-private partnership. New attractions include a snow park, a wax museum, a glass tower and adventure rides.
- Kids City: a miniature city where children role-play real-world places and jobs, with activity centres modelled on things such as schools, offices and hospitals.
- Toy train: the Atal Express runs around the lake. It is slow and gentle, and a good way for families to see the whole lakefront without walking it. It is popular at weekends and holidays, so expect queues.
- Tethered balloon: a balloon ride held on a cable, which rises above the lake for views over the city. It does not fly freely, which is why it can operate in a crowded urban area.
- Rides, boating and other activities: the AMC lists boating, Segway rides and other rides on the lakefront, plus a Natural History Museum and a Butterfly Park near the lake.
- Nagina Wadi: the island garden described above, reached by the causeway.
Rides and attractions open, close and change operators from time to time, so check which ones are running before you plan a visit around a particular one.
Entry fee and timings
As of October 2026, the AMC heritage portal says the Kankaria lakefront is open from Tuesday to Sunday, 9 am to 10 pm, and that the lake and zoo are closed on Mondays. The same page also shows “10:00 to 22:00” in another place, so allow for a later opening. The portal lists the lakefront entry fee as Rs 10 for adults and Rs 5 for children, with separate tickets for parks, attractions and rides. The page is not dated, so confirm the current fee at the gate.
An earlier version of this article gave different figures: Rs 25 for adults, Rs 10 for children, Re 1 for school trips, free entry for senior citizens, children under 3 and joggers, and early-morning walking hours of 4 am to 8 am. We could not confirm those figures or the morning hours on an official AMC source, so they are not given here as current. If you want to walk or jog early in the morning, ask at the lake office about the current arrangements.
The AMC lists the lake office as VyayamShala, Gate No. 3, Kankaria, Maninagar, Ahmedabad.
Kankaria Carnival
The Kankaria Carnival is a week-long cultural festival held around the lake in the last week of December each year, since the redeveloped lakefront opened in 2008. It brings cultural programmes and events to the lakefront and draws large crowds, especially in the evenings. The AMC announces exact dates and programmes each year.
How to reach Kankaria Lake
- By train: Maninagar railway station is close to the lake, and Ahmedabad Junction (Kalupur), the city’s main station, is a short drive north.
- By metro: Kankaria East station on the Ahmedabad Metro Blue Line (East-West Corridor) serves the wider Kankaria area. Check the walking distance to your gate on a map.
- By road: autorickshaws, taxis and city buses reach the lakefront from all parts of Ahmedabad. The lake has several gates, so agree on which gate to meet at.
- By air: Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel International Airport serves Ahmedabad. If you are coming from the north, see our guide on how to reach Ahmedabad from Delhi.
Tips for visiting
- Avoid Mondays, when the lakefront and zoo are closed.
- Late afternoon into evening is the most pleasant time in most months, especially outside summer.
- Weekends, holidays and the carnival week are very crowded; go on a weekday if you want shorter queues for rides and the toy train.
- Buy tickets for rides and parks at the official counters, and check each ride’s age and height limits.
- Carry water and wear comfortable shoes; the walk around the lake is about 2 km.
Places to visit near Kankaria Lake
The lakefront area has more than rides. Near the lake you will find the zoo, Balvatika, the Natural History Museum and the Butterfly Park, plus gardens and open lawns where families picnic and people walk in the evening.
For history lovers, the Dutch and Armenian tombs on the embankment near the lake date from the 17th century, when the Dutch East India Company traded in Ahmedabad; their inscriptions range from 1641 to 1699.
Further afield, birdwatchers can make a half-day trip to Thol Lake Bird Sanctuary, a Ramsar wetland north-west of Ahmedabad that is best from November to February. For more ideas, see our list of the best places to visit near Ahmedabad.
Interesting facts about Kankaria Lake
- The lake was completed in 1451 under Sultan Qutb-ud-Din Ahmad Shah II, and its inscription calls it Hauz-e-Qutb.
- Kankar in Gujarati means limestone, the most common explanation for the name.
- The reservoir is a 34-sided polygon.
- Nagina Wadi was earlier called Bagh-e-Nagina; nagina means jewel.
- The zoo was started in 1951 with Reuben David, who received the Padma Shri. An earlier version of this article gave the award year as 1974; most sources, including his biography, give 1975.
- The redeveloped lakefront opened on 25 December 2008 with the first Kankaria Carnival.
An earlier version of this article also called Kankaria the second-largest lake in Ahmedabad. Sources disagree on how it ranks (some call it the largest), so we have left the ranking out.
Frequently asked questions
Is Kankaria Lake open on Mondays?
No. According to the AMC heritage portal, the lakefront and the zoo are closed on Mondays and open from Tuesday to Sunday.
What is the entry fee for Kankaria Lake?
The AMC heritage portal lists Rs 10 for adults and Rs 5 for children for the lakefront, with separate tickets for parks, rides and attractions. The page is undated, so confirm the fee at the gate.
Who built Kankaria Lake?
The lake was built during the Gujarat Sultanate and completed in 1451 under Sultan Qutb-ud-Din Ahmad Shah II. It is not a Mughal construction.
When is the Kankaria Carnival held?
In the last week of December every year. The AMC announces the exact dates and programme each year.
Is Balvatika at Kankaria open?
Yes. Balvatika reopened in July 2025 after a revamp under a public-private partnership, with new attractions such as a snow park and a wax museum. Check its own timings and tickets on the day.
How much time do you need at Kankaria Lake?
Two to three hours covers a walk, Nagina Wadi and a ride or two. Allow most of a day if you also want the zoo, Balvatika and Kids City.
Details checked in October 2026 against the Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation’s heritage portal, the lake’s recorded history and inscription, reporting on the Balvatika reopening and Ahmedabad Metro station information. Timings, fees and ride availability change, so confirm before you visit.
