Also Known As · Anangpur Bandh · Anandpur Bandh
Faridabad, Haryana · monument
A 1,100-year-old dressed-quartzite dam wedged between Aravalli hills — early India's water-harvesting genius, reached on foot and blissfully uncrowded.
Anangpur Dam — locally the Anangpur Bandh — is one of the oldest surviving masonry dams in India, a remarkable feat of early-medieval water engineering hidden in a rocky Aravalli tract near Surajkund. Attributed to the Tomar (Tomara) Rajput dynasty and its founding-era king Anangpal Tomar, it is commonly dated to around the 8th century — roughly an 1,100-year-old structure, as the Archaeological Survey of India has highlighted in recent years (some accounts link the region's Tomar water works to the later Anangpal II, an old historiographic ambiguity).
Paneer tikka, methi malai paneer and navrattan korma — pure-vegetarian
Chole bhature, raj kachori and dal makhani thali — pure-vegetarian
Pure-vegetarian North Indian thali
Anangpur Dam — locally the Anangpur Bandh — is one of the oldest surviving masonry dams in India, a remarkable feat of early-medieval water engineering hidden in a rocky Aravalli tract near Surajkund.
it is a free, open-access site with no gate — visit in daylight only, as it sits in unlit, unfenced Aravalli terrain reached on foot over a rocky hill, with disused quarry 'badlands' nearby. Wear sturdy shoes, carry water, keep to the trail, and go with company; there are no facilities or reliable signal. Nearest metro: Tughlaqabad, then a cab via Surajkund (about 2–3 km on). Allow one to two hours, easily paired with Surajkund.
Visiting Hours
Entry Fee: Free — an unenclosed heritage water structure with no ticket counter.
Verified: July 2026
Address
Off Anangpur village, near Surajkund (about 2 km southwest), Faridabad, Haryana, 121003
In the Aravalli Hills off Anangpur village, near Surajkund
🚇 Nearest Metro: Tughlaqabad (Violet Line) — about 8–10 km, then a cab via Surajkund
🚶 Walking from Metro: No metro is near — take a cab from Tughlaqabad (~8–10 km) via Surajkund to Anangpur village, then walk in to the dam.
Distance from
Parking
street · Free / nominal
Park near Anangpur village; there is no motorable road to the dam wall itself.
🚕 Ride Hailing Tip: Cabs reach Anangpur village via Surajkund; arrange a return as cabs are scarce out here.
How to Reach: Anangpur Dam is off Anangpur village, about 2 km from Surajkund, in the Aravalli Hills of Faridabad district. Nearest metro: Tughlaqabad (Violet Line), about 8–10 km, then a cab via Surajkund; the final approach to the dam is on foot across pastureland and a rocky hill.
History
The Anangpur Dam is an early-medieval masonry check-dam attributed to the Tomar (Tomara) Rajput dynasty and its founder-era king Anangpal Tomar, commonly dated to around the 8th century (some accounts link the region's Tomar water works to the later Anangpal II).
🏛️ Architect: An early-medieval masonry gravity check-dam of locally quarried, dressed quartzite, built across a seasonal stream between two hills, with a stepped downstream face and sluice-controlled drainage channels for regulating monsoon flow — indigenous rainwater-harvesting engineering, not religious architecture.
Significance
Anangpur Dam is one of the oldest surviving masonry dams in India and a rare pre-Sultanate example of sophisticated gravity-dam and rainwater-harvesting engineering in the Aravallis — closely tied to the origin story of the Tomar dynasty that shaped the early Delhi region.
Family Highlights
💰 Equipment Fees: Free for personal photography.
📍 The Golden Spot: The dressed-quartzite dam wall and the pool behind it against the ridgeline, post-monsoon.
🌅 Best Light Time: Morning light on the masonry.
The dam is reached on foot over an unlit, unfenced rocky hill, with disused quarry 'badlands' nearby and patchy signal.
Official AdviceGo in daylight and with company, keep strictly to the trail, wear sturdy shoes, carry water, and tell someone your plan.
🌅 Secret View: The stepped downstream face and the old sluice channels show the sophistication of the engineering — look for them along the wall.
🎯 Crowd Hack: It is almost always empty; a post-monsoon weekday morning gives you the dam and the Aravallis to yourself.
💎 Secret Fact: The ASI has highlighted it as a roughly 1,100-year-old feat of indigenous water-harvesting, tied to the origin story of the Tomar dynasty that shaped early Delhi.
⚡ Express Tour
45 minutes — the walk in, the dam wall and the pool.
🔭 Deep Dive Tour
Half day — Anangpur Dam and Surajkund together.
👕 Dress Code: Sturdy walking shoes, sun protection and water for the rocky foot approach.
📷 Photography Rules: Personal photography is free; the masonry and the pool are the draw.
🏧 Nearest ATM: Carry cash — nearest ATMs are toward Surajkund and Faridabad (5+ km).
It is a free, open-access heritage site with no gate or ticket — visit in daylight only (roughly 7:00 AM to 5:00 PM), as it sits in unlit Aravalli terrain reached on foot.
Tughlaqabad on the Violet Line is the nearest practical station, about 8–10 km; take a cab via Surajkund to Anangpur village, then walk in to the dam.
It is attributed to the Tomar dynasty and commonly dated to around the 8th century — roughly 1,100 years old — making it one of the oldest surviving masonry dams in India.
It is a rare pre-Sultanate masonry gravity check-dam of dressed quartzite, with a stepped downstream face and sluice channels — a marvel of early indigenous rainwater-harvesting engineering, tied to the Tomar dynasty.
Visit in daylight and with company — it is remote, unlit and unfenced, reached on foot over a rocky hill, with disused quarry 'badlands' nearby and no facilities; keep to the trail and carry water.
The Faridabad NIT/HUDA area has pure-veg options — Go Veg at HUDA Market Sector 37 and Bharat Bhojnalaya at Tikona Park among them.
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