¹Associate Professor, Department of Chemistry, College of Commerce, Patna-800020, Bihar (INDIA)
²Professor-in-Charge, P.G. Department of Environmental Sciences, A.N. College Patna-800013, Bihar (INDIA)
³Research Scholar, P.G. Department of Environmental Sciences, A.N. College Patna- 800013, Bihar (INDIA)

The present study deals with the investigation related to physico-chemical characteristics of water of the Surya kund, a religious pond located in Gaya Town of Bihar, India. Besides temperature, 17 other limnological parameters have been studied following standard methods for sampling at 3 different sites of the pond. The physicochemical parameters like transparency, pH, DO, BOD, COD, free CO2, total alkalinity, conductivity, CaCO3, TSS, TDS, Chloride, Ammonia, Nitrite, Nitrate, Phosphate, etc. have shown distinct temporal and seasonal variations during the study period of the pond. Higher nutrient contents like nitrate and phosphate were observed to be present in the pond. The results of water transparency, dissolved oxygen, BOD, COD, CO2, total alkalinity, conductivity, CaCO3, hardness, TSS, nitrate and phosphate were correlated with various physico-chemical parameters in the pond. The physico-chemical quality of water of the pond revealed the poor water quality standards. These specific characteristics indicated towards the contamination of water due to a number of factors including local resident’s sewerage outlet and leaving behind of the worship materials like flowers, garlands, disposal of incomplete burnt worship (hawan) materials, fruits as offerings, leafs etc. as organic matter in the pond. The two years (February, 2012 - January, 2014) of survey reflects higher degree of pollution in the pond.