Sulekere is known as the second-largest built lake in Asia. I do not know the criteria for listing such man-made lakes, but there is no doubt that Sulekere is big. Reservoirs built across the river are generally much bigger, but I think they fall under different categories. Situated in Channagiri taluk of Davanagere district, it is the lifeline for the people staying around it.
After seeing Sathebennur Pushkarini, we proceeded towards Sulekere. It was a short drive of 20 minutes. As we reached the lake, we were astonished to see its size. It was large and surrounding hills and greenery added to its beauty.
A bit of history about Sulekere. The lake was constructed in 1128 AD. 800 years ago!! Credit should go to engineers of that time for building such a lasting structure!! The Mysore gazetteer says that “Its name is derived from “sule”, courtesan and “kere”, tank. The local legend asserts that this woman was the king’s daughter, who, having formed some connection with divinity, built, as an expiatory act, the tank, which submerged the town of her father, who cursed her as a prostitute.” Hence the name of the lake. The woman’s name was “Santavva”, and the lake is also called “Shanti Sagara”.
We stopped near Siddeshwara temple to get a view of the lake. Then, we drove around the lake to reach the resort area called “The Serene”. Facilities are built for tourists to indulge in water sports and picnics. While the intentions were good, it seemed that the place was not maintained well. The shops were empty, and the water sports were closed. Covid would have put the spoke in their wheel.
We spent some time at that place before continuing to our next destination.
rahul
awesome blog