We are not the only people who sing the praises of Kukkarahalli Lake in particular, and Mysore city in general. We give below some extracts and links sourced from the online posts of people who think the same way.
To begin with, here is a popular movie song that celebrates Mysore. The name of the song is a slight corruption of the name of Kukkarahalli Kere.
Prof. Shivaram Malavalli, a long-time Mysore resident, has created two superb Facebook Album here and here, capturing the many moods of Kukkarahalli lake in the evening.
Churumuri, named after an authentic Mysorean snack, (I was unable to find the real name of the author of this excellent blog) quotes RK Narayan, the famous author of Malgudi days, and a Mysore resident, in a blog entry titled "Where can you view such masterpiece sunsets?" thus:
“Sometimes, I went back to the Kukkarahalli tank in the late afternoon, when the evening sun touched the rippling water-surface to produce uncanny lighting effects, and the western sky presented a gorgeous display of colours and cloud formations at sunset. Even today, I would assert, after having visited many parts of the world, that nowhere can you witness such masterpiece sunsets as in Mysore. I would sit on a bench on the tank and watch the sun’s performance, the gradual fading of the colours in the sky, and the emergence of the first single star at dusk.”
Here is Kyla M Leslie's impression of Kukkarahalli Lake. We quote her below.
Here is a beautiful description of Kukkarahalli Lake by bird-lovers Neelu & Sachin. We quote them briefly below:
What follows is a deeply felt reminiscence about what life was like, growing up in this beautiful town with its friendly easy-going people. It is not original, but alas, I found it some time back on the Net and have been unable to locate the author after that, to attribute it.
To begin with, here is a popular movie song that celebrates Mysore. The name of the song is a slight corruption of the name of Kukkarahalli Kere.
Prof. Shivaram Malavalli, a long-time Mysore resident, has created two superb Facebook Album here and here, capturing the many moods of Kukkarahalli lake in the evening.
Arpita, a social worker, has blogged as below:
We decided to skip the zoo but in the evening went for a walk to Kukkarahalli lake. I don't think anything could have quite prepared me for the lake. It was absolutely gorgeous!! The birds were literally all over the place! Oh did i ever repent the fact that i hadn't taken my binocs!! The centre of the lake had a bunch of trees where sat several bunches of pelican, egrets of several sizes and cormorants of course.. the waterhen and moorhens were falling out of the thick reeds which covered the edges of the lake and provided the right ambience for the birds to nest! There were many many more but it was evening, my eyesight sucks and no binocs!! :( Ah sorrow! But of course we went for a long walk around the lake completely ignoring the cycling guard who kept whistling to tell people to get out as it was late ...
We decided to skip the zoo but in the evening went for a walk to Kukkarahalli lake. I don't think anything could have quite prepared me for the lake. It was absolutely gorgeous!! The birds were literally all over the place! Oh did i ever repent the fact that i hadn't taken my binocs!! The centre of the lake had a bunch of trees where sat several bunches of pelican, egrets of several sizes and cormorants of course.. the waterhen and moorhens were falling out of the thick reeds which covered the edges of the lake and provided the right ambience for the birds to nest! There were many many more but it was evening, my eyesight sucks and no binocs!! :( Ah sorrow! But of course we went for a long walk around the lake completely ignoring the cycling guard who kept whistling to tell people to get out as it was late ...
Churumuri, named after an authentic Mysorean snack, (I was unable to find the real name of the author of this excellent blog) quotes RK Narayan, the famous author of Malgudi days, and a Mysore resident, in a blog entry titled "Where can you view such masterpiece sunsets?" thus:
“Sometimes, I went back to the Kukkarahalli tank in the late afternoon, when the evening sun touched the rippling water-surface to produce uncanny lighting effects, and the western sky presented a gorgeous display of colours and cloud formations at sunset. Even today, I would assert, after having visited many parts of the world, that nowhere can you witness such masterpiece sunsets as in Mysore. I would sit on a bench on the tank and watch the sun’s performance, the gradual fading of the colours in the sky, and the emergence of the first single star at dusk.”
Here is Kyla M Leslie's impression of Kukkarahalli Lake. We quote her below.
Kukkarahalli Lake is my favourite new discovery... I hadn’t heard a word about it on my last trip to Mysore, but it’s magical little bit of nature that feels a world away from the busy-ness of just about everywhere else.
Visit this page and this one too, for beautiful pictures taken at the lake recently. Her experience of Mysore's colourful Devaraja Market is recorded here.
Poornima Prabhu has captured the serenity of Kukkarahalli Lake beautifully. I quote below from her blog.
I spent today’s evening with Rupa at the Kukkarahalli lake, here in Mysore. To those of you who don’t know, Kukkarahalli lake is one of the most beautiful lakes in Mysore. Kuvempu, the great poet of Karnataka was known to come here for a walk. The lake comes under the jurisdiction of University of Mysore. Rupa stays nearby to the lake and enjoys the privilege to visit it more often than me.
Maeed M Zahir has captured his experience of Kukkarahalli lake here.
Anoop HA has captured Mysore in vibrant colours like few others have. His gallery of photographs of Mysore's Dasara celebrations, Chamundi Hill, Kukkarhalli Lake and Karanji Lake (2nd gallery) are stunning.
Nirupama Sriram has captured stunning photographs of Kukkarahalli Lake here and here on her excellent website, itslife.in. She also has an excellent page devoted to Kukkarahalli Lake.
Poornima Prabhu has captured the serenity of Kukkarahalli Lake beautifully. I quote below from her blog.
I spent today’s evening with Rupa at the Kukkarahalli lake, here in Mysore. To those of you who don’t know, Kukkarahalli lake is one of the most beautiful lakes in Mysore. Kuvempu, the great poet of Karnataka was known to come here for a walk. The lake comes under the jurisdiction of University of Mysore. Rupa stays nearby to the lake and enjoys the privilege to visit it more often than me.
We walked along the perimeter of the lake gossiping and enjoying the cool breeze. You can always find few health conscious people on jog along the lake. There were few others who sat and enjoyed the serene surrounding. Sometime ago a crocodile used to inhabit the lake and people who went fishing used to be cautious, don’t know if it is still there and I didn't spot it today. At one point in time, Mysore used to be famous for lakes. Thanks to the urbanization today there are only few of them left and Kukkarahalli lake is one of the beautiful among the existing ones. This lake happens to be the perfect place to spend your lazy evenings. If you happen to visit to Mysore make sure to spend an evening here.
Maeed M Zahir has captured his experience of Kukkarahalli lake here.
Anoop HA has captured Mysore in vibrant colours like few others have. His gallery of photographs of Mysore's Dasara celebrations, Chamundi Hill, Kukkarhalli Lake and Karanji Lake (2nd gallery) are stunning.
Nirupama Sriram has captured stunning photographs of Kukkarahalli Lake here and here on her excellent website, itslife.in. She also has an excellent page devoted to Kukkarahalli Lake.
Here is a beautiful description of Kukkarahalli Lake by bird-lovers Neelu & Sachin. We quote them briefly below:
Kukkarahalli lake was very
close to where we were put up. When we entered the lake area, there
was just one word to describe the scenery.. WOW. In single view frame
there were Little Grebes, Purple Moorehens, Cormorants, Herons, Spot
billed Ducks, Brahminy kites; even the Small Blue KF perched
reasonably close to us. From a vantage point we looked around taking
in all the activity around us. A Brahminy Kite was hovering over the
lake (looking for its prey), it glided down close to the surface, one
dip inside the water and up it came with a largish fish in its claws,
and it made its way to the wilderness around the lake. There were
other Brahminy kites also hovering around, not all were successful at
fishing. There were some juvenile Brahminy Kites too (which we
initially mis-identified as some Fish Eagle).
There is a 4km
walking/jogging path around the lake. The wilderness around the path
enhanced the spectacular beauty of the place. Despite the rain, we
decided to walk along the path; our equipment well protected under
our jackets and an umbrella. The rain stopped after we walked a few
hundred meters and weather cleared up beautifully. So much that there
was sunlight, albeit momentarily. The Ashy Prinia could be seen and
heard almost every few steps, we also sighted the larks, sunbirds and
the babblers. There were hundreds of painted storks, cormorants in
their typical wing drying poses, many white ibis in flight and in
water, number of kingfishers and some spot billed pellicans in clear
view. At one time, we also saw a mongoose scurry past below the bund
and hide into a thicket of grass.
There could have
definitely been many more birds that we might have missed, but surely
the lake is a treat to any bird-watcher. Even though there were not
many lifers, the sheer variety of birds in one place made it a unique
experience. As a souvenir, we got back a feather shed by a Brahminy
Kite.
Shruti from Bangalore has blogged thus about her birdwatching experience at Kukkarahalli Kere.
Shruti from Bangalore has blogged thus about her birdwatching experience at Kukkarahalli Kere.
Had been to Mysore over the weekend.
One place I visit each time, is Kukkarahalli lake, which is half a
kilometer away from my grandparents' house. I have been going there
for as long as I remember. Many happy hours have been spent walking
on the bank, many fond memories are associated with it, and one
particularly frightening childhood nightmare too. Anyway,
Kukkarahalli Kere is a major part of my life.
Earlier, only one side of the lake,
adjacent to the main road, was accessible for walking. Half of Mysore
seemed to be there in the mornings and evenings. [The other half
would be climbing Chamundi Betta(Hill)] Now they have built a walking
track all around the lake. I do not know what the total distance
round the lake is, but it is substantial.
This time around too, we set out in a
huge group to walk round the lake. Since we were now going into the
woods, on the path round the lake, there was a chance of seeing many
hitherto unseen sights (read birds). My birdwatcher aunt brought
along a pair of binoculars. The walk was absolutely delightful! I saw
more birds in one hour, than I have seen in probably ten years.
We saw frisky herons, pure white cattle
egrets and brilliantly hued Moor Hens in plenty. [ "Look look,
Moor Hen!". "Where? I can see only one." ;) - (Mooru
means "Three" in Kannada). PJ]. There were loads of
chattering Mynas. There were bright yellow bee-eaters with pointed
tails and pointed beaks, and a kingfisher with an insect in it's
beak. [Kinginsecter?] There was a crow (wait, hear me out!) with an
egg in it's mouth! An egg! Such a small, simple thing, and I had
never seen it before! "How will the crow eat the egg?" I
wondered. It had never crossed my mind. "Simple", said one
cousin. "It takes a fork, breaks the egg into a pan, and cooks
itself an omelette". PJ. But seriously, how?
We saw hundreds of painted storks(Who
painted them?) in brilliant reds and pinks and whites. One painted
stork repeatedly flew up and down with a straw in it's mouth,
probably building a nest. There was one clump of trees in the middle
of the lake, where these painted storks had made their home. Hundreds
of them. On a nearby tree, perched right on top, was a Brahminy Kite,
surveying it's kingdom. Far into the distance, we could discern a
pelican swimming meditatively on the calm waters of the lake.
I am going to a Bird sanctuary, people
say, and travel long distances to reach them. I have not seen more
birds in one place in any bird sanctuary, and here I see them in
Kukkarahalli Kere. Just half a km from home, right in the middle of
the city. A world within another. A peaceful, pure, ecosystem amidst
the hustle and bustle of the town.
I had a wonderful time. But I have one
regret - I had not carried a camera with me. Well, next time. And it
had better be soon.
Mysore cannot really be experienced in holidays or weekends.
Like a creeper growing and encircling the staff, you have to live, and grow
with Mysore to experience it. You have to be with the ajjis who have seen you from the time you were soooo small, where
the maid who works in your house is your family maid, your ajji had "recruited" her mother. When you go on an
evening walk, and the poojari of the
Ram Mandir, stops and chats with you, and moves on saying there is a pooja at 5 next morning, that's Mysore
for you.
When you walk a little ahead and the librarian says he has
the latest copy of "Kasturi" or "Mayura", that's Mysore for
you. When the milkman sees you on a walk, and delivers an extra half litre
without being asked, that's Mysore for you. Mysore is when you board a bus at
the bus-stand and conductor-uncle gives you a ticket without asking........... Mysore
is when you come by the Tippu express, and you find someone going in your
direction to drop you off. ...........
Mysore is when you collect little red 'gulganji' seeds on
your way back home from KukkarahaLLi lake ............ Mysore is when elephants
are marched in from the forests for Dussehra......... Mysore is when you wait
for your copy of "Star of Mysore". ........ Mysore is when the
English movies are only at Rajkamal. Or Sterling......... Mysore is when you
look for your KEB uncle to book tickets at Woodlands .........
Mysore is when there
are student body elections in Sarada-Vilas. Mysore is the eternal SJCE-NIE
feud. ........ Mysore is when you got your project
report bound at Venkateshwara Binders in Saraswatipuram.
Mysore is having grape juice at RTO circle..... Mysore is
buying vegetables at Agrahara..... Mysore is buying plantain leaves in
NanjumaLige, savoring the aroma of the agarbatti factory behind. ....Mysore is
eating ice-creams at Penguin....... Mysore is eating dosa at Original Mylari Hotel with
the Hotel opposite with the same name that says, we have no branches ......
Mysore is having biriyani early in the morning, near Philo's church......
.Mysore is drinking sugarcane juice near kukkarahaLLI lake ....... Mysore is
munching corn-on-the-cob in the palace foreground. Mysore is when I grew up in
Mysore.
My
Mysore....Mysore before GRS, before the underbridge in front of Saraswatipuram
Fire Brigade...., before Infosys...., before Ring-Road.... Those who grew up in
that Mysore..... will relate to me more than those who came to Mysore.... for a
three-month stint in Infy..... Than those, who think Mysore is a good place to
invest.... Than those who think chilling out in Mysore is just CCD or Pizza
Corner..... Oh, How they misunderstand my pretty home !!!
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