The Secret Lake - Thattekere (or Mahadeshwara Temple Lake)
I am all for breaking the monotony of daily life. All the
more better if that ‘break’ involved water and the hills - my idea of a perfect
getaway! According to my horoscope I should avoid water, or bad things might
happen. My mom is never tired of reminding this to me every time I tell her
that we are planning something outdoors. Usually I ‘forget’ to mention that there
is water involved when I tell her the details. So when she calls up again to
ensure that I have reached the place safe and sound (yes, she is kind of
paranoid), something like this takes place:
Maa: Have you reached?
Me: Yes
Maa: What are you doing now?
Me: Playing in the river water.
Maa: River!!! What??
Me: Yeah, and now we are going white-water rafting, you know
those little inflatable boats that go over the water.
Maa: B-b-but you can’t do that! It is written in the
horoscope!
Me: Oh, these guys are calling me, I need to practice some
rowing or the raft might capsize.
Maa: Wha ---- !
Me: Bye Maa!
Life is so exciting when you have moms like mine!
Anyway, so the story is, I jumped up the moment the husband
proposed going on a birding trip to Thattekere Lake, also known as Mahadeshwara
Temple Lake. We looked up the internet for its exact location and found that
most people were going around in circles to locate it. Time to be careful and
alert, we thought, though this theory had been proved otherwise in some cases.
So, on Saturday morning in September (2012), we packed a
nice breakfast and set off for the elusive lake. According to Google map, the
lake was located off the Anekal-Harohalli Road and we decided to stick to that route,
unlike the time we had created our own short-cuts to reach Hessaraghatta
grasslands. We continued to be on ‘alert mode’ though and were soon driving
along the aforementioned road, our eyes straining out for that off-shoot which
would lead to the lake. Thanks to my
eagle-eye (huh, says the husband), I spotted a gate with something written in
Kannada (no, we don’t understand Kannada yet). There were small Nandi bull type
figurines carved on it and we guessed that it might be the gateway to the
Mahadeshwara Temple.
It was around 8.00 am when we entered the area. The road was
unpaved and had electric wire-borders on one side. Somehow, we felt as if we
were entering a jungle. All around us there was loud chirping of birds. Not a
soul was to be seen. We went on and after some time we caught sight of the temple.
Where was the lake? As we drove past the temple we glimpsed a little of the
lake ahead. I had expected the water of the lake to have almost dried up, like all the lakes that we had visited previously for birding. But there lay the lake, a vast
one, its water shimmering in the morning rays. It was bordered by hills on the
other side and a thick forest surrounded it. It was almost like a secret lake,
hidden away from the human populace. I felt terribly possessive and wanted to
claim the lake as my own. The beauty of the lake was such that we almost forgot
what we were there for – the birds!
Thattekere Lake
Surprisingly, we could not locate many birds in the water. Maybe
the season was not right. There were only a few grey herons and cormorants
sitting along the water in anticipation. A pair of white storks was flying
about, unsure of where to alight. The forest seemed more inviting and after a
quick breakfast we ventured towards it. Small birds were zipping all around us and
we had difficulty at first even to identify them. There were sunbirds, munias
and bulbuls creating a musical ruckus in the forest. We walked a bit into the
forest and came upon a narrow mud-track. I rightly guessed that the track was
used by the villagers from the nearby village because just a few minutes later
we were greeted by the sight of a person leading his bullock towards the lake
for a sip of water. The person tried to tell us something disapprovingly but
since we did not understand the local language, we could only nod our heads.
Green Bee-eater
Red-rumped Swallow
Indian Robin
Baya Weaver's nests
After some time we decided to walk along the banks of the
lake and came out into the clearing. There were broken bottles and plastic bags
strewn all over. So the lake was not such a secret after all. I then noticed
some clumps lying on the ground near the lake and it struck me that they may be
elephant dung. But that would only mean that there were elephants in the
forest! I made the husband turn around and beat a retreat, although I had to
bear his jibes about me being a jungle girl and yet scared of elephants. Dad
being somewhat of an expert on wild elephants, I was aware of what they were
capable of.
In any case, we left for the day but the beauty of the lake
was too much to keep us away from it for too long. We went back to the lake again
in October (2012), this time with my parents who were visiting from Assam. The water
seemed to be less but the temple wore a festive look. In the previous occasion
the temple was locked and looked quite deserted. We had reached the lake at
around 7.00 am and were astounded to see fresh elephant footprints and dung on
the banks of the lake. The temple priest, who knew Hindi, warned us about a
herd of elephants and told us not to venture anywhere near the forest. We heeded
his word and turned back. And you should do, too. Do not enter the forest or
walk to the far side of the lake, however tempting it may look. We understood then
why there was electric wire fencing, cordoning off the forest.
Elephant footprints
We went down to the village and spotted a few more birds thereabout.
Bee-eaters were to be found in plenty as well as shrikes. We noticed that every
house in the village reared silk-worms and maybe that is their main source of
livelihood. Just driving around the area gave us so much pleasure, we did not
have to do anything else.
Silkworm farming
Although we had come to Thattekere lake to do birding,
I think we relegated it to the back seat and enjoyed the sight more. I was
dismayed to see the callousness of people who had left behind beer bottles and
plastic bags after their bouts of revelry. I truly want to live to see a day when better
sense dawns upon human kind and these pristine locations are preserved with
love and care. I hope you will visit the place and feel the same about it, too.
Nice clicks,especially the weaver's nest
ReplyDeleteThanks! We could not click too many pictures of birds but the weavers' nests are my favourite, too.
DeleteCame across your blog only 2 years after I happened to visit Thattekere. Must say I shared the excitement and the joy of finding the lake
ReplyDeleteThank you so much for visiting my blog. I have not been to the lake for many months now but my husband had gone there last month (Dec 2013) and he was informed that the area was closed for public. Don't know the reasons, though.
Deletewe visited this place somewhere last august! Thou we couldnt find any birds - the place was pristine n peaceful! But after an hour or some came forest guards who chased us awa :-D. Not sure if I have the reason rt, but am told that some amateur photographer was chased by elephants and thus the curfew....
ReplyDeleteI have not visited the place for a long time now. Thanks for the update,Meena. I am sure elephants might be the reason for the curfew.
DeleteHello, just read your blog
ReplyDeleteAmazing pics.
I wanted to ask a question, please answer if possible.
My friends and I(4 girls) are planning to go to the lake for a day's adventure, so wanted to know if its safe and also what's necessary for us to carry along.
(Just so you know, we four can understand and speak Kannada and Hindi)
It would help a lot if answered, Thank you😊
Hi Kriya, sorry for the late reply. And thanks for the kind words :) Well, regarding the lake I am not sure if the area is entirely safe for girls. Besides the fact that elephants come down to the lake for their early morning drink, the area is littered with loads of beer bottles, which make me think that maybe the lake is frequented by rather unsociable inhabitants. However, the few times that we were there, it was absolutely deserted, barring the occasional cowherd. We have not visited the lake for a long, long time now. There are no restaurants or shops in the area. So do ponder over your decision. Or maybe take a few guy friends along :)
DeleteHey thanks for the information.. It helped us a lot. We'll postpone the trip and go with more people. Thank you for caring :)
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