Karanji Lake in Mysore is one of those small but hidden gems that seems to be often overlooked by the hordes of tourists who descend on this cultural capital of Karnataka. The Mysore Palace, Zoo, Chamundi Hills, Srirangapatna, and the like are the places that attract the most attention. But if you are willing to spend a couple of hours at the Karanji Lake and Aviary, expect to be rewarded for your time.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Karanji_lake
You can actually see the top of Chamnundi Hills from the lake.
This is the zoomed out shot of Chamundi Hills.
and this is a closeup:
The Aviary
From Wikipedia - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Karanji_lake
Cross-posted to my photos blog.
© 2009, Abhinav Agarwal. All rights reserved.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Karanji_lake
Karanji Lake (Kannada: ಕಾರಂಜಿ ಕೆರೆ) is a lake located in the city of Mysore in the state of Karnataka, India. The lake is surrounded by a nature park consisting of a butterfly park and a walk-through aviary. This aviary is the biggest 'walk-through aviary' in India.[1] There is also a museum, the Regional Museum of Natural History which is located on the banks of this lake. The total area of Karanji lake is 90 hectares. While waterspread area is about 55 hectares, the foreshore area measures about 35 hectares.[2] Karanji lake is owned by the Mysore Zoo Authority.[3] Mysore Zoo gets a revenue of an average of Rs. 50000 per day from ticket sales to enthusiasts who visit this lake.[4] [Wikipedia, accessed Dec 22, 2010]
You can actually see the top of Chamnundi Hills from the lake.
This is the zoomed out shot of Chamundi Hills.
and this is a closeup:
The Aviary
From Wikipedia - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Karanji_lake
The aviary constructed on the shore of the lake has a height of 20 m, length of 60 m and width of 40 m making it India's biggest walk-through aviary.[1] [5] The aviary was set up at a cost of Rs 3.8 million. It includes an artificial water fall and two small water bodies. Water from the Karanji lake is pumped inside the aviary in the form of a stream while the used water is discharged into the lake.[6] It has about 40–50 birds of 17 species.[5] Hornbills, peacocks, white-peacocks, turkeys and black swans are some of the birds found in this aviary. This aviary was temporarily closed in the year 2006 to prevent the break-out of bird flu.[7]
Cross-posted to my photos blog.
© 2009, Abhinav Agarwal. All rights reserved.
