Kukkarahalli lake, Mysore, Karnataka India

Kukkarahalli lake was created in the year 1864, to provide water for irrigation for areas outside the Mysore city. Later on the lake was also used as a source of water supply to the city. Total area of Kukkarahalli lake is about 104 ha and the water spread area lake is 49 ha.  The lake is located at the heart of the city within the campus of Mysore University. The lake is partly arboretum and partly aquatic habitat. 0ver the years the lake has deteriorated.

The Kukkarahalli Lake is Located in Mysore University Campus. This lake has inspired many local poets and writers. The views from the north shore is particularly attractive with the lake and its surrounding trees, the spire of the deputy commissioner's offices rising above them and the low rise of the Chamundi Hill in the background. This lake is home to more than 180 species of birds, some of them aquatic. During the migratory season the lake plays host to a variety of winged visitors, some from as far as siberia. There is a 4.5 km walkway on the periphery of the lake with shaded stone benches for visitors to sit, relax and enjoy the scenic serenity of the lake.

Kukkarahalli Lake also called Kukkarhalli Kere (Lake is ‘’kere’’ in local Kannada language), located in the heart of the Mysore city, adjoins the Manasgangotri (University of Mysore), the Kalamandir (Rangyana) and the Central Food Technological Research Institute (CFTRI) campus (separated by the Hunsur Road). It provides lung-space to the city. Mummadi Krishnaraja Wodeyar, (1794–1868) of the Mysore Dynasty (Kingdom of Mysore) was responsible for getting the lake created, in the year 1864, to provide water for irrigation to about 4000 ha (10,000 acres) of land outside the city.

The Lake also used to be a source of water supply to the city of Mysore. The lake is located within the Mysore city limits. The Mysore City railway station is about 3 km (1.9 mt) from the Lake. The nearest airport is at Mysore, at a road distance of 15 km (9.3 mt). The lake drains a catchment area of more than 414 square kilometres (160 sq mt) and the water body spreads over 62 hectares (150 acres). Dewan Poornaiah feeder canal, 27 km (17 mt) long, which passes through Hinkal, Bogadi, Kudremala and Manasagangotri outfalls into the Lake. The Lake is ‘J’ shaped. The maximum depth of lake is reported to be 5 m (16 ft). The east-west bund holds water on one side.