But Guruvayana Kere, located by the side of Mangalore - Ujire road (or Guruvayana Kere - Moodbidre road, to be precise) is a serene and calm place which anybody would love to spend some time.
The unique aspect of this place is that, hardly any visitors go there, for two reasons: Not many people from City know about the place and on the other hand, for localites, there is nothing new in the place as the Kere is part and parcel of their life. Legend has it that there was a person by name Guruvayya who constructed a barrage (bund) to store water that comes from three hillocks, at a place where the Kere (tank or lake) is situated at present.
As Guruvayya constructed the Kere, it is known as Guruvayyana Kere or Guruvayana Kere, which is spread across 17 acres and helps irrigate about 60 to 70 acres of paddy fields even to this day.
The excess water flows through a stream to join River Nethravathi flowing nearby.
Speaking to City Herald, Nagarika Seva Trust President Somnath Nayak, going down memory lane, said that there was a ‘chatra’ by the side of the Kere and people who used to carry commodities (through bullock carts) to Bantwal or Mangalore from Belthangady or nearby areas, were taking rest in the chatra for some time, before continuing their journey. However, the chatra no longer exists.
Tourism spot
Though Parisaraasakthara Okkuta former convenor Vittal Rao had submitted a memorandum through Panchayat to the auhotities concerned, to develop the Guruvayana Kere into a tourism spot when Shalini Goel was the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Dakshina Kannada Zilla Panchayat (ZP) and Veerappa Moily was the chief minister, nothing has been done till date.
In the memorandum, Rao had appealed to start boating facilities and to set up a makeshift arrangement in the middle of the tank (lake) made of bamboo, so that the visitors can go to that spot in boat and return. He had also appealed to acquire the 3.5 acre dense forest in the vicinity where thousands of birds, mostly cranes, take rest, thus converting the piece of land as a natural bird sanctuary. And also to desilt the lake, but nothing has been done till date.
By and large, the lake is very clean as there are no waste is let into the lake. Though a few vehicles are cleaned in the lake, the continuous flow of water helps maintain the lake clean.
When contacted, Zilla Panchayat Executive Engineer Satyanarayana said that plans are on the anvil to develop 9 lakes in Belthangady taluk and Guruvayana Kere is one among them.
The development works at the lake would be taken up at a cost of Rs 50 lakh, once the monsoon is over. The lake is expected to wear a new look by March - April 2012.
The work to be taken up include desilting of the lake, construction of a waste weir and repair of distribution canal. At a time when tourism is the buzzword, the development of the natural lake would be a feather in the cap of district, opined a visitor to the lake.