Ulsoor Lake

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Ulsoor Lake is a man made lake constructed way back in the 16th century AD by Kempe Gowda II, near to the M.G. Road in Bangalore. The lake is a mesmerizing water body that spreads over an area of approximately 1.5 square kilometers. The most attractive feature of the lake is its islands. Tourists who come to see the lake take up boat rides in the lake and stop over these islands. There is an intriguing legend associated with this lake. One day Kempe Gowda went on a chasing game to the nearby forested areas of the lake. As he got tired he slept under one of the trees in the forest. Incidentally he chose to sleep under the same tree where Mandava Rishi is believed to have worshipped God Somesvara. In his dreams, came the God Somesvara, and revealed him the secret of the hidden treasure. Kempe Gowda dug up the treasure and with the money, got the famous Somesvara pagoda built in the Dravidian style of architecture. The lake was earlier known as "Halsur" or "Alasur". The lake also flaunts a number of conspicuous features around it like a recreation center that houses a swimming pool, a temple dedicated to Subbaraya, Kensington Park and the largest Sikh shrine in Bangalore. Ulsoor lake also hosts the famous Ganesha festival that falls in the months of August and September. So in a nutshell, we can say that Ulsoor lake is one of the most exotic site seeing options in Bangalore.