Karanji Lake, The Aviary and Park

Karanji lake will leave you with mixed emotions, or at least it made me feel bad at the end of my time inside the park. No, not for leaving the park, for a completely different reason which I will address later in the post.

Karanji Lake

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Karanji lake is 5 km far from (where we stay) Mysore and it is easy to reach since lies in the center of the city. But, remember that Karanji Lake will be closed on Tuesdays. Don’t make that mistake like us by going there on Tuesday. No, you can’t enter even if you ask the security guys, take lessons from our failed trials. All other days, timing is from 8.30 AM to 5.30 PM.

We went there in the evening and it was a good time to visit the lake. There were an entry fee, parking fee and separate charges for still cameras and videography. Karanji lake is not just a lake, there is a park enclosed. Karanji lake is also famous for its migrant bird population.

We were welcomed by the tall palm trees aligned in a single line on both sides a path created through the middle. This road extends till the end of the park, with the palm trees. There is a children’s park area, lake, butterfly garden inside this compound. There is also an option to explore the entire park area on a bicycle. We first went to the lake.

The Lake

The lake was spread across a large area, with many different birds occupying one side of the lake. On the other side, there was a huge spread of lotus plants and there was a boating facility available.

We took tickets for a boat ride with a driver. It was for Rs. 100 per head but there is a driverless one too, which was cheaper. We thought we would need to raw ourselves and that is why took the one with a driver. But, it wasn’t like that. The self-driving one you just have to pedal and it is easy.

The boat ride was nice, with the sound of water and birds, it was so soothing. The lotus leaves made a green cover on the water and our driver stopped at the edge of the green spread to take some photographs. Since we have moved to the Selfie age, it was so confusing to pose to a third person, which should explain the awkwardness in the following photograph.

The Birds

There are many birds that live in the Karanji lake, most of them were having fun at the lake and the shore. Our boat driver was good was well informed about the birds residing here and in the other sanctuaries in Karnataka.

Flamingos, pelicans and many more moving around freely in the water was a great sight. My favorite was one bird called “Purple Morain”, that spelling is wrong, I got the name from the driver who was explaining about the birds and couldn’t find out the name online. They had blue and purple colour on them which resembled a kingfisher.

If you are a bird lover or a wildlife photography enthusiast, you’ll love Karanji lake.

The Nursery

Continuing in the park from the lake area is an inbuilt nursery, mostly with orchids and other plants. It was built with a green sheet around it and can be easily noticed while walking. With roots hanging in the air, it was a small place to just enjoy the flowers.

The Aviary

We didn’t notice this part in the park until we heard peacock cries and other voices. I have never heard of the “Aviary” before. The concept is to have a little more space for the birds to walk around with close resemblance to the natural habitat. The aviary has plants and trees and water streams made inside, all enclosed in the iron net that is placed at a larger height. So, it is a cage but a spacious one.

There were many birds inside the aviary. Peacocks, parrots, swans and many different ones I have never known or seen before. One interesting bird was the one which looked like a hybrid of a peacock and a chicken. It had the head like a chicken and the rest of the body like a small peacock.

Even the peacocks were of a different kind. There was one completely white peacock, which looked so pretty and the normal ones. What was fascinating was they can walk with you, on the tiled path. We had one accompanying us and it was not even scared. He didn’t forget to stop and pose for a pic too.

But, that was the sad part I was talking about. Even though they had enough space, they could only move inside that limited area, with a sight of sky and the world around them through the small squares of the net. The peacock that walked with us when it stopped and looked at us, we felt like it is begging to take himself to the wild.

Another annoying incident was people provoking the birds. It was clearly mentioned not to disturb them but many started hooting and whistling wishing that will help peacocks spread their wings.

The Park

There is a park that is built around the lake equipped with fitness goals. Many came here to jog and relax. There is a children’s park too with swings and slides. On the side of the children’s park are many other birds in cages, like the love birds and many others. We sat there for some time and decided to leave as it was already the closing time for the lake entry.

There was a butterfly garden in there we could not visit since it was already late. We said our Goodbyes to the monkeys and their little ones and left Karanji.

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