The Blue Lagoons or the KRS backwaters, has emerged as a
must-see destination for most tourists visiting the Brindavan Gardens these
days. The number of tourists to the backwaters, which is situated at a distance
of about six km from the entrance of Brindavan Gardens, swells in the evening.
Apart from watching the beauty of the sun setting over the
expansive water body and drenching themselves in the waters, the visitors also
pay a visit to the magnificent Sri Venugopalaswamy Temple that has been
relocated stone by stone from the site of the reservoir.
Thanks to the abundant rainfall, the reservoir is brimming with water and its backwaters have reached the edge of the road leading to the 12th century Sri Venugopalaswamy Temple, which has now been relocated on the periphery of the Hosa Kannambadi village.
The 900-year-old Sri Venugopalaswamy Temple was originally situated in Kannambadi village, which was submerged under the backwaters of KRS reservoir. The temple used to surface whenever the water level in the reservoir plunged, attracting a large number of devotees. Now the temple has been shifted from its original site, stone by stone to a new site on the periphery of the New Kannambadi village. The relocation work of the temple, which began more than two years ago, is now nearing completion.
It was last seen in the original location during a period of
drought and the KRS had gone dry and the ancient remains of the all stone
temple that was submerged under the backwaters of KRS had now surfaced back to
its past glory.
Because the temple was built entirely with stone, it stood
steady under the water for over seven decades without getting ravaged or
dissolved.
A pious person Mr. Sri Hari Khoday has taken up the task of
relocating the temple in its full original glory. The millionaire liquor baron
and industrialist decided to relocate the temple built entirely in stone and
preserve it for posterity, after 74 years of its disappearance into the
Kannambadi waters.
It was a feast to our eyes, a delight to the soul of those
who are spiritual or divine seekers. The view from the temple of the KRS
reservoir and the dam is really heavenly, with greenery at the far ends, and
the sheet of water shimmering in the golden rays of the setting sun.
You could reach this location by walking through the shallow
waters from the KRS Dam. Risk involves while reaching the island due to
swirling of water and necessary precaution to be taken. You can also hire an
auto from K.R.S. to reach this spot or travel by your own vehicles. It is considered
as one of the best picnic spot near Mysore these days.