Ayyankere
This article has been extracted from THE IMPERIAL GAZETTEER OF INDIA , 1908. OXFORD, AT THE CLARENDON PRESS. |
Note: National, provincial and district boundaries have changed considerably since 1908. Typically, old states, ‘divisions’ and districts have been broken into smaller units, units, and many tahsils upgraded to districts.Many units have since been renamed. Therefore, this article is being posted mainly for its historical value.
Ayyankere
(or Dodda-Madagkere). — A beautiful lake, surrounded with high hills and studded with islands, situated to the east of the Baba Budan range in Mysore. It has been formed by embanking the perennial stream of the Gaurihalla, and its outflowing waters are called the Veda, which unites with the Avati to form the Vedavati river. (See Hagari.) The construction of this fine reservoir is attributed to Ruk- mangada Raya, an ancient king of Sakkarepatna. The embankment, of earth and stone, is about 1,700 feet long, and 300 feet high at the rear slope. The tank is very deep, and contains in many parts 35 feet of water. There is a tradition that the bank was once on the point of breaching, when the danger which threatened the town of Sakkarepatna from inundation was announced by the guardian goddess of the lake to Honbilla, the nirgatiti or waterman. He obtained from her a promise that the catastrophe should be delayed until he returned with orders what to do from his master the king of Sakkarepatna, and hastening to the town delivered warning of the impending danger. The king sagely but inhumanly thought that, under the conditions of the promise, to pre- vent the return of the messenger would be to avert the catastrophe for ever. He accordingly had him killed on the spot, and the embankment has stood ever since. A shrine has been erected at Sakkarepatna to the memory of the unfortunate man thus sacrificed for its stability, at which worship is still performed. Considerable repairs were made to the embankment in the thirteenth century under the Hoysala kings.
