Manchanabele Dam - A Beautiful Dam On The Outskirts of Bengaluru

Almost three years ago, one fine Sunday afternoon we had been to Manchanabele Dam which is on the outskirt of Bengaluru. It is located around 50 kms from Bengaluru in the village called Manchanabele also known as Manchinabele. It is a small reservoir built for the irrigation purpose across the river Arkavathi. This place is near to Big Banyan Tree - a popular picnic spot in Bengaluru. This dam is located just 11 kms from Big Banyan Tree. I had seen this dam in many Kannada cinemas earlier but didn't collect much information before going to this place.

We took the route Mysore Road-->Kumbalagod Industrial Area-->Ramohalli-->Big Banyan Tree-->Manchanabele to reach the place. View of the countryside was beautiful and refreshing throughout the journey. 

View Of Countryside near Manchanabele

As we were nearing the village the view from clear blue water from far made us more curious to explore the dam. But there was a police security guard at the entrance of the dam and he was not allowing visitors to enter the dam. Sending all visitors back security guard told us that entry into the dam is restricted. But we didn't come back. Standing there we were enjoying the backwaters of Arkavathi. On the backgrounds of the dam we can see Savanadurga hill which is a popular trekking place. We sighted many birds too. Surroundings of Manachanabele dam is a good place for bird watching and nature photography.

View of the dam from distance

It was 5 PM and the security guard again told us to go back. There were no other visitors. We requested him to give permission to enter the dam and we assured him that we wont be there at the dam for more than 30 minutes. He said 'NO'. We kept on requesting him till 5.30 and finally the guard gave a phone call to someone and gave permission to enter the dam. He demanded 100 Rs from us.

As we started exploring the dam we felt we are very close to the nature. Plenty of birds gave company to us. View of the green surroundings give a picturesque look to the dam. Cows, sheep from surrounding villages were grazing near the dam. Dam area is very silent. It was 6 PM and we wanted to watch beautiful sunset from the dam. But as we had promised the security guard, we came out of the dam and thanked him for allowing us to enter the dam. Without any expressions he murmured that if his seniors come to know then he will be in trouble. We felt really sorry for forcing him to open the gate. 

Note : Entry into the dam is strictly prohibited now. There are 2-3 security guards near the dam and they stop visitors from a kilometers distance. You can just have a view of the dam from far. However it is advisable to visit the place in a group as the area is known for miscreants.