Hyderabad’s Tank Bund Lake and Its Scenic Environs

It was a lake of 24 square kilometres built on a tributary of the River Musi to meet the water and irrigation needs of the city. There is a large monolithic statue of the Gautam Buddha in the middle of the lake which was erected in 1992.

Tank bund road Built in the 16th century the lake was named to express the gratitude of Ibrahim Quli Qutub Shah to Hussain Shah Wali who helped him to recover from illness.It is a sprawling artificial lake that holds water perennially, built during the reign of Ibrahim Qutub Shah, across a tributary of the river Musi in 1562. Linking the twin cities of Hyderabad and Secunderabad, the lake and its environs have several parks and scenic spots. The broad road on the tank bund is lined with lawns and 33 statues of famous personalities of the State stand along the bund of the lake. The well laid out Lumbini park located in the Buddha Purnima project has a musical fountain.The lake was a hot spot as a suicide location but these have reduced in the last few decades, possibly due to the worsening water quality. The lake is encompassed on one side by the beautiful Lumbini Park, an amusement park for the young and old alike.

Then there is the enchanting Birla Mandir hewn on a hillock nearby. Standing on the Tank Bund at night, one is awe-struck to see the glimmering row of lights outlining the lake that look like “a diamond studded necklace”. This is the necklace road being readied to enhance the beauty of Hussain Sagar.The majestic white arch that forms the entrance stands high and immaculate into the bluish white sky beckoning the motorists a free and easy passage on the wide long stretch of the Tank Bund. The two lions standing straight in support of the roof of the arch beside the pillars and the tapered dome with globular design akin to pinnacles on top are all styled after the traditional Hindu temple designs, much like the “simha dwaram” (the lion gateway). Its uniqueness lies in the fact that it connects the twin cities of Hyderabad and Secunderabad. Throughout the year the Tank Bund presents a picture of hustle-bustle of the regular traffic.

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Statue of Buddha An 18 meter high monolithic statue of Lord Buddha towers over the lake from atop the Rock of Gibraltar. The road on the Tank-Bund which originally was very narrow was widened in 1946 when Sir Mirza Ismail was the Prime Minister of Hyderabad. Further widening and beautification of the Tank-Bund took place during 1987-88 with the addition of fountains with dancing waters, tantalising coloured lighting during nights, and the installation of nearly thirty three well sculptured bronze statues mounted on high platforms, in the memory of historical and eminent personalities of Andhra Pradesh. 1] The idea of erecting a giant monolith Buddha statue in the midst of Hussainsagar lake on the Gibraltar rock was a part of the Buddha Poornima project in 1985. The monolithic statue was chiselled out of a white granite rock, weighting 450 tons. It was carved by 200 sculptors for two years. The statue was transported to Hyderabad in November 1988.

After the initial problems, the statue was erected on 12 April 1992 on a red coloured Lotus pedestral. Attached to it, Lumbini park was inaugurated with musical fountains, Bonsai Plants and a boat ride from Lumbini Park to the Buddha Statue.The whole atmosphere reflects peace and persevence but stinks of sewage. A project feasibility report has been prepared for the conservation & restoration of Hussain Sagar Lake under National Lake Conservation Plan. The Hussain Sagar Lake has been the centre of Hyderabad civilisation and is among the most beautiful national heritage. It has played a major role in the economy of the State of Andhra Pradesh through its attraction of tourists as well as its utilisation as a source of food and water. As with other urban lakes in India, the Hussain Sagar now serves as one of the main sewage collection zone of the twin cities.

Lake in the evening During the past few years grave concern is being voiced by people from different walks of life over the deteriorating conditions of Hussain Sagar Lake. As a result of heavy anthropogenic pressures, the lake eco-systems are not only strengthening in its surface becoming poor in quality, posing health hazards to the people living in close proximity to the lake. Over the years the entire eco-system of Hussain Sagar Lake has changed. The water quality has deteriorated considerably during the last three decades. Over the years the lake has become shallow due to siltation and accumulation of plant debris.Many undesirable changes in the structure of biological communities have resulted and some important species have either declined or completely disappeared. Realising the importance of conservation of Hussain Sagar Lake, a project has been formulated.

This project shall be implemented by APPCB, Hyderabad, India. In this respect, a project feasibility report has been prepared for the approval & financing from NLCP. The PFR focuses various physical, chemical, biological features of lakes including the technical & other sub-projects for the conservation of lake.Abstract of costs of all technical & other sub-projects have also been given in the PFR. Inspite of the commission of a sewage treatment plant on the western side, large amount of untreated sewage and industrial effluents continue to flow into the lake. The immersion of Ganesh idols during the annual Ganesh Chatturti festival also adds to the degradation of water quality and siltation due to the increasing use of toxic plastic and flourescent paints in the making of the idols as well as the increasing scale of the immersion of clay idols every year. The Tank Bund dams HussainSagar Lake on the eastern side and connects the twin cities of Hyderabad and Secunderabad.

There are 33 statues of famous people of Andhra Pradesh erected by former chief minister N. T. Rama Rao. The most popular promenade Tank Bund dams the Hussain Sagar large lake that connects the twin cities of Hyderabad and Secunderabad. In the middle of the lake is the "Rock of Gibraltar", on which stands the statue of Buddha. [2] This boulevard has beautiful gardens on both sides, with well laid foot paths and benches, and a good volume of traffic running in between.This road gets busy during the evenings as people come here to enjoy the view and cool air from the lake and to relax at gardens.

Moving further from the Tank bund road towards the other side one can connect with the Necklace road, which is another popular boulevard which many consider as a twin to the Tank bund. The sailing club is present close to the Tank bund, where many sailors participate in events held at the lake throughout the year, inspite of the terrible water quality. Parallel to the Tank bund, is the Lower Tank Bund road which was primarily built to reduce traffic congestion.This lower Tank Bund road is heralded by the well known Missamma temple, the sprawling green Indira Park, Hyderabad, Bharat Sevashram Sangha, Ramakrishna Mission and Snow world. An important flyover Telugu Talli flyover rises from the Lower tank bund road and flies across the end of the Tank bund road. [edit] Sailing Hussain Sagar Lake is a popular spot for sailing. Various regattas have been held here since 1971 jointly by the EME Sailing Association and the Secunderabad Sailing Club.

The Hyderabad Sailing Week has been conducted here since 1984 when the first Laser boats ( an Olympic class boat) were introduced by the Laser Class Association of India. The event has grown from strength to strength from 10 Laser entries in 1984 to 110 Laser entries in 2009. The event has traditionally been a multi class event jointly hosted and conducted by the EME Sailing Association and the Secunderabad Sailing Club and been conducted with military precision and elan for the past 24 years.Recently- August 2009- the lake was witness to the monsoon regatta where sailors from all over the country participated. Different classes of sailboats or yachts were raced including four J24, eighteen Hobie Catamarans and 47 Optimists. Landmarks Ganesh immersion in the lakeThe aesthetically built Andhra Pradesh Secretariat buildings, NTR Memorial, Lumbini Park, Prasads IMAX, Hyderabad Boat Club, Sri Venkateswara Temple (Birla Mandir) and Telugu Thalli Flyover are on the Southern side. The Secunderabad Sailing Club, Sanjeevaiah park, Hotel Marriott and Hazrat Saidani Ma Saheba tomb are on the northern side of the lake.

Necklace road connects these two sides along the western banks. The Railway line between Hyderabad and Secunderabad runs parallel to this road. Raj Bhavan, the residence of Andhra Pradesh Governor is on the western banks. * Boat club and rides are provided by the A.P. tourism department. Lumbini Park features a musical fountain and well landscaped garden.

Necklace road has been opened to public which passes round the Hussain Sagar Lake, has many recreational facilities and gardens such as Jalavihar, Eat Street and Sanjeevaiah Park.  NTR Gardens on the Necklace road is a good place to hangout in the evenings for the young as well as the old. * Annual immersion of Lord Ganesh idols after the 10 day Ganesh Chaturthi celebrations on Ananta Chaturdashi. Locally this event is called Ganesh Nimajjanam Panorama of Important Landmarks around Hussain sagar.Once the source of drinking water for the twin cities of Hyderabad and Secunderabad, the lake's current condition is far from desirable. Since the 1980s and 1990s the immersion of Ganesh idols during the festival of Ganesh Chaturthi has led to the further pollution of the polluted lake. Currently there are numerous environmentalist groups and government agencies that are trying to improve the condition of the lake.

Necklace road station Transport Hussain sagar has MMTS Train stations at Necklace road and Sanjeevaiah park. The state-owned APSRTC runs the city bus service, connecting all the major centres of the city.

References

"View of Buddha Statue, Tank Bund, Hyderabad, Andhra Pradesh". indospectrum. com. http://www.indospectrum. com/travels/india/files/buddha_statue_tank_bund. html. Retrieved 2006-11-02.

"Tank Bund". twincities. com. Archived from the original on 2007-01-18. http://web. archive. org/web/20070118233839/http://www. twincitiesbbs. com/landmarks/tankbund.htm. Retrieved 2006-11-02.

"Forum for a Better Hyderabad". Archived from the original on 2006-08-13. http://web. archive. org/web/20060813215707/http://www. hyderabadgreens. org/hussain. html. Retrieved 2006-09-21.

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