Lakya Dam
The mine's old tailings dam, now a still green sheet of water under the Kudremukh grasslands.
Lakya Dam was built to hold the tailings of the Kudremukh iron ore mine. The mine closed in 2005; the dam stayed, and what is left is an oddly beautiful sheet of still water ringed by the rounded grass hills of the national park. It is a short drive from Kudremukh township and about 4.5 km from Bhagavathi Nature Camp, and it is the easiest place in the park to simply stop and look at the landscape.
What to do here
- Stop for the reflection of the grass hills in the water
- Photograph the Kudremukh ridge from the dam road
- Break the drive between Kalasa and the park interior
A plain lesson in what industry did here and what the forest has done since — and a viewpoint over the Kudremukh grasslands that needs no permit or climb.
History
Constructed for the Kudremukh Iron Ore Company's operations in the 1970s and 80s. The Supreme Court ordered mining to cease in 2005; the site is now managed as part of the national park landscape.
Travel tips
Around 95 km from Chikmagalur town via Kalasa. Early morning is best — the water is still and the ridge is clear before the cloud builds.
Please note
Do: keep to the road and the viewing area. Don't: swim or fish here. Don't: enter the old mine works — they are closed, unstable and out of bounds.
Combine your trip
Places near Lakya Dam
TrekKurinjal Peak
Seven kilometres each way from Bhagavathi camp, through rainforest into grassland.
Kadambi Falls
A thirty-foot fall through rock inside Kudremukh National Park, right beside the road.
Netravathi Peak
A long grassland walk above the Netravathi's headwaters, with the coastal plain in view.
WaterfallHanuman Gundi Falls
A rock-cut plunge inside Kudremukh park