Friday, May 27, 2016

Ornamental Lake, Yercaud

Ornamental Lake, Yercaud
This is also known as Small Lake and lies in the heart of the town between the Yercaud Library and Sports Club and the Monfort School. A fort like compound wall has unfortunately obscured this picturesque lake in the heart of town and made it look like a well. Ornamental lake in Yercaud is very small when compared to the Emerald Lake.



Although it is not as attractive as the Emerald Lake, the surrounding areas of the water source have the appearance of a wild beauty. The wildness of the scenic lake is because of the presence of thickly growing greeneries and wooded trees in the adjoining areas. The water to the ornamental lake in Yercaud is fed by seven wells and hence the small lake can be considered as a manmade water source.


It is said that the lake does not dry up even during summer. The small lake is assumed to have developed from rocks that were cut out during the construction of the nearby Montfort School. The lake is one of the renowned tourist attractions in Yercaud. Visitors can relax at this place while taking a walk along the lake banks for viewing the panoramic scenes present in the nearby area. This is an enchanting place to be visited in the Yercaud hill station.


The lake can be viewed perfectly while entering into the Montfort school campus. This unique tranquility is the main feature of this locality. These specialties have made this landscape region an ultimate place for relaxation for the visitors who come with their family members. The lake is surrounded by a road, the quarter of which is marshy and disgusting and hence looks unimpressive.


Even though boating is possible through the water source, there are not much boating facilities at the lake to meet the requirements of the visitors. The poor condition of the ‘Alankara Yeri’ (Ornamental Lake) near Gandhi Park in the hill station is proving to be an eye sore. Owing to its improper maintenance, the Alankara Yeri, a major tourist attraction of this hill station, is fast turning into drainage.

The ‘Alankara Yeri’ situated in the heart of Yercaud hills receives abundant water during the monsoon months. This helps to improve ground water level to a considerable extent in the surrounding areas and also in the domestic wells in Langilpettai and other localities. Moreover, the tourists have made it a habit to consume liquor on the banks of this tank, and later throw the empty bottles and leftover food into the lake. The presence of water hyacinth is another perennial problem affecting the quality of water.