The State of Karnataka is located in the south western part of India. The geographical terrain of this state is characterized by rivers, hill ranges, forests, waterfalls and beaches. It"s natural beauty, along with monuments, world heritage sites, temples etc draw tourists to this state. Lakes of Karnataka are no exception in this regard. They have also added value to the tourism of this state.

Bellandur Lake
Bellandur Lake beautifies the suburb of Bellandur in the southeast of Bengaluru. It is the largest lake in the city. This lake has a catchment area of about 148 square kilometers, maximum length of about 3.6 km and maximum width of about1.4 km. Sewage acts as a major threat to this lake.

Hebbal Lake
Hebbal Lake is located north of Bengaluru at the mouth of National Highway 7. The catchment area of this lake is about 3750ha. This lake was established in 1537 by Kempe Gowda. Sewage inflow into Hebbal Lake has threatened it. To restore this lake a project was initiated under the Indo-Norwegian Environment Programme.

Sarakki Lake
Sarakki Lake is located in the suburb of J. P. Nagar in the southern part of Bengaluru. Encroachment acted as a major threat to this lake and therefore the High Court of Karnataka ordered the clearing of the encroached area in August 2014.

Kukkarahalli Lake
Kukkarahalli Lake is situated in Mysore. A ruler of Mysore Dynasty namely, Mummadi Krishnaraja Wodeyar had established this lake in the year 1864. It was constructed to provide water for irrigation to about 4000 ha of land outside the city. This lake is troubled by eutrophication. The condition of eutrophication has been attributed to sewage, land encroachments, etc. Consequently, steps have been initiated to restore this lake.

Pampa Sarovar
A lake called Pampa Sarova is located near Hampi in Koppal district. This lake has mythological significance. According to Hindu mythology, an avatar of Shiva`s consort Parvati namely, Pampa had performed penance to express her devotion to Shiva at Pampa Sarovar. Hindu mythology also highlights Pampa Sarovar as the place where Shabari, a devotee of Lord Rama waited for His arrival.

Ayyanakere
A lake called Ayyanakere is located in Sakharayapatna village, about 18 km from Chickmagalur. The ruler of Sakharayapatna village namely, Rukmangada Raya is believed to be the constructor of this lake. Hoysala Kings are credited with the renovation of this lake which took place in 1156 A.D. This lake is a source of water for 1560 hectares of agricultural lands.

Other Lakes in Karnataka
Hesaraghatta Lake, Puttenahalli Lake, Vibhutipura Lake and Yediyur Lake are some of the other Lakes in Karnataka.