Musical fountain adds to the beauty of Harangi reservoir

The musical fountain at Harangi reservoir is one of the major tourist attractions in Kodagu district.

A garden was developed on land that remained unutilised all these years at a cost of Rs 5 crore five years ago.

Now, a large number of tourists are visiting the garden and the musical fountain at Harangi reservoir.

Lightings are installed around the garden, which also helps in increasing the beauty of the reservoir. All the lights are lit when the musical fountain plays daily at 7 pm.

Now, the authorities are planning to develop the Harangi garden on the model of the Brindavan garden of Mysuru by making use of 33 acres of land situated in front of the reservoir.

The artefacts of various animals in the garden too have been attracting the onlookers.

The visitors have been demanding a hanging bridge in front of the reservoir, to get a closer view of the water gushing out of the crest gate of the reservoir. Accordingly, a proposal for constructing a hanging bridge has been submitted to the government.

To conduct a feasibility survey on the hanging bridge, expert Girish Bharadwaj's son Patanjali Bharadwaj had visited the area and had conducted a survey recently.

The detailed project report will be submitted to the department concerned within a few days, said Patanjali Bharadwaj.

The people have also been demanding a gallery for the benefit of the tourists near the musical fountain.

"We find it difficult to enjoy when it rains. As the musical fountain plays for more than half an hour, there is a need to make seating arrangements and also provide a proper roof to protect oneself from rain," said a tourist, Vishwanath.

Koodumangalore Gram Panchayat vice president Bhaskar Nayak said there are complaints about the lack of maintenance of the garden.

A private firm from Hassan was entrusted with the responsibility of collecting entry fees and maintenance. However, the firm is engaged only in collecting the fee and not maintaining the garden, he said.

Grass has covered a major portion of the garden. It would be better if the maintenance of the garden is entrusted to the horticulture department, he added.