Mysuru: This land has stories of kings and kingdoms, laced with tales of blessings and curses.
Here, in Karnataka’s sugar bowl-Mandya, temples as old as 600-years lay dormant under water. But, when they surface, they prophesy acute drought.

The level of water in Kannambadi or KRS Dam has reached precarious low level and with this, the 600-year-old temples submerged here are now in open.

The locals are panic-stricken because of their age old belief that this phenomena is an indication to the danger that awaits the state.

Kannambadi village went submerged when Sir M visvesvaraya built the KRS Dam in 1909. Due to this, three temples-Venugopala Swamy Temple, Kanneshwara Temple and Kalamma Temple, the temple of the village presiding diety, believed to have been built by the Cholas about 600-years-ago was submerged.

Though the Wodeyars made sure that the villagers of Kannambadi were rehabilitated, nothing much could be done about the temple.

The villagers are worried because the last time three temples were out in open was 16-years-ago, ie in 2000.

Since the three temples can be visible only when the water depletes to lowest level, the locals say that drought in Bengaluru, Mysuru and nearby areas cannot be avoided.

However, recently the top officials of the district visited KRS dam and have told that the water in the dam is adequate for two months and hence there is no need to panic.

This time, it is to wait and watch if the KRS dam will save the people of the region or the age-old belief will emerge triumphant.