Shanti Sagara

Also called Sulekere, one of the largest irrigation tanks in Asia, built around 1128 CE with a circumference of some 30 km near Channagiri — a vast birdlife-rich lake with a Siddeshwara temple on its embankment. This lake guide is organized from Channagiri in Davanagere district, with practical planning for routes, timing, nearby stays, food, operators and direct local inventory. Use it to compare what to see, how long to spend, when to go and which heritage stays, local guides, restaurants, shops, wellness options, transport and visitor services should be verified around Shanti Sagara.

Shanti Sagara, Channagiri
Practical guide

Plan Shanti Sagara

Who's going?Tailor Shanti Sagara to your trip
Typelake
Nearest baseChannagiri
DistrictDavanagere
Best timeOctober to February
Time needed1 to 1.5 hours
EntryFree
Places to visit4

Shanti Sagara, also called Sulekere, is one of the largest irrigation tanks in Asia, built around 1128 CE with a circumference of some 30 km near Channagiri.

It is a vast birdlife-rich lake with a Siddeshwara temple on its embankment.

What to expect

Highlights

  • The vast historic tank.
  • The birdlife on the water.
  • The Siddeshwara temple on the bund.
Getting there

How to visit

  • Near Channagiri, about 35 km from Davanagere; by road, best with your own vehicle.
  • An open tank — do not swim or litter, remove footwear at the temple and mind children near the water.

Distance by road

  • Chitradurga65 km
  • Shivamogga75 km
  • Hubballi140 km
  • Harihar14 km
  • Bengaluru265 km

Road km to Davanagere; ghat roads and traffic vary — allow extra.

Timing

Best time

October to February; after the monsoon and early mornings for birds.

Weather in Shanti SagaraSeasonal guide

Live forecast loads in your browser.

Today at Shanti Sagara
Sunrise6:15 am
Sunset6:37 pm
Golden hour best light5:37 pm–6:37 pm
Blue hour after sunset6:37 pm–7:02 pm
Sun sets toward compass bearingW · 278°
Moon tonight🌗 Last quarter · 49%

Sunset is in about 3 hours.

South-west monsoon. June to September is monsoon season: the sea gets rough, swimming is often unsafe and boat services can be suspended. Follow lifeguard and local warnings, and expect changeable conditions.

Sun and moon are calculated for this location and shown in IST. Photography windows are the hour around sunrise and sunset; the sunset bearing is degrees clockwise from true north. Moon phase is accurate to about half a day.

Visitor notes

  • A huge open tank — take care near the unrailed embankment.
Stay · eat · do · rent · see · shop

Stays, food & things to do near Shanti Sagara

Verified hotels, homestays, restaurants, experiences, sights, shops and rentals around Shanti Sagara — commission-free, with direct contact. Filter by what you need.

Channagiri Fort — Heritage site
Top pick Historic
Heritage site
Channagiri Fort
13.0 km · 16 min drive

Channagiri Fort is the ruined hill fort directly above town, attributed by the district administration to Queen Chennammaji and crowned by the Bete Ranganathaswami temple.

DirectionsView guide
Sulekere — Waterfront
Top pick
Waterfront
Sulekere
140 m · 2 min walk

Sulekere, officially Shanti Sagara, is the historic reservoir north of Channagiri credited to Princess Shantavva; use established daylight viewpoints and keep clear of open water edges.

DirectionsView details
Pushkarini — Attraction
Top pick
Attraction
Pushkarini
16.7 km · 21 min drive

Santhebennur Pushkarini is the historic stepped tank locally called the Honda, with a Vasantha pavilion at its centre and the granite Musafirkhana nearby.

DirectionsView details

Book with the place itself. India’s cyber-crime coordination centre warned in April 2025 that convincing copies of hotel and pilgrimage booking sites are being pushed through sponsored search and social ads, taking payment for rooms the property never hears about. Every listing here links to the business’s own contact details and its own Google or Bing profile — we take no commission and sit in nobody’s payment path. If a booking page reached you through an ad, check the address bar against the property’s own site before you pay. Fraud can be reported on cybercrime.gov.in or on 1930.

Ranked guides

Top experiences around Channagiri

3 more places around Channagiri, each worth a day of its own.

fortChannagiri Fort

13.0 km · 16 min drive

An 18th-century hill fort above Channagiri town, associated with the Keladi Nayaka tradition, with ruined ramparts, a hilltop shrine and wide views over the plains.

heritageSanthebennur Pushkarini

16.1 km · 20 min drive

An ornate 16th-century stepped temple tank at Santhebennur, built by the Kenga Hanumantappa Nayaka chieftains, with a pillared pavilion rising from the water and a granite Musafirkhana mosque alongside.

heritageShahaji Bhonsale Tomb, Hodigere

17.7 km · 21 min drive

A memorial (samadhi) at Hodigere to Shahaji Bhonsale, the father of Chhatrapati Shivaji, who died here in a 1664 hunting accident — a quiet historic monument in the Channagiri country.

Roampedia is commission-free — own or know a stay, eatery, guide or shop near Shanti Sagara? List it and it appears here once verified.

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Before you go

Shanti Sagara — at a glance

TimingsDaylight hours; temple hours
Best timeOctober to February; after the monsoon and early mornings for birds

Entry: Free

Getting here

How to reach Shanti Sagara

Near Channagiri, ~35 km from Davanagere; by road, best with your own vehicle

Getting back

Work out your return before you settle in for the sunset. Public transport here thins out sharply in the evening, and Shanti Sagara is easier to reach than to leave. We do not publish departure times: there is no official live feed we are permitted to republish, and a wrong time here would strand you. Check the operator directly on the day.

Ask at the bus stand for the time of the last service back, not the next one. If you miss it, an auto or app cab is the fallback — agree the fare before you get in.

Getting around Shanti Sagara

We have not assessed physical access at this place yet. Across India, step-free routes, handrails and accessible toilets are the exception rather than the rule, and pavements are often interrupted — if step-free access matters to you, contact the site or a local operator before committing to the trip.

If you need help at Shanti Sagara
112All emergencies (police · fire · medical)The single number to call in any emergency (ERSS).

Emergency numbers are verified against official government and state tourism sources. 112 works anywhere in India.

Nearby

What’s near Shanti Sagara

fortChannagiri Fort 13.0 km · 16 min drive
heritageSanthebennur Pushkarini 16.1 km · 20 min drive
templeGadde Rameshwara Temple, Kuruva 24.8 km · ~41 min by cab · straight line
lakeHadadi Lake 26.6 km · ~44 min by cab · straight line
damDevarabelakere Reservoir 30.7 km · ~51 min by cab · straight line
lakeKunduvada Kere 36.6 km · ~61 min by cab · straight line
viewpointBathi Betta 40.1 km · ~67 min by cab · straight line
templeThirtharameshwara Temple, Belagutti 42.5 km · ~71 min by cab · straight line
templeHarihareshwara Temple 44.2 km · ~74 min by cab · straight line
lakeKondajji Lake 49.1 km · ~82 min by cab · straight line
wildlifeRangayyanadurga Four-horned Antelope Sanctuary 53.8 km · ~90 min by cab · straight line

All 4 places to visit in Channagiri →

Walking and driving times are real routed distances, except the few marked “straight line”, which are direct-line estimates and will read short. Routing: © openrouteservice.org by HeiGIT | Map data © OpenStreetMap contributors

On the map

Where Shanti Sagara is

Good to know

Shanti Sagara — frequently asked

When is the best time to visit Shanti Sagara?

October to February; after the monsoon and early mornings for birds.

What are the entry fee and timings at Shanti Sagara?

Entry: Free. Timings: Daylight hours; temple hours.

How do I reach Shanti Sagara?

Near Channagiri, about 35 km from Davanagere; by road, best with your own vehicle. An open tank — do not swim or litter, remove footwear at the temple and mind children near the water.

How much time do I need for Shanti Sagara?

1 to 1.5 hours.

What else is near Shanti Sagara?

Nearby you can pair Channagiri Fort (13.0 km), Santhebennur Pushkarini (16.1 km), Shahaji Bhonsale Tomb, Hodigere (17.7 km), Gadde Rameshwara Temple, Kuruva (24.8 km).

Read before you go

Shanti Sagara guides, stories & itineraries

Stories & history of Shanti Sagara

Written about Shanti Sagara itself — its history, its legends and the arguments about them.

Around Channagiri

Shanti Sagara sits in Channagiri, so these cover the streets, buildings and surroundings around it.

Karnataka-wide guides & itineraries

Route-level itineraries and practical guides for the rest of Karnataka.

See all 15 Davanagere guides & stories →

Image credits

Photographs: Siddarth.P.Raj, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 3.0). Wikimedia Commons.