Thonnur Lake is located in Mandya district of Karnataka state. Lake Thonnoor is a village, this village is a famous tourist destination for its green paddy fields, beauty of blue lake, ancient temples, statue of Sri Ramanujacharya and twin lakes. Tonnoor lake is situated in a beautiful environment.
Tonnoor Lake is about 15 km from Pandavapur town. It is about 154 km from Bangalore and 41 km from Mysore. 35 km from Mandya city and about 25 km from Sri Rangapatnam.
Thonnuri is an ancient place with many stories. The lake area includes Tipu Caves, the hill at Padmagiri has a rock like turtle rock, much sought after by rock climbers and a small waterfall called Ramanuja Gange.
The lake, named Tirumala Sagara, is believed to have been created as a gorge between rocky hills under the guidance of Sri Ramanujacharya.
The lake is said to have medicinal properties and its waters have never dried up even in severe drought conditions since the lake was created. According to records, when Tipu Sultan visited the lake, he saw pebbles in its clear water and named the lake as Moti Talab or Lake of Pearls.
If you visit this place, the statue of Sri Ramanujacharya adorns the Tonnoor lake. A legend also gives it a different name when Ramanuja lived – Lake Thondanur, Thondanur which was the provincial capital of King Hoysala. The story says that Kere Tonnur was once ruled by a king named Bitti Devaraya. When his daughter fell ill and no one could cure her, the king – a devout Jain – sought the help of some visiting Vaishnava scholars.
Ramanuja, one of the visiting scholars, is said to have cured her by looking at her. It is believed that the grateful king became a follower of Vishnu from that moment.