Cumbum Lake

Name: Cumbum Lake
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Andhra Pradesh India

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Cumbum Lake, Andhra Pradesh Overview

Cumbum, a town in Prakasam district of Andhra Pradesh, is widely popular for the age-old man-made lake here. Also called Gundlakamma Lake, it is built on the rivulet of the same name upon Nallamalai Hills. The lake is 7km long and has a width of 3.5km. The town is the headquarters of Cumbum mandal in the Markapur Revenue Division.

Cumbum Lake is touted as one of the oldest man-made lakes in Asia. It has its roots in history as it was built by Gajapati rulers of Odisha back in 15th century and was later modified and its anicut was built by Varadharajamma, Vijayanagar princess and wife of King Krishnadevaraya back in 17th century. Details provided from the Imperial Gazette of India shows that in those days, the lake supplied its water to 10,300 acres of land for the purpose of irrigation. No wonder that it earned the reputation of being the second-largest irrigation tank in Asia.

A view of the age-old Cumbum Lake in Prakasam district. — Source

History of Cumbum Lake

That Cumbum had been under the reign of Mughal rulers are proven by the inscriptions here in the town. There are two, particularly, which belong to the early 18th century. One of them refers to the death of Sheriff Khaja Muhammad, who was the Qiladar of the Cumbum Fort during the reign of Aurangzeb and another refers to Muhammad Sahib, Governor of Cumbum during the reign of Muhammad Shah.

Nearby Attractions

Since the lake is located in the lap of Nallamala forest, one can visit the nearby temples and waterfalls too. There is the Srisailam Temple, housing the 12 jyotirlingas of Lord Shiva and one of the 18 Shakti Peethas of Goddess Parvati in the country.

There is also Bhairavakona Waterfalls at a distance of 70 km from here, and it takes around two hours to reach there. The place also is famous for a Shiva and Parvati temple. Bhairavakona temple is monolith, and is visited by many tourists on full moon day. There are eight more smaller temples carved out from the hills.