On 1 July 2013, I rode to Lake Anshupa by cycle in a group. This time (12 Jan), however, I took time off from my semi-official commitment (cricket match between Chief Secretary's eleven vs. DGP's at Barabati Stadium) to take my parents to Lake Anshupa after they wished to visit the picturesque lake on seeing a promotional article. The largest fresh water lake in the State, it is now confined to only 375 acres, that was once spread over 775 acres. It is a horse shoe shaped lake, a vestige of the old meander of river Mahanadi which flows nearby. Thanks to encroachment and siltation of the ingress and egress outlet from the feeder river, the lake has reduced in size and was hurtling towards extinction till recently.

With government initiatives, the restoration & beautification of the lake has been in full swing. The Forest department is developing the nearby Saranda hillock as a tourist attraction with bamboo cottages and landscaping. Surprisingly, the hillock still bears the testimony of an armoury, a perennial well and an archgate of the former ruler of Anshupa, all in the close vicinity of the bamboo cottages!