Beneath Bengaluru's iconic Kanteerava stadium, a lake stirs in fresh rain?
Bengaluru's skies opened up over the weekend, and they haven't quite shut yet. As rains continued to lash through Monday, the city came to a near standstill by Tuesday. Several low-lying areas are still waterlogged, roads remain shut, and in parts of the city, ground floors have gone underwater.But it was a 20-second video clip that really captured the mood of the city.This isn't Kanteerava Stadium—it's Sampangi Lake reclaiming its legacy. Nature always finds a way.#BengaluruRains pic.twitter.com/eG66y9fm7F— PulseOfBengaluru (@ThreadsNarrator) May 19, 2025advertisementThe now-viral footage shows floodwaters gushing into the iconic Sree Kanteerava Stadium, and pooling inside. Shared widely on social media, the video sparked disbelief, jokes, and a wave of concern.
'This isn't Kanteerava Stadium,' one Bengalurean wrote, 'it's Sampangi Lake reclaiming its legacy. Nature always finds a way.'And they weren't wrong.SAMPANGI LAKE STIRS BENEATHBeneath the stadium, lies the ghost of Sampangi Lake, once a jewel in the heart of old Bengaluru.Long before the stadium came up in 1946, the area was home to Sampangi Lake, a 35-acre water body dating back to the 1500s. Built by Bengaluru's founder Kempe Gowda, the lake once served as a crucial water source for both the native Pete area and the British cantonment. It supported fishing, horticulture, agriculture, and daily life in a growing city.advertisementBut by the late 1800s, as piped water began flowing in from Hesaraghatta, Sampangi Lake lost prominence. Over the years, it was neglected, became polluted, and was eventually deemed a nuisance. In 1937, it was drained out. By the 1940s, the lakebed had been repurposed, and Kanteerava Stadium rose on its soil. The surrounding farmland gave way to residential layouts by the 1950s.Sandeep Anirudhan, convener, Citizens' Agenda for Bengaluru, called the transformation of the lake to the stadium 'one of the biggest blunders that Bengaluru has ever seen'.'We threw away Sampangi the moment we got Cauvery into our pipes. This repeated itself till 2,000 lakes became 400. Wetlands, marshes all were lost. We are a disconnected generation,' he said.Today, all that remains of the lake is a small tank in Sampangiramnagar, worshipped during the annual Karaga festival. But nature, it seems, hasn't forgotten. The lake might be gone on paper, but when the rain pounds Bengaluru, it doesn't knock. It seeps into history.On Monday, that history seemed to bubble back to the surface, literally.LOST LAKES, FORGOTTEN LESSONS'Bengaluru, the city of lakes, didn't have a single natural lake. And yet, it had over 2,000 lakes at one point. So who built them? And why did we forget how?' Sandeep asks.advertisement'In the olden days, people knew everything, from building lakes to growing food and weaving fabric. That's real education. We think we're educated today, but the real knowledge was in knowing how to live with nature,' he said.According to Sandeep, education may fill minds with facts, but it often misses the profound understanding of natural systems that once kept Bengaluru green and water-secure – probably why it's a drought during peak summer and flooding during rains in Bengaluru.Elsewhere, too, the city was in crisis. Sai Layout resembled a water-bound island, with ground floors submerged and families stranded inside. Around 150 people had to be rescued by emergency teams. BTM Layour, HSR Layout, Hosur Road were all wrecked by rains.Officials reported three rain-related deaths, two by electrocution and one involving a woman who died after a wall collapse.Tune InMust Watch
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