While passing several times towards Hesaraghatta Lake, the sight of an old structure standing prominently at Chimney Hills always caught my attention. Curiosity grew each time — what could this relic be? One day, while stopping at a small roadside tea shop in Tarbanahalli, I met an elderly man who shared an intriguing story. He said that the structure dated back more than a hundred years and was built during the reign of the Mysore kings to supply drinking water to Bengaluru.

Later, while researching online, I came across historical records confirming his account.
After the devastating famine of 1876–78, when most of Bengaluru’s lakes had dried up, the then Diwan of Mysore, Sir K. Seshadri Iyer, initiated an ambitious project to provide a reliable water supply to the city. Under his guidance, a reservoir was created at Hesaraghatta on the Arkavathi River, and in 1896, the Soladevanahalli Pumping Station was commissioned as “Chamarajendra Water Works.”

This remarkable infrastructure project became India’s first modern water pumping system. Hesaraghatta Lake is a reservoir built across the Arkavathi River, which originates in Nandi Hills. According to locals, the lake has not overflowed for many decades, and a nearby volute dam was constructed to manage any excess water. Water from Hesaraghatta Lake is carried by gravity through a brick-lined channel to the Soladevanahalli Pumping Station. From there, it was pumped to Chimney Hills, and further to Malleshwara Jewell Filtration Plant, and still can be seen (A Jewell water filter was a system of sand filters for filtering and treating water for drinking purposes).

This large-scale engineering work was jointly funded by the Mysore Kingdom under Maharaja Chamarajendra Wadiyar X, supervised by Diwan Seshadri Iyer, and executed with assistance from British engineers.

Interestingly, the site of Hesaraghatta Lake itself holds older historical significance. According to historical records, the Chandramouleshwara Temple, located at the base of the lake, indicates that this lake was once known as Shivanasamudra — evidence that the region’s water management dates back to the Vijayanagara period (16th century).

A visit to the Chamarajendra Water Works today is a journey into both engineering and colonial history. Located opposite Soladevanahalli Railway Station, the vast compound still holds the grandeur of Mysore and British architecture — stone walls, broad arched doorways, and fading portraits of Maharaja Chamarajendra Wadiyar, Jayachamarajendra Wadiyar, Diwan Sir M. Visvesvaraya, and even Indira Gandhi. Sadly, the building now lies neglected, its once-powerful machines covered in dust and rust.

Inside are remarkable examples of 19th- and early 20th-century industrial equipment — Allen West & Co. Ltd., Brighton, England: oil-immersed circuit breakers, centrifugal pumps by The Harland Engineering Co. Ltd., Alloa, Scotland, and dynamos and electric motors of the same make. These were imported from Europe at a time when electricity was not yet common, and steam power was used to drive the machinery.

Today, these machines stand silent, but they tell a story of vision, resilience, and innovation — a symbol of Mysore’s progressive governance and India’s early industrial heritage.

If restored and converted into a heritage and engineering museum, this site could become a landmark destination for Bengaluru’s history and technology enthusiasts.

I sincerely hope the government and heritage bodies take the initiative to preserve and revive this forgotten engineering marvel of Mysore’s past.

Shiva is an avid field explorer of history and the environment and is Project Field Researcher at FAIR.

Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed in this article are solely those of the author/s. They do not necessarily reflect the positions, policies, or perspectives of FAIR and of any individuals associated with POV.