Clap and the lake bubbles, is the famous legend associated with this tiny lake that actually looks like a small temple pond with a structure standing in the middle of it.
Tucked away in the middle of spice farms, in the village of Netravali, Budbudi Lake is a rectangular step well style lake is an artificial lake that would have been constructed anywhere between 300-400 years back. It is a fresh water lake and gets water from the underground springs and has outlet at one end from where the water goes out and is used by the farmers around for irrigation. We were told that when it was being constructed, a layer of sand was stuffed below the surface and that sustains aquatic plants on its base that emit methane gas. When this gas tries to escape, it comes up in the form of small bubbles. Visually the bubbles look beautiful when they pop up and create concentric circles through the ripples they cause. The lake can keep your eyes engaged for a long time as you keep looking for the nest bubble spot. You can also create bubbles by jumping on the stones around the lake or by clapping – basically anything that leads to vibrations in the lake.
There are small tiger fish in the Budbudi lake – the ones that are used by saloons for pedicure. I sat with my feet in the water and within few minutes the fishes were nibbling the dead skin on my feet. It tickles a bit but then you start enjoying it. If you can keep your feet stationary, fish would flock to fill all the space available on your skin.
The small rectangular laterite stone structure is the middle is dilapidated now but it might have been a part of the temple. A white colored stone among the many fallen stones on it, is believed to be Shiva Linga. You would need a local with you to point this out. I somehow felt this might have been a place for Tulsi plant as the temple belongs to Krishna and it is not unusual to have a Tulsi bang opposite the main temple. Standing next to a recently built temple of Gopinath, Budbudi Lake actually is the remnant of the beautiful temple that would have stood in place of the current temple. In the farm next to this lake, we actually saw the saved wooden pillars from this temple and they were not just beautifully carved but had aged very gracefully too. One look at them and you would be tempted to see the temple standing on these pillars but what you see today is concrete and tiles.
Tanshikar spice farm located next to this lake is a good place to stay or eat. They have few mud cottages and they conduct trekking tours around Netravali, besides selling spices grown on their farms. You can see the 200+-year-old mud house that the Tanshikar family continues to stay in.
Netravali is almost on the border of Goa-Karnataka, good 90+ kms South of Panaji, but the drive is very pleasant through the villages flanked by fields on both sides. Your mobile phones will not work unless you are on BSNL network, in which case, they may. So, go with all the directions in hand and not depend on your GPS systems.
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