Fox Sagar Lake, manmade lake in Secunderabad

Fox Sagar Lake is a large, human-made water body in Secunderabad enclosed by earth and stone structures, reaching depths of up to 33 feet in places. The site features a historic stone pump house from 1897 that resembles a small tower, accessible via an old iron bridge, along with pathways that wind around the shoreline and open spaces with minimal shade.

Fox Sagar Lake was built in 1897 by the sixth Nizam Mahbub Ali Pasha and served as the second-largest water body in Hyderabad, supplying water to the growing cities. Over time, industrialization and urban expansion brought pollution and encroachment, though recent restoration projects like Mission Kakatiya now work to improve its condition.

The lake is also called Kolla Cheruvu, and the Telugu name Jeedimetla Cheruvu ties it to the Jeedimetla locality near Kompally. On its shore stands the Sri Kalabhairava Swamy Sahita Visweshwara temple, where Kalabhairava is worshipped alongside Visweshwara. The lake once drew picnickers and was used for fishing, and volunteers now join government agencies in clean-up efforts.

Visitors are best served visiting during the cooler months from September to December when weather is more comfortable and heat is less intense. Early morning or late evening hours offer the best experience since there is minimal shade, the light is softer for photography, and more birds are active.

The lake was created in 1897 as one of 31 tanks built under Nizam Mahbub Ali Khan to improve Hyderabad's water supply, and it was formed by a dam across the Fox Sagar stream. A stone pump house still stands on the shore, though its steel fittings have rusted. Telangana's Irrigation Department counted 1,014 illegal structures on the lake bed in a November 2022 report to the National Green Tribunal.