The still, glass-like water that you see from Hiranya Resort's deck, reflecting the green hills and the silhouette of Daultabad Fort, is not a natural lake. It is the Mombatta reservoir — a man-made marvel created centuries ago by damming the seasonal streams that flow down from the Sahyadri foothills.
The dam that holds this water back is believed to predate even the Bahmani Sultanate, though it was significantly reinforced and extended during the administration of Malik Ambar in the early 17th century. At its peak, this reservoir supplied water to the city of Devagiri (Daultabad) and its surroundings, sustaining a population that ancient records suggest numbered in the hundreds of thousands.
The lake today is a birding paradise. The calm waters attract over 50 species of resident and migratory birds throughout the year — kingfishers dart across the surface at dawn, painted storks wade in the shallows during winter, and at dusk, hundreds of egrets return to roost in the trees along the lakeside that forms part of Hiranya Resort's boundary.
The lake is also home to a population of freshwater fish, which our guests can fish from the shoreline with equipment provided by the resort. The fishing experience — with the fort looming above and the silence broken only by birdsong — is one of the most meditative experiences available anywhere in Maharashtra.
The monsoon season transforms the lake most dramatically: fed by the surrounding hills, it swells to its full size in August and September, turning jade green, and the ancient spillway of the dam begins to overflow, creating the waterfall that cascades through the resort property during the rainy season.
