Ranganathittu Bird Sanctuary

Spread across an area of 67 sq. km, Ranganathittu Bird Sanctuary is located at a distance of 19 km from Mysore city, and about 128 km away from the city of Bangalore. It is at a distance of just 5km from the Srirangapatna. Lying beautifully on the banks of River Cauvery, this sanctuary is the home to some of the most exquisite birds.

Named after the Hindu God Sri Ranganatha Swamy, who is an incarnation of Lord Vishnu, this bird sanctuary is spread across an area of 40 acres. In 1600s, a small dam across the Cauvery River led to the formation of Ranganathittu. It was because of world renowned ornithologist Doctor Salim Ali determination and ability to convince the then Mysore maharaja that Ranganathittu was declared as a protected area. He while surveying the area noticed a wide variety of birds here and hence laid highlighted the importance of declaring this area as a bird sanctuary. Comprising of six small islands, this place was declared as a bird sanctuary in the year of 1940.