Eluru

Kolleru Lake

Winter is the whole point. Kolleru is the largest shallow freshwater lake in Asia, lying between the Krishna and Godavari deltas about 15 km from Eluru, and what brings people out are the birds that arrive in the cold months: painted storks, ibis, Siberian crane, and the grey or spot-billed pelican. It is shallow, and it is worked. Fishing communities continue their fish culture here under the Ramsar designation, so this is a living wetland rather than an empty one. It is fed by two seasonal rivulets and dozens of irrigation canals, which means how much water you find depends on when you come.