The gravity dam made of surki mortar is below the confluence of river Kaveri with its tributaries Hemavati and Lakshmana Tirtha, in the district of Mandya.

[2] Krishna Raja Wadiyar IV Maharaj of Mysore constructed the dam during the famine despite the critical financial condition of State.

[4] The region of Mysore and especially Mandya had historically been dry and had witnessed mass migration to adjoining areas in the hot summers.

A severe drought in 1875–76 partly due to the British Government in India had wiped out one-fifth of the population of the Kingdom of Mysore.

M. Visvesvaraya, faced opposition from the finance ministry of the government of Mysore, who said the project would "serve no purpose" and that the electricity produced from it would not be of complete use due to lack of demand.

In place of spillways that prevent over-topping of dams, Visvesvaraya employed 48 automatic gates that open and close at the rise and fall of water in the reservoir, in six sets, with eight in each.

Each gate consists of a sill, lintel, and side grooves and plates; balance weight; float; chains and pulleys; and inlet and outlet pipes.

The landscape of the area represents a complexity of agricultural land, rural habitation, sparingly spread trees and patches of original vegetation at the close by Ranganathittu Wildlife Sanctuary, which attracts wide varieties of local and migrant birds.