Uttara Kannada
Uttara Kannada is a district in the southern Indian state of Karnataka. It is sometimes called North Canara, or North Kanara. It is bounded on the northwest by the state of Goa, on the north by Belgaum District, on the northeast by Dharwad District, on the east by Haveri District, on the southeast by Shimoga District, on the south by Udupi District, and on the west by the Arabian Sea. The district has an area of 10,291 km², and a population of 1,353,644 (of which 28.66% were urban as of 2001,[1] a 10.90% increase since the 1991 census. The town of Karwar is the administrative headquarters of the district. Incredible India Tours with Indian Travel agent.
Uttar Kannada District was initially under Madras Presidency and subsequently came under Bombay Presidency. 90% of the population of this area speak Kannada, Konkani and Marathi languages. Uttara Kannada is a tourism district.
History
Uttara Kannada was the home of the earliest Kannada kingdom, the Kadamba kingdom from the 350 - 525CE. They ruled from Banavasi. After the subjugation of the Kadambas by the Chalukyas, Uttara Kannada district came under successive rule of great Kannada empires like Chalukyas, Rashtrakutas, Hoysalas and Vijayanagar empire.Indian Travel agent provides hotel bookings, hotel booking in India.
Famous Arab traveler Ibn Battuta had stayed for a time in the district under the protection of Nawayath Sultan Jamal al-Din at a Hunnur. This place is presently known as Hosapattana and is located in the Honnavar taluka. Ruins of an old mosque and its minaret can still be seen in the village.
The district came under the rule of Maratha empire from around 1700 CE. to 1800 CE. and was ceded to the British at the conclusion of the Third Anglo-Maratha War in 1818. The British established North Kanara district as initially as a part of Madras Presidency in 1859 CE. and later made it a part of Bombay Presidency in 1862 CE. After India's independence in 1947, Bombay Presidency was reconstituted as Bombay state. In 1956 the southern, Kannada-speaking portion of Bombay state was added to Mysore state, which was renamed Karnataka in 1972.Indian Travel Agent offers Visit India and explore India.
History
Uttara Kannada was the home of the earliest Kannada kingdom, the Kadamba kingdom from the 350 - 525CE. They ruled from Banavasi. After the subjugation of the Kadambas by the Chalukyas, Uttara Kannada district came under successive rule of great Kannada empires like Chalukyas, Rashtrakutas, Hoysalas and Vijayanagar empire.
Famous Arab traveler Ibn Battuta had stayed for a time in the district under the protection of Nawayath Sultan Jamal al-Din at a Hunnur. This place is presently known as Hosapattana and is located in the Honnavar taluka. Ruins of an old mosque and its minaret can still be seen in the village.
The district came under the rule of Maratha empire from around 1700 CE. to 1800 CE. and was ceded to the British at the conclusion of the Third Anglo-Maratha War in 1818. Incredible India Tours with Indian Travel agent.The British established North Kanara district as initially as a part of Madras Presidency in 1859 CE. and later made it a part of Bombay Presidency in 1862 CE. After India's independence in 1947, Bombay Presidency was reconstituted as Bombay state. In 1956 the southern, Kannada-speaking portion of Bombay state was added to Mysore state, which was renamed Karnataka in 1972.
Geography
The main geographic feature of the district is the Western Ghats or Sahyadri range, which runs from north to south through the district. Between the Sahyadris and the sea is a narrow coastal strip, known as the Payanghat, which varies from 8 to 24 km in width. Behind the coastal plain are flat-topped hills from 60 to 100 meters in height, and behind the hills are the ridges and peaks of the Sahyadris. East of the Sahyadris is the Balaghat upland, part of the vast Deccan plateau.
Moisture-bearing winds come from the west, and yearly rainfall averages 3000 mm on the coast, and as high as 5000 mm on the west-facing slopes of the Sahyadris. East of the crest is the rain shadow of the Sahyadris, which receive as little as 1000 mm annually. Much of the rain falls in the June-September monsoon.
Four principal rivers drain westwards from the crest of the Sahyadris to the sea; from north to south they are the Kali, Gungawali, Aghanashini and Sharavati. These rivers form numerous waterfalls, the most famous of which is Jog falls, on upper reaches of the Sharavati in neighboring Shimoga district. Other famous waterfalls include Unchalli Falls, where the river Aghanashini drops 116 meters, Magod Falls, where the Bedti river plunges 180 meters in two leaps, Shivganga falls, where the river Sonda(Shalmali) drops 74 meters, and Lalguli falls and Mailmane falls on the river Kali. In the lowlands, these rivers form wide estuaries, extending several kilometers inland from the coast. Indian travel agent gives special discounted hotel from budget hotels to Deluxe hotels in India.
Nature
Attiveri bird sanctuary is home to 79 species of birds including migratory birds from 22 countries. Dandeli Wildlife Sanctuary is famous for the elusive black panther among other animals like Gaur, Tiger and Leopards. The Kavala caves with their 5 ft. high natural Shiva linga, Synthery rocks is a 500 ft high rock flanked by natural caves and waterfalls, Vincholi rapids, Sykes point which offers a view of Kali river, and a suspension bridge are places worth visiting in this sanctuary. Yana is an enchanting place that can be reached by trekking about 10 km through lush forest. Yana is famous for its tall jagged rock formations and waterfalls. There is also a shrine of Bhairaveshvara here. Anshi National Park located some distance from Dandeli is undisturbed. Burude Falls is about 20 km from Siddapur , Unchalli Falls, Shivagangae, BeeneHolae Falls is about 25 km from Sirsi, Magod Falls and Sathodi Falls near Yellapura are some of the best natural falls in Uttara Kannada District. There are many dams in this district namely Supa Dam,Kodasalli Dam and Kadra Dam. The famous Atomic energy station at Kaiga is on the beautiful banks of river Kali.
Temple towns
Utara Kannada district is famous for its Jain Basadi, Vijayanagar and Nayaka architecture. The Chaturmukha Basadi, Vardhamanaswamy Temple, Parshwanatheshwara Basadi at Gerusoppa, Chandranath Deva Basadi and 24 tirthankara's basadi at Hadavalli or Sangitapura , erotic sculptures of temples of Bhatkal are well known. Some well known temples at Bhatkal are the Parshwanatheshwara Basadi, Santappanaik Tirumala Temple, Virupaksha Narayan Temple, Bala Kini Raghunath Temple, Khetapai Narayan Temple, Ventakaraman Temple, Padmavati Devi Temple at Hadavalli. The Aryadurga Temple at Ankola, Partagaali Jivottam Mutt and Mahabaleshvara temple at Gokarna which is an important place of Vedic studies, Mahalasa Narayani Temple at Kumta, Ventakaraman Temple Honavara and Chitrapur Mutt, Mahaganapati Mahamaya Temple at Shirali and the Madhukeshvara and Veerabhadra temples at Banavasi and beach temple at Murdeshwara. Other important religious places are the Maarikamba Temple at Sirsi, Sahasra Linga about 15 km from Sirsi, Swarnavalli Math belonging to the Havyaka and Rama Kshatriya community, Sonde or Vadiraj Math of the Madhva community, the Shankar Math and Bhuvangiri temple near Siddapur. Indian Travel Agent offers Visit India and explore India.
Ecology
The district's high rainfall supports lush forests, which cover approximately 70% of the district. The North Western Ghats moist deciduous forests cover the Sahyadris below 1000 meters elevation. Many trees lose their leaves in the drier months. In pockets above 1000 meters elevation lie the evergreen North Western Ghats montane rain forests. Anshi National Park, near Dandeli, preserves approximately 250 km² of semi-evergreen forest, which is home to tiger, elusive black panther, leopard cat, gaur, Asian Elephant, sambar and a range of birds and reptiles. Dandeli Wildlife Sanctuary protects 834 km² of semi-evergreen and bamboo forest in the watershed of the Kali river and its tributaries, the Kaneri and Nagajhari. The Wroughton free tailed bat is endemic to the forests of Bhimgad, a proposed wild life sanctuary. The district is also home to patches of savanna and degraded scrub jungles, which are often the result of over-use for logging or grazing. Much of the lowland has been cleared for agriculture. Mangrove forests can be found in the river estuaries, and the sandy beaches are home to groves of Calophyllum inophyllum, coconut and screw pine (Pandanus spp.). The rocky beaches at Binaga, Arga, Belekeri, Tadadi, Ankola Keni, Kadle, Kumta, Dhareshwar, Kasarkod, Murdeshwar, Bhatkal and Belke of the district are rich with marine fauna diversity. The rocky beaches of Uttara Kannada District harbours the invertebrates belonging to the Phylum Porifera, Coelenterata, Annelida, Arthropoda, Mollusca and Echinodermata.
Land of Scenic Beauty
Uttara Kannada District is one of the biggest districts of our State with abundant natural resources. The district has varied geographical features with thick forest, perennial rivers and abundant flora and fauna and a long coastal line of about 140 KM in length. All tour and Travel needs for India by Indian travel agent.
It is surrounded by Belgaum District and State of Goa in the North, by Dharwar District in the East, by Shimoga and Udupi Districts in the South. Arabian Sea forms the West border.
The other half is dependent on the South-West Monsoons. Paddy and Sugarcane are the main crops of the irrigated region. Ragi, Horsegram are the major crops of dry land agriculture.
In its 10.25 lakh hectares of total land, of which 8.28 lakh hectares is Forest land. And only about 1.2 lakh hectares of land (roughly about 12%) is under agriculture/ horticulture.
Temples of Uttara Kannada District, Karnataka
emples of Uttara Kannada district are masterpieces of artwork, depicting the Kadamba and Hoysala style of architecture. Uttara Kannada is a district in the southern Indian state of Karnataka. This district is bounded on the northwest by the state of Goa, on the north by Belgaum District, on the northeast by Dharwad District, on the east by Haveri District, on the southeast by Shimoga District, on the south by Udupi District, and on the west by the Arabian Sea. Uttar Kannada District was primarily under Madras Presidency and subsequently came under Bombay Presidency.
Choleshwar Temple, Ramalinga Temple, Sri Arya Durga Temple, Durga Datta Mandir, Shirali Mahaganapati Mahamaya Temple, Sri Idagunji Vinayaka Devaru Gokarna Ganapati Temple, Shri Ganapati Mahamai Mahishasura Mardhini Temple and Sri Katyayini Baneshwara Temple are some of the important temples of Uttara Kannada district. Avadi Mutt, also known as Gopalkrishna Temple, is named after Avadibai (Laxmibai Narayan Ubhaya), a disciple of Shri RamaVallabh Das (a Maharashtrian saint).We provide tourist transport in India. The temple enshrines Kaliamardan Moorti and a marble idol of Venugopal (lord Krishna playing on the flute) in standing position. Krishna Jayanti is celebrated in a majestic manner. Durga Datta Mandir and Shri Ganapati Temple are located nearby.
Madhukeshwara Temple is one of the ancient temples of Uttara Kannada district and the only remnant of the ancient Kingdom of the Kadambas is the famous Madhukeshwara Temple of Banavasi. The entire life of the town revolves around this temple. Built in stone around 1,500 years ago, this temple was renovated with additional structures by later dynasties. The presiding deity of Madhukeshwara is Lord Shiva that was installed during the period of the first king of Kadambas.
This temple displays the architectural styles of different dynasties. The architectural brilliance of the Kadambas is exposed in the Nagara Shikhara, and the Sankalpa mandapa in front reveals the sway of the Chalukyan style. The Nritya mandapa (the dancing hall) with beautiful carvings presents the architectural superiority of Hoysala period. The Garbhagriha is built in a very simple style with nominal carving on the door and the support. Shri Venkatraman Dev Temple is one of the popular temples of Uttara Kannada district, located in Kumta. Besides the presiding deities Lord Gopalkrishna and Venkatraman, other deities such as Lakshmi, Satyabhama and Mukhya Pran Dev are worshipped here.
Mahabaleshwar Temple, one of the most famous temples of Uttara Kannada district is also one of the seven Muktisthala shrines in Karnataka. Incredible India Tours with Indian Travel agent.The Atmalinga of this temple attracts thousands of devotees. The deity is a huge shivling, which according to myth, got rooted here when Ganesh set it down on the ground lord. Mahashivratri is of great significance in this shrine. Kollur Mookambika Temple is located near Gokarna. Also located around Gokarna are Sejjeshwara, Gunavanteshwara, Murudeshwara and Dhareshwara temples. These four temples along with Mahabaleshwar are known as the Pancha Maha Kshetras that are some of the most significant temples of Uttara Kannada district.
Shri Gopalkrishna Temple is an ancient temple located at Sirsi in Uttara Kannada District. Devotees come from far and near to worship the main deity, Shri Krishna Vasudev. sIndian Travel Agent offers Visit India and explore India. The important festivals associated with this temple are Jayanthi Festival, Shri Krishna Jayanti, Gopalkala and Anant Vrata Archana Pooja. Archaks answer questions and clears your doubts on every Thursday. Nearby attractions include Marikamba Temple. The temples of Uttara Kannada district draw almost thousands of devotees all round the year.
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