Agumbe Hill Station - It Is Home To Several Rare Species Of Medicinal Plants

AGUMBE HILL STATION

AT

SHIMOGA

Agumbe is known for its scenic beauty and bio-diversity. Nestled on a plateau on top of Someshwara Ghat, it is located at a distance of 380 km from Bangalore. Situated in Shimoga district of Karnataka, Agumbe gets its sobriquet because it receives 7,640 mm of mean annual rainfall, the second highest annual rainfall in India.

Agumbe is surrounded by rich biodiversity and the hill station borders one of the last surviving lowland rain forests. Since Agumbe is home to several rare species of medicinal plants like Garcinia, Myristica, Listsaea, Diospyrous, Hoiligarna, Eugenia and Ficus among others, it is also called ‘Hasiru Honnu’ which means ‘green is gold’. 

The whole area and the reserve forests around Kundapur, Shankaranarayana, Hosanagara, Sringeri and Thirthahalli are collectively referred to as the Agumbe Rainforest Complex and form one of the largest contiguous forest stretches left in India. During rains, Agumbe and the surrounding region come alive with several waterfalls; Kunchikal Falls, Barkana Falls, Onake Abbi Falls and Jogigundi Falls are some of the popular ones.

Most tourists visit Agumbe to trek through its forests or to visit the waterfalls. Trekking to the Kudlu Theertha Falls or Nishani Gudda offers a once in a lifetime experience. (But also beware of the leeches that infest the forests.) The high points of the treks are the visual treats that Agumbe offers. Sunset Point, a gallery erected to view the sunset, offers panoramic views of the surrounding countryside and even the Arabian Sea on a clear day. Remnants of temples dating back to the Hoysala Empire are also worth a visit.

Agumbe served as the setting for India’s most popular fictional town, Malgudi in the TV series Malgudi Days (that itself was based on the eponymous book by R K Narayan). Doddamane or the Big House, which Swamy lives in, is over 100 years old and still stands proudly here.

India’s sole permanent rainforest research station is based at Agumbe. It is also equipped with India’s first automatic weather station. The station exclusively monitors changes in rain forests. Agumbe is also called King Cobra capital because of the high number of snakes of the species being found here. Interestingly, despite the high density of King Cobras in the region, incidents of snake-human conflict are rare. The Agumbe Rainforest Research Station has pioneered the world’s first radio-telemetry project on the King Cobra. Insights gained from the ecological study are being put into practice into King Cobra management.

The best time to visit the place is during monsoon, when the hill station is full of sparkling streams and several waterfalls.

By Air

Mangalore is the nearest airport, 100 km away. Taxis and auto-rickshaws are available at the airport.

By Train

Shimoga, 90 km away and Udupi, 55 km away are the nearest railway stations to Agumbe. Taxis and auto-rickshaws are available at both railway stations.

By Road

Buses are available from Bengaluru and other places to Agumbe and Theerthahalli which lies on the National Highway NH-13 and then towards Agumbe

Jog Falls – It Is Located In The Border Of Shimoga And Uttara Kannada Districts

JOG FALLS

AT

SHIMOGA

Jog Falls is the second-highest force waterfall in India, Located near Sagara, Shimoga District of Karnataka state, these segmented falls are a major tourist attraction. It is also called by alternative names of Gerusoppe falls, Gersoppa Falls and Jogada Gundi.

Jog Falls is created by the Sharavathi River falling from a height of 253 m (830 ft), making it the second-highest plunge waterfall in India. Sharavati, a river which rises at Ambutirtha, near Nonabar, in the Thirthahalli taluk and takes the north-westerly course by Fatte petta, receives the Haridravati on the right below Pattaguppe and the Yenne Hole on the left above Barangi.

On arriving at the frontier it bends to the west, and precipitating itself down the Falls of Gersoppa and passing that village (properly Geru-Sappe), which is really some 29 kilometres distant, discharges into the sea at Honnavar in North Kanara.

The Sharavati, flowing over a very rocky bed about 250 yards wide, here reaches a tremendous chasm, 290 m (960 ft) in depth, and the water comes down in four distinct falls. The Raja Fall pours in one unbroken column sheer to the depth of 830 ft (250 m). Half-way down it is encountered by the Roarer, another fall, which precipitates itself into a vast cup and then rushes violently downwards at an angle of forty-five degrees to meet the Raja.

A third fall, the Rocket, shoots downwards in a series of jets; while the fourth, the Rani, moves quietly over the mountain side in a sheet of foam. The Tourism Department has built steps from the view point till the bottom of the hill where the waterfall can be seen at the opposite side. There are approximately 1500 steps built to reach the bottom of the hill.

Associated with the waterfall is the nearby Linganmakki Dam across river Sharavathi. The power station has been operational since 1948, and is of 120 MW capacity, one of the largest hydroelectric stations in India at that time and a small source of electric power for Karnataka now.

The power station was previously named Krishna Rajendra hydro-electric project, after the King of Mysore at that time. The name was later changed to Mahatma Gandhi hydro-electric Project. It was served by Hirebhaskara dam until 1960. After 1960, due to the ideas of Sir M. Visvesvarayya, Linganmakki Dam is being used for power generation.

Before the onset of monsoon season, when there is not much water in the Linganmakki dam, the Jog Falls are only a pair of thin streams of water trickling down the cliff, as the water collected in the dam is exclusively for generation of electricity; during monsoons local rain-water is the source of water to the falls.

Hubli Airport is the nearest airport which is 171 km away from Jog Falls. The nearest railway station is at Shimoga at a distance of around 105 km from Jog Falls. The Shimoga Railway Station is well connected to Mysore, Bangalore, Birur and Talguppa. Jog Falls is accessible by bus from Sagar and Siddapur. Sirsi is also a good base station to visit Jog Falls & other places around.