Home to Western Ghats, Jog Falls

DISTRICT DIARY

After the subjugation of the Kadambas by the Chalukyas, Uttara Kannada district came under successive rule of empires like Chalukyas, Rashtrakutas, Hoysalas and Vijayanagar empire.

Famous Arab traveller Ibn Batuta is said to have stayed for a time in the district under the protection of Nawayath Sultan Jamal al-Din at Hunnur. This place is presently known as Hosapattana and is located in Honnavar taluk. Ruins of an old mosque and its minaret can still be seen in the village.

The Western Ghats run 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 eight to 24 km in width. Behind the coastal plains are flat-topped hills from 60 to 100 metres 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.

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 neighbouring Shimoga district. Other famous waterfalls include Unchalli Falls, where the river Aghanashini drops 116 metres, Magod Falls, where the Bedti river plunges 180 metres in two leaps, Shivganga falls, where the river Sonda (Shalmali) drops 74 metres, and Lalguli falls and Mailmane falls on the river Kali. In the lowlands, these rivers form wide estuaries, extending several kilometres inland from the coast.

(Source: wikipedia)

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