If you travel towards Sakleshpur from Bisle Ghat, you will reach a scenic hamlet called Mankanahalli just five kms from Bisle. There you’ll find an inscription laid on a concrete platform. The inscription makes a mention of the Arabian Sea, Bay of Bengal and the ‘Ridge’.
The ridge is the point in the mountains that determines which way rivers or streams are likely to flow. It is said that this stone was laid by the British.
British officers on their topographical survey of the Western Ghats found that it was the point where rain water splits and reaches two different seas. The rain water from the series of hills and mountains to the left of this point flows towards the west drainage basins that feed into the Arabian Sea while water from the eastern side drains into the Bay of Bengal.
The small rivers and streams that flow westward from this ridge point join the Kumaradhara and Nethravathi rivers after a short run varying from 20 km to 60 km and finally meet the Arabian Sea.
The eastward flowing water from this ridge flows for a length as tributaries of the Hemavathi river and is useful for irrigation and drinking water purposes.
The Bisle Ghat is close to Bisle, a hamlet situated amidst thick forest.
The hamlet borders the Bisle reserve forest. The diversity in wildlife here is immense.
Orchids, wild mushrooms, ferns, and fauna such as the tiger, wild dog, elephant, gaur, sambar, barking deer, flying squirrels, monkeys, all form part of the reserve. The region is also home to the King Cobra, one of the most venomous snakes on the face of the earth.
