Lakkavalli

Lakkavalli
Village
Lakkavalli

Location in Karnataka, India

Coordinates: 13°42′5.5″N 75°39′58.6″E / 13.701528°N 75.666278°E / 13.701528; 75.666278Coordinates: 13°42′5.5″N 75°39′58.6″E / 13.701528°N 75.666278°E / 13.701528; 75.666278
Country  India
State Karnataka
District Chikkamagaluru
Elevation 300 m (1,000 ft)
Population
 • Total 5,214 (2,559F + 2,655M) According to 2,011 census
Languages
 • Official Kannada
Time zone IST (UTC+5:30)
PIN 577128
Vehicle registration KA - 18
Nearest city Shivamogga
Lok Sabha constituency Chikkamagaluru
Vidhan Sabha constituency Tarikere
Climate Moderate Tropical (Köppen)
Website .in

Lakkavalli is a small town / Hobli in Tarikere Taluk of Chikkamagaluru district, Karnataka state, southern India. Lakkavalli is the site of a dam across the Bhadra River; the dam is used for irrigation and power production and agriculture. The bio diversity of the place is well known since the British. Even the hunter Kenneth Anderson,in one of his book,claimed to have killed a Man eater here. The Kuvempu University, which is one of the premier learning centre is just 7 km from here. The state highway T-M Road (Tarikere-Mangalore Road) passes through the Village. A Jain Matha exists here and it is headed by Bhattaraka Swasti Sri Vrushabasena.[1]

Vegetation

The vegetation is of wet deciduous type. This place receives the annual rainfall of more than 120 cm. The temperature varies from 21 degrees Celsius in winter to 39 degrees in summer. Among the flora the commonly found are Sandalwood, Teak, Rosewood, Honne etc.It is also famous for the Bhadra wildlife sanctuary which is home to over 100 species of flora and fauna. The most commonly found are Bison, spotted deer, Elephant. This sanctuary is one of the Tiger reserve in the state.

Bhadra Dam

Dam/reservoir

This dam was designed by Sir M. Visvesvaraya, the then chief Engineer of Mysore state. The height of this dam is 194 ft(including Building height). The dam is scenic with full of water throughout the year. The reservoir is one among the oldest and scenic in karnataka, which measures 186 ft in height, is having four crest gates.[2] The reservoir is surrounded by the Western ghats. This multipurpose dam serving the purpose of irrigation as well as there is also a generating station with two turbines. The Bhadra reservoir is the important source for irrigation, drinking and for other industrial activity of Davanagere, Chitradurga district.

Bhadra Wildlife Sanctuary

The back water of the dam has created many forested islands with the hill ranges forming wonderful surroundings. There is also Bhadra wildlife Sanctuary at backwaters of this dam. The Bhadra wildlife sanctuary covers a region of 492 km square. You can notice wild animals like Tiger, Leopard. Herds of Elephants, Spotted Deer. The sanctuary has started a tiger-conservation project called 'Project Tiger' that is an initiative from the Indian Government.[3]

Tourism

The Scenic view of the dam and the backwaters itself forms the core of the tourism. The temple of God Shiva Linga also known as Someshwara is on the banks of the River Bhadra which is 5 km from Lakkavalli. Here the annual fair takes place in the month of December/January. Dattatreya Park is coming up next to the temple. The local deity of the village is Marikamba and a grand Marikamba fair, happens every 3 or 5 or 7 years, which is based on the local legend.One of its kind starts from Sirsi in Uttara Kannada passes through Sagara, Shivamogga and some other towns and villages and ends in Lakkavalli.

Legend of Marikamba

The legend is "In olden days a girl should have married within 18 years of age but Marikamba, a brahmin girl by birth, attains 18 without marriage, so she is left in the forest. There she marries a cobbler, who pretends to be a brahmin and gets 2 children from him. One day the kids tries to imitate the father by stitching the footwear in leaves, amazed by this Marikamba asks her sons to spill the truth and she comes to know about the truth of her husband birth and his caste. She gets furious at this and wants to butcher her husband and sons because of Blasphemy and she takes the revenge by killing her Husband and children". There happens to be a "DrishTi boTTu" programme on the fair day, where a straw stack is ignited by just putting a bindi dot on the cheeks of the Wooden Marikamba idol.This programme witnesses tens of thousands of people from the region.

Lakkavalli Jain Matha

A Jain Matha exists here and it is headed by Bhattaraka Swasti Sri Vrushabasena.[4]

How to get there

Ideal period to visit the place is October to January. This place is situated 257 km north-west of Bangalore and is well connected by Road. The nearest Railway station is in Tarikere which is 20 km away and the nearest Airport is in Mangalore which is 200 km away. One can stay in a River tern Lodge, which is 1 km away from the town and offers the best service at a good price.[5]

Agriculture and business

Paddy & Areca nut Field

Rice is the main crop in agriculture followed by Areca nut, Coconut. The main occupation is Agriculture and next comes the Business. Mostly the business commodities are Rice and Areca nut followed by Coconut and some forest products. There are around 8 to 10 Rice mills in and around Lakkavalli with Sai Natha,Bhadra,Modern,Prakash,Bharat Rice mill etc. to name a few. The Teak, Rosewood of Lakkavalli are famous.

Bhadra reservoir

Geography and demography

Facilities available

References

  1. ↑ "> News Updates > Jain Event Invitation". Www.Jainheritagecentres.Com. Retrieved 2012-06-13.
  2. ↑ "Lakkavalli Dam". Karnatakaholidays.com. Retrieved 2012-06-13.
  3. ↑ "Karnataka Tourism, Official Website, Department of Tourism". Karnatakatourism.org. Retrieved 2012-06-13.
  4. ↑ "> News Updates > Jain Event Invitation". Www.Jainheritagecentres.Com. Retrieved 2012-06-13.
  5. ↑ "[Jungle Lodges and Resorts Ltd]-[Wildlife and Adventure Ecotourism Destination]". Junglelodges.com. Retrieved 2012-06-13.
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