Agumbe | |
---|---|
village | |
Nicknames: | |
Coordinates: 13°30′31″N75°05′45″E / 13.5087°N 75.0959°E | |
Country | India |
State | Karnataka |
District | Shimoga district |
Region | Malenadu |
Area | |
• Total | 3 km2 (1 sq mi) |
Elevation | 660 m (2,170 ft) |
Population | |
• Total | 600 |
• Density | 200/km2 (520/sq mi) |
Languages | |
• Official | Kannada |
Time zone | UTC+5:30 (IST) |
PIN | 577411 |
Telephone code | 08181 |
Vehicle registration | KA-14 |
Agumbe is a village situated in the Thirthahalli taluka of Shivamogga district, Karnataka, India. [3] It is nestled in the thickly forested Malenadu region of the Western Ghats mountain range. [1] Owing to its high rainfall, it has received the epithet of "The Cherrapunji of South India", after Cherrapunji, one of the rainiest places in India. [4]
Agumbe is associated with rainforest conservation efforts, documentation of medicinal plants, tourism (trekking and photography), and the promotion of cottage industry. [5] [2] The Agumbe Rainforest Research Station was established as a sanctuary for the King Cobra, Agumbe's flagship species. [6] [7]
Agumbe in Shivamogga district lies on the south-western coast of India, approximately 98 km (61 mi) north-east of Mangaluru and 357 km (222 mi) north-west of Bengaluru, the state capital of Karnataka in Southern India. It is approximately 24 km (15 mi) from Shringeri and 55 km (34 mi) from the Arabian Sea. The coastal town of Udupi hosts the nearest major railway station approximately 50 km (31 mi). The nearest airport is at Bajpe near Mangaluru which lies at a distance of approximately 94 km (58 mi). [8] The elevation of Agumbe is 660 m (2,165 ft) above mean sea level. [1] As part of the Western Ghats mountain range, Agumbe lies in a UNESCO World Heritage Site. [9] Agumbe is near the Someshwara Wildlife Sanctuary and the Kudremukh National Park.
Agumbe is a small hill village with very limited visitor accommodation. The population is approximately 500 people. The village covers an area of 3 square kilometres (1.2 sq mi). [10]
The villagers of Agumbe are subsistence farmers. Rice and areca are grown. The Raksha Kavacha Weavers' Cooperative Society represents the beginnings of cottage industry in the village. [11]
Places in the vicinity of Agumbe that tourists visit include the Kundadri and Kodachadri Hills, Udupi, Malpe, Mangalore (for the airport and seaport), Karkala, Kolluru, Sringeri, Chickmagaluru, Shivamogga, Bhadravathi, N.R. Pura, Sagar, Hosanagar, Koppa and Thirthahalli. In the summer, a truck can be used to reach Narasimha parvata
Sunset View Point rests on one of the highest peaks of the Western Ghats on the Udupi-Agumbe Road. It is ten minutes walk from Agumbe. [12] On a fine evening, the sunset can be seen over the Arabian Sea. [13]
Agumbe lies in a hilly, wet region of the Western Ghat mountains. This geography contributes to its scenery, and suitability for trekking. In addition, there are a number of waterfalls in the locality.
Barkana Falls (Latitude 13.449315, Longitude 75.136015), Northeast of Agumbe, is 850 ft (259 m) in height. [14] It is the tenth highest falls in India. [15]
Onake Abbi Falls (latitude 13°30'44"N, longitude 75°4'25"E) at 400 feet, is smaller than Barkana Falls. [16] In the Kannada language, "onake" means 'pounding stick', an instrument used by villagers to pound grains to flour. Trekking for 5 km through rainforest is needed in order to reach a view of the falls.[ citation needed ]
Jogigundi is a small water fall near Agumbe. This is about 800m deep. It is usually filled with water.
Koodlu Theerthra waterfall is located 25 km from Agumbe.
Srimane falls is located at about 40 km from Agumbe.
Agumbe hosts India's first automatic weather station, founded by Romulus Whitaker b. 1943, New York, NY. [17] Agumbe lies in a rainforest region with a tropical climate, warm and humid. Under the Köppen system of climate classification Agumbe is an 'Am' climate, that is, a tropical monsoon climate. [18] A dense silvery fog forms over the Western Ghats at Agumbe. [19]
The driest month in Agumbe is February with an average rainfall of 1 mm. The wettest month is July with an average rainfall of 2,647 mm. The mean annual rainfall is 7,620 millimetres (300 in). [20] The highest recorded rainfall in a single month was 4,508 millimetres (177.5 in) in August 1946. [21]
The table below is comparison of rainfalls for between Agumbe in Thirthahalli taluk in Shimoga district, Hulikal in Hosanagara taluk in Shimoga district, Amagaon in Khanapur Taluk in Belgaum district and Talacauvery in Madikeri taluk in Kodagu district, Kokalli of Sirsi Taluk, Nilkund of Siddapur Taluk, CastleRock of Supa (Joida) Taluk in Uttara Kannada District to show which one can be called the "Cherrapunji of South India". [22]
Year | Hulikal Rainfall (mm) | Agumbe Rainfall (mm) | Amagaon Rainfall (mm) | Talacauvery Rainfall (mm) [23] | Kokalli(Sirsi) Rainfall (mm) | Nilkund Rainfall (mm) | Castle Rock Rainfall (mm) |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
2022 | 7733 | ||||||
2021 | 7937 | 7544 | 7879 | 6536 | |||
2020 | 8401 | 7306 | 7439 | 8856 | 7152 | ||
2019 | 8541 | 7293 | 9804 | 7266 | 8069 | ||
2018 | 7577 | 8422 | 6570 | 9098 | 3944 | 6204 | 6501 |
2017 | 5,700 | 6,311 | 4,733 | 5,859 | 3130 | 4981 | 5560 |
2016 | 5,721 | 6,449 | 4,705 | 5,430 | 2682 | 4655 | 4968 |
2015 | 6,035 | 5,518 | 4,013 | 5,319 | 2730 | 4367 | 3667 |
2014 | 7,907 | 7,917 | 5,580 | 7,844 | 8746 | 6710 | 5956 |
2013 | 9,383 | 8,770 | 8,440 | 8,628 | 4464 | 7082 | 6165 |
2012 | 8,409 | 6,933 | 5,987 | 5,722 | 5036 | 5398 | 4930 |
2011 | 8,523 | 7,921 | 9,368 | 6,855 | 4437 | 6593 | 7083 |
2010 | 7,717 | 6,929 | 10,068 | 6,794 | 4002 | - | 4079 |
2009 | 8,357 | 7,982 | - | - | - | - | - |
2008 | 7,115 | 7,199 | - | - | - | - | - |
2007 | 9,038 | 8,255 | - | - | - | - | - |
2006 | 8,656 | 8,457 | - | - | - [24] [25] | - | - |
2005 | 7095 | ||||||
2004 | 7113 | ||||||
2003 | 6059 | ||||||
2002 | 6115 | ||||||
2001 | 7089 | ||||||
2000 | 7233 |
Maximum temperatures in Agumbe vary between 24.4 and 31.5 °C. Minimum temperatures vary between 16.2 °C and 21.4 °C. Average temperatures vary between 22.2 °C and 23.6 °C with an annual average temperature of 23.5 °C. April is the hottest month of the year and December the coolest. The average annual variation in temperature is 4.1 °C. [18] The lowest recorded temperature was 3.2 °C in 1975 and the highest, 37 °C in 2008-2009. [19]
Climate data for Agumbe (1981–2010, extremes 1951–2012) | |||||||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
Record high °C (°F) | 34.5 (94.1) | 36.5 (97.7) | 38.0 (100.4) | 36.5 (97.7) | 35.0 (95.0) | 33.0 (91.4) | 30.5 (86.9) | 31.2 (88.2) | 34.0 (93.2) | 32.0 (89.6) | 32.5 (90.5) | 33.0 (91.4) | 38.0 (100.4) |
Mean daily maximum °C (°F) | 29.4 (84.9) | 30.3 (86.5) | 31.3 (88.3) | 31.4 (88.5) | 30.0 (86.0) | 25.6 (78.1) | 23.7 (74.7) | 23.7 (74.7) | 25.5 (77.9) | 27.4 (81.3) | 28.5 (83.3) | 29.0 (84.2) | 28.0 (82.4) |
Mean daily minimum °C (°F) | 11.4 (52.5) | 12.3 (54.1) | 14.8 (58.6) | 17.6 (63.7) | 18.7 (65.7) | 18.0 (64.4) | 17.6 (63.7) | 17.7 (63.9) | 17.4 (63.3) | 17.1 (62.8) | 14.9 (58.8) | 12.1 (53.8) | 15.8 (60.4) |
Record low °C (°F) | 3.2 (37.8) | 4.0 (39.2) | 4.7 (40.5) | 8.2 (46.8) | 10.2 (50.4) | 10.7 (51.3) | 10.0 (50.0) | 10.0 (50.0) | 10.0 (50.0) | 8.7 (47.7) | 6.5 (43.7) | 3.7 (38.7) | 3.2 (37.8) |
Average rainfall mm (inches) | 3.8 (0.15) | 2.2 (0.09) | 10.6 (0.42) | 34.8 (1.37) | 181.0 (7.13) | 1,617.3 (63.67) | 2,432.2 (95.76) | 2,145.8 (84.48) | 672.0 (26.46) | 289.2 (11.39) | 78.5 (3.09) | 15.1 (0.59) | 7,482.3 (294.58) |
Average rainy days | 0.4 | 0.1 | 0.8 | 2.4 | 7.7 | 25.2 | 30.0 | 29.1 | 20.2 | 12.3 | 4.2 | 0.8 | 133.1 |
Average relative humidity (%) (at 17:30 IST) | 67 | 68 | 74 | 78 | 81 | 92 | 95 | 95 | 92 | 88 | 79 | 70 | 82 |
Source: India Meteorological Department [26] [27] |
Rainforest is a dense, wet, tropical evergreen ecosystem, high in its level of biodiversity. According to the 'Champion and Seth' classification, Agumbe is an area of "Southern tropical wet evergreen forests" (1A/C4). R.S. Troup, an eminent forester of his day, said,
The Agumbe Rainforest Research Station was founded in 2005 by Romulus Whitaker, a herpetologist. Whitaker had been familiar with Agumbe since the 1970s when he began studying the King Cobra. [29] Its purpose is to create a local biodiversity database, encourage individual scientific research, collaborate with India's Department of Forestry and conserve the rainforest of the Western Ghats as well as to educate the residents of the region in the importance of forestry conservation. The King Cobra, an endangered species is the station's "flagship species". [10] The station occupies an area of 8 acres (32,000 m2). Funding for the station came from Whitaker's mother, Doris Norden and from the Whitley Award received by Whitaker in 2005.
The Agumbe Medicinal Plants Conservation Area was established in 1999 to protect the important medicinal plants of the region. The "Foundation for Revitalisation of Local Health Traditions" recorded 371 plant species at Agumbe, of which 182 were medicinal. [28] [30]
Endangered plant species in the area include [31]
Agumbe provides an environment for large and small mammals such as the endangered lion-tailed macaque, [38] [39] tiger, [40] leopard, sambar, giant squirrel, dhole, a wild dog of India, gaur, the Indian bison and barking deer.
In creating funds for conservation of the Agumbe rainforest, the Ophiophagus hannah, king cobra is a 'flagship' species. [41] An Agumbe-based scientific project to radio-locate rescued king cobras aims to determine whether relocation is helpful to their survival. [42] other reptiles and amphibians of the area include the cane turtle and a flying lizard.
Agumbe is a popular destination for bird watchers and photographers. Among the endemic birds are the Malabar trogon, the yellow-browed bulbul and Sri Lankan frogmouths. [43]
Agumbe's many insect species include the Atlas moth, Cyclotoma alleni (a beetle discovered in Agumbe), [44] Selenops agumbensis, a spider and Drosophila agumbensis a small fly species. Cremnoconchus agumbensis is a local small fresh water snail. [45]
The Agumbe Venugopalakrishna Hindu temple is an old structure known for beautiful architecture and peacefulness. The temple deity is Sri Venugopala Krishna. An annual fair is conducted each year in February during Ratha Saptami in honour of the deity.
Another local temple is the Sringeri Sharadamba temple.
Malgudi Days (1985) is a television serial directed by Shankar Nag. It was based on novels written by R. K. Narayan. Many episodes were filmed in Agumbe. [46] In 2004, a new set of episodes of Malgudi Days was filmed at Agumbe by Kavitha Lankesh (director). [46] [47]
Talakaveri or Talacauvery is the place that is generally considered to be the source of the river Kaveri and a holy place for many Hindus. It is located on Brahmagiri hills near Bhagamandala in Kodagu district (Coorg), in the South Indian state of Karnataka. It is located close to the border with Kasaragod district, Kerala. Talakaveri stands at a height of 1,276 meters above sea level. Despite its traditional status as the source of the Kaveri, there is no permanent visible flow from this place to the main rivercourse, except during the monsoon rains.
Malnad is a region in the state of Karnataka, India. Malenadu covers the western and eastern slopes of the Western Ghats mountain range and is roughly 100 kilometers in width. It includes the districts of Uttara Kannada, Chikmagalur, Chamarajanagar, Udupi, Belgaum, Dakshina Kannada, Hassan, Kodagu, Shimoga. The region experiences heavy annual rainfall of 1,000–3,800 millimetres ; it includes the village of Agumbe, which receives the highest annual rainfall in Karnataka.
Sharavati is a river which originates and flows entirely within the state of Karnataka in India. It is one of the few westward flowing rivers of India and a major part of the river basin lies in the Western Ghats. The famous Jog Falls, located about 25 km from Siddapura, is formed by this river. The river itself and the regions around it are rich in biodiversity and are home to many rare species of flora and fauna.
Udupi district is an administrative subdivision in the Karnataka state of India, with the district headquarters in the city of Udupi. It is situated in the Canara old north Malabar coastal region. There are seven taluks, 233 villages and 21 towns in Udupi district. The three northern tehsils of Udupi, Kundapur and Karkala, were partitioned from Dakshina Kannada district to form Udupi district on 25 August 1997. Moodabidri was officially declared as new tehsil (taluk), separated from Karkala with effect from 11 January 2018.
Shimoga district, officially known as Shivamogga district, is a district in the Karnataka state of India. A major part of Shimoga district lies in the Malnad region or the Sahyadri. Shimoga city is its administrative centre. Jog Falls view point is a major tourist attraction. As of 2011 Shimoga district has a population of 17,52,753. There are seven taluks: Soraba, Sagara, Hosanagar, Shimoga, Shikaripura, Thirthahalli, and Bhadravathi. Channagiri and Honnali were part of Shimoga district until 1997 when they became part of the newly formed Davanagere district.
Hosanagara is a panchayat town in Shimoga district in the Indian state of Karnataka. It is nested in western ghats of India. The World Cattle Conference with main emphasis on cow was held in month of April 2007 in Hosanagar. The different uses of cow were exhibited. Near Hosanagar there is a mutt named Sri Ramachandrapura Math, 6 km from the town.
Someshwara is a village in Karkala taluk in the Indian state of Karnataka.
Varahi River originate and flows through Western Ghats in the Indian state of Karnataka. It is also known as Halady or Haladi river in downstream areas. It joins the Arabian sea after flowing through places like Halady, Basrur, Kundapura and Gangolli. It joins with the Souparnika River, Kedaka River, Chakra River, and Kubja River which are known by Panchagangavalli River and merges into the Arabian Sea. Pancha means five in Kannada and Samskrita and Ganga means river. According to mythology, Varaha is one of the incarnations of Lord Vishnu. Varahi is the sister of lord Varaha-vishnu
Hebri is a town and taluk headquarters in the Udupi district of Karnataka, at the foot of the Western Ghats of India in Karnataka state. It was first inaugurated as a taluk in 2018. It is a main junction and a central point of roads leading to Mangalore, Brahmavar, Karkala, Kundapura, Agumbe, Shivamogga and Udupi. The area's forests receive high rainfall throughout the year. Someshwara Wildlife Sanctuary is located nearby, which covers the entire route till Agumbe and the western Ghats. The sanctuary houses a number of endangered species including the King Cobra.
The state of Karnataka in India experiences diverse rainfall quantities across its regions. While Malnad and Coastal Karnataka receive copious amount of rainfall; its north Bayaluseemae region in the Deccan Plateau is one of the most arid regions in the country. Most of the rains received in the state is during the monsoon season. Being an agrarian economy with a large percentage of its citizens engaged in agriculture, the failure of rains can have a crippling effect on the economy of the state. Apart from the benefits in agriculture, the Government of Karnataka has tried to avail other benefits of rainfall using scientific methods. An example of this is the project, Rainwater Harvesting in Rural Karnataka which is initiated by the Karnataka State Council for Science and Technology and is one of the largest rainwater harvesting projects in the world. Agumbe in the Shimoga district, Amagaon in Belgaum District, Hulikal again in Shimoga district and Talakaveri in Madikeri are some of the known places with the highest annual rainfall in South India. Of this Amagaon has received over 10000 mm rain fall twice in 10 years.
Someshwara Wildlife Sanctuary is a protected wildlife sanctuary in the Western Ghats of Karnataka state in India. It is named after the presiding deity "Lord Someshwara" of the famed Someshwara temple located within the sanctuary. The sanctuary lies in Udupi & Shivamogga districts of Karnataka, below Agumbe. The sanctuary houses Sitanadi nature camp run by Karnataka Forest Department. Udupi to Agumbe road passes through this wildlife sanctuary. The nearest town is Hebri which is connected by bus service to Udupi, Mangaluru and Bengaluru on a daily basis.
Karnataka State Highway 1, commonly referred to as KA SH 1, is a normal state highway that runs north through Udupi, Shimoga, Haveri, Dharwad and Belgaum districts in the state of Karnataka. This state highway touches numerous cities and villages Viz.Karkala, Agumbe, Thirthahalli and Dharwad. The total length of the highway is 450 km.
The Agumbe Rainforest Research Station (ARRS) is a field based conservation and research organisation situated inside the Agumbe Reserved Forest at Agumbe in the central Western Ghats of southern India. The Agumbe Reserved Forests receives an annual rainfall in excess of 7,000 mm (280 in) and is at an elevation of about 823 m (2,700 ft) above sea level. It forms a part of the Malnad-Kodagu corridor, which also includes the Someshwara, Mookambika, Bhadra, and Sharavati Wildlife Sanctuaries, Kudremukh National Park, and various other forest tracts and reserve forests around Kundapur, Shankaranarayana, Hosanagara, Sringeri, and Thirthahalli.
Amagaon is a village in Belagavi district bordered by Goa in west in the southern state of Karnataka, India. Amagaon nestles in the dense forests of the Western Ghats in and is known for its heavy rainfall. It is known to get over 10,000 mm annual rainfall occasionally and the average annual rainfall is around 9,000 mm. It is also called as Cherrapunji of South India
Kundadri is a hill with dense forests in the Western Ghats located in Shimoga District, Karnataka State, India. It is 70 km from Udupi city. This hill is known for a 17th-century Jain temple dedicated to Parshwanath tirthankara and the place is known to have given shelter to Acharya Kundakunda during earlier centuries. The main deity of this temple is Parshwanatha, the 23rd Tirthankara. Two small ponds formed by the rock on one side of this temple provided water to earlier sages. Government of Karnataka joined hands with a philanthropist from Mumbai to construct an all-weather road to the top of the hill.
Masthikatte is a village located in Hosanagara Taluk, Shimoga district, Karnataka, India.pincode 577425
The Panchagrama Brahmins are a Brahmin community that follow the Smartha Sampradaya. They belong to the Indian state of Karnataka, and reside primarily in the districts of Udupi, Shimoga and Chikmaglur, Bengaluru and other cities.
Hulikal is a village located in the Hosanagara taluk of the Shimoga district in the Indian state of Karnataka and is known for its heavy rainfall. The Hulikal village lies in the Western Ghat region of Karnataka state. The range of ghat is known by the name Hulikal ghat or Balebare ghat. The road running between Hosangadi and Mastikatte through Hulikal ghati connects the coastal district of Udupi with Shivamogga (Shimoga) district. The Mani dam reservoir and Savehoklu reservoir are nearby. KPCL has its colony at Mastikatte near to Hulikal. The nearest airport is at Mangalore, situated 123 km south-west of Hulikal. It has an elevation of 600m.
Kattinahole is a small village in Hosanagara Taluk, Shimoga district of the Indian state of Karnataka. The local language of Kattinahole is Kannada.
National Highway 169A is a National Highway in India, which comes under Ministry of Road Transport & Highways, Government of India. The highway starts from Malpe harbour in Udupi and ends at Thirthahalli. Its old name was NH 766E.