Kuppalli, also known as Kuppali, is a small village in Thirthahalli taluk of Shimoga district in the state of Karnataka in India. It is famous for being the childhood home of the renowned Kannada poet Kuvempu.
The celebrated Kannada poet and writer Kuvempu belonged to this village and was very attached to it. Indeed, this pen-name Kuvempu (Kannada: ಕುವೆಂಪು) pays homage to the author's home, created as it is from the first letters from his full name "Kuppali Venkatappa Puttappa" (Venkatappa being his father's name). [1] Kuppalli is also the birthplace of Poornachandra Tejaswi, the son of Kuvempu and a famous Kannada writer himself. It is also the place where Kuvempu and Poornachandra Tejaswi have been cremated. The childhood home of Kuvempu at Kuppali has been converted into a museum by Rashtrakavi Kuvempu Pratishtana (a trust dedicated to Kuvempu). This trust has undertaken immense developmental works in Kuppali to showcase Kuvempu and his works to the external world.
Kuvempu was born in Hirekodige, Koppa taluk, of Chikmagalur district to a native Kannada family. He was brought up in Kuppalli. His education started at his home by an appointed teacher from Dakshina Kannada. He joined Anglo Vernacular school in Thirthahalli to continue his middle school education. He lost his father, Venkatappa Gowda, when he was only 12. Kuvempu finished his lower and secondary education in Kannada and English in Thirthahalli. He moved to Mysore for further education and completed his high school from Wesleyan High School. He pursued his college studies in Maharaja's College of Mysore, and graduated in 1929 with a major in Kannada. [2]
Kavishaila is a rock monument made of megalithic rocks and dedicated to Kuvempu. It is on the top of a small hill in Kuppali. Arranged in a circular fashion, the rocks have been placed to resemble the Stonehenge in England. At the centre of this rock monument is the place where Kuvempu was laid to rest after his death and a memorial has been constructed at that location. Near this monument, is a small rock where Kuvempu used to sit and discuss about literature and other topics with his other litterateur friends. A rock containing the etched signatures of Kuvempu, B. M. Srikantaiah and T S Venkannaiah is present near the monument. Poornachandra Tejaswi later engraved his signature on the same rock. Granite slabs containing engraved poems and quotes of Kuvempu have been placed near the monument.
A 3D reconstructed digitized model of Kavisamadhi and etched signatures are developed by Axesmap under #DigitalHeritage program.
Kavimane is the ancestral house of Kuvempu. Kavimane means House of the poet in the Kannada language. Nestled in the midst of green forests of Malnad, the house presents a scintillating view. It is a three-storeyed tiled house including the ground floor and is the house where Kuvempu spent most of his childhood. This house has now been renovated and converted into a museum. The architecture of the house is what is locally called thotti Mane, in which the house consists of a central square area resembling a thotti (pond) that is open to sky and surrounded by a courtyard. This house is open on all days of the year from 9:00 AM to 6:30 PM. There is an entry fee of 10 Rupees for adults and for children over the age of 10. Photography inside Kavimane is prohibited.
Kuppali is around 18 km from the taluk headquarters, Thirthahalli and 80 km. from the district headquarters, Shivamogga. From , one has to take the National Highway NH-13 (Shivamogga - Thirthahalli road) to reach Kuppali. From Bengaluru, one has to take the National Highway NH-206 to reach Shivamogga and then take the above mentioned route. There is an overnight bus run by KSRTC from Bangalore to Kuppali. The total distance from Bengaluru to Kuppali is around 350 km. From Mangalore, one can take NH-169 to reach Kuppali. The distance from Mangalore to Kuppali is 153 km. Kuppali is around 10 km from Koppa town.
The nearest railway station is in Shimoga. Numerous trains run from Bengaluru and Mysore to Shimoga.
The nearest airport is Shivamogga Airport.
Shimoga, officially Shivamogga, is a city and the district headquarters of Shimoga district in the central part of the state of Karnataka, India. The city lies on the banks of the Tunga River. Being the gateway for the hilly region of the Western Ghats, the city is popularly nicknamed the "Gateway of Malnad". The population of Shimoga city is 322,650 as per 2011 census. The city has been selected for the Smart Cities project, standing in the fourth position in the state and 25th in the country as of November 2020.
Kuppalli Venkatappa Puttappa, popularly known by his pen name Kuvempu, was an Indian poet, playwright, novelist and critic. He is widely regarded as the greatest Kannada poet of the 20th century. He was the first Kannada writer to receive the Jnanpith Award.
Jog Falls is a waterfall on the Sharavati river located in Siddapur taluk of Uttara Kannada district and its view point in Kargal town of Shimoga district, Karnataka, India. It is the second highest plunge waterfall in India. It is a segmented waterfall which depends on rain and season to become a plunge waterfall. The falls are major attractions for tourists and is ranked 36th in the list of free-falling waterfalls, 490th in the world by list of waterfalls by total height, 128th in the list of single-drop waterfalls in the World by the waterfall database.
Agumbe is a village situated in the Thirthahalli taluka of Shivamogga district, Karnataka, India. It is nestled in the thickly forested Malenadu region of the Western Ghats mountain range. 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.
Arsikere is a city and taluka in the Hassan district in the state of Karnataka, India. It is the second largest city in Hassan district, demographically. Arsikere city municipal council consists of 35 wards. This region is known for its coconut production and is also called Kalpataru Nadu. Arsikere Junction is a major railway junction in the South Western Railway which links Mangalore and Mysore to North Karnataka and a central place for tourists who visit nearby places that do not have rail access, such as Belur, Halebidu and Shravanabelagola, Harnahalli, and Kodimata.
Bhadravati or Bhadravathi is an industrial city or Steel Town and taluk in the Shivamogga District of the Indian state of Karnataka. It is situated at a distance of about 255 kilometres (158 mi) from the state capital Bengaluru and at about 20 kilometres (12 mi) from the district headquarters, Shivamogga. The town is spread over an area of 67.0536 square kilometres (25.8895 sq mi) and has a population of 151,102 as per the census held in 2011.
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.
Thirthahalli is a panchayat town located in the Shimoga district of the state of Karnataka, India. It lies on the bank of the river Tunga and is also the headquarters of the Thirthahalli Taluk of Shimoga district.Birthplace of KUVEMPU.
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
Nayakas of Keladi (1499–1763), also known as Nayakas of Bednore and Ikkeri Nayakas, were an Indian dynasty based in Keladi in present-day Shimoga district of Karnataka, India. They were an important ruling dynasty in post-medieval Karnataka. They initially ruled as a vassal of the famous Vijayanagar Empire. After the fall of the empire in 1565, they gained independence and ruled significant parts of Malnad region of the Western Ghats in present-day Karnataka, most areas in the coastal regions of Karnataka and the central plains along the Tungabhadra river. In 1763 AD, with their defeat to Hyder Ali, they were absorbed into the Kingdom of Mysore. They played an important part in the history of Karnataka, during a time of confusion and fragmentation that generally prevailed in South India after the fall of the Vijayanagar Empire. The Keladi rulers were of the Vokkaliga and Banajiga castes and were Veerashaivas by faith. The Haleri Kingdom that ruled over Coorg between 1600 A.D and 1834 A.D. was founded by a member of the Keladi family.
Kuppali Puttappa Poornachandra Tejaswi was a prominent Indian writer and novelist in Kannada. He also worked as a photographer, publisher, painter, naturalist, and environmentalist. He made a great impression in the Navya ("new") period of Kannada literature and inaugurated the Bandaaya Saahitya genre of protest literature with his short-story collection Abachoorina Post Offisu. He is the son of noted Kannada poet Kuvempu.
Jaya Bhārata Jananiya Tanujāte, Jaya Hē Karnāṭaka Māte is a Kannada-language poem composed by Kuvempu. The poem was officially declared the state anthem of the Indian state of Karnataka in 2004.
Guggari Shanthaveerappa Shivarudrappa, or colloquially GSS, was an Indian Kannada poet, writer, and researcher who was awarded the title of Rashtrakavi by the Government of Karnataka in 2006.
Hampa Nagarajaiah, known by his pen name Hampanā, is an Indian scholar in Kannada language and Jainism. He was born at Hampasandra Village located in Gowribidanur taluk, Chikkaballapura District in the Indian state of Karnataka. Hampanā was married to Kamala Hampana, also a veteran littérateur, until her death.
Shivamogga Airport, officially renamed as Rashtrakavi Kuvempu Airport, is a domestic airport serving the city of Shimoga, Karnataka, India. It is located at Sogane, 8.8 km (5.5 mi) from Shimoga and 8.2 km (5.1 mi) from Bhadravathi. The airport was to be built under Public–Private Partnership (PPP) with the Government of Karnataka. However, due to delays in project execution, the contract was terminated in January 2015. On 15 June 2020, the Chief Minister of Karnataka, B. S. Yediyurappa, laid the foundation stone to start the construction of the airport at a cost of ₹ 4.5 billion. The airport is to be constructed in two phases, out of which the first phase was inaugurated on 27 February 2023 by Prime Minister, Narendra Modi. It is named after Kuvempu, who is regarded as the greatest Kannada poet of the 20th century.
P.R. Thippeswamy was an artist and folklorist of Karnataka. He was popularly known as PRT. He was instrumental in establishment of the "Folklore Museum" in Mysore in 1968. He was also the first curator of the museum. The folklore museum contains Representative collection of arts and crafts from all over Karnataka. P.R.Thippeswamy brought material from all over Karnataka to increase the collection. One of the displays in the museum is the "Ink" prepared locally by the great grandfather of the late P.R.Thippeswamy at Dodderi village of Chitradurga District 200 years ago.
Kavualedurga Fort is a 9th-century fort 18 km (11 mi) from Thirthahalli, Shimoga. It was the fourth and last capital of Keladi kingdom.
Ambuthirtha is a culturally significant mountain located approximately 15 km from the village of Thirthahalli, in the Shimoga District of Karnataka, India. It is the source of the Sharavathi river, a vital lifeline of the region.
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.
Sahyadri Science College is a government college located in the Shivamogga district of Karnataka. The college is a constituent college of the Kuvempu University, Shivamogga.