The
Tungabhadra River is a sacred river in southern India that flows through the states of
KarnatakaKarnataka is a state in the southern part of India. It was created on November 1, 1956, with the passing of the States Reorganisation Act...
and part of
Andhra PradeshAndhra Pradesh , abbreviated A.P., is a state situated on the south-eastern coast of India. It is India's fourth largest state by area and fifth largest by population. Its capital and largest city is Hyderabad...
to merge with the larger
Krishna RiverThe Krishna River , is one of the longest rivers in central-southern India .-Course:...
in
Andhra PradeshAndhra Pradesh , abbreviated A.P., is a state situated on the south-eastern coast of India. It is India's fourth largest state by area and fifth largest by population. Its capital and largest city is Hyderabad...
.
It is the chief
tributaryA tributary is a stream or river which flows into a main stem river. A tributary does not flow directly into a sea. Tributaries and the mainstem river serve to drain the surrounding drainage basin of its surface water and groundwater by leading the water out into an ocean or some other large body...
of the
Krishna RiverThe Krishna River , is one of the longest rivers in central-southern India .-Course:...
. In the epic
RamayanaThe Ramayana is an ancient Sanskrit epic. It is attributed to the Hindu sage Valmiki and forms an important part of the Hindu canon . The Ramayana is one of the two great epics of India, the other being Mahabharata...
the Tungabhadra river was known by the name of Pampa (another sacred river in
KeralaKerala , is a state located in southwestern India. The state was created in 1956 on linguistc basis, bringing together those places where Malayalam formed the principal language...
also bears the name
PampaPamba River is the third longest river in the South Indian state of Kerala and the longest river in the erstwhile princely state of Travancore. Sabarimala temple dedicated to lord Ayyappa is located on the banks of the river Pamba....
.)
Course
The Tungabhadra River is formed by the confluence of two rivers, the
Tunga RiverThe Tunga River is a river in Karnataka state, southern India. The river is born in the Western Ghats on a hill known as Varaha Parvata at a place called Gangamoola. From here, the river flows through two districts in Karnataka - Chikmagalur District and Shimoga District. It is 147 km long and...
and the
Bhadra RiverThe Bhadra River is a river in Karnataka state in southern India.The Bhadra originates in the Western Ghats range, and flows east across the Deccan Plateau, joined by its tributaries the Somavahini, Thadabehalla, and Odirayanahalla. The river flows through the Bhadra Wildlife Sanctuary. A dam was...
, which flow down the eastern slope of the
Western GhatsThe Western Ghats also known as the Sahyadri Mountains, is a mountain range along the western side of India. It runs north to south along the western edge of the Deccan Plateau, and separates the plateau from a narrow coastal plain along the Arabian Sea...
in the state of
KarnatakaKarnataka is a state in the southern part of India. It was created on November 1, 1956, with the passing of the States Reorganisation Act...
. It then takes a northeasterly direction through rugged ridges formed by boulders piled on ancient granite outcroppings over the elevated plateau that dominates peninsular
IndiaIndia, officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the south, the Arabian Sea on the west, and the Bay of Bengal...
, the
Deccan PlateauThe Deccan Plateau, also known as the Peninsular Plateau or the Great Peninsular Plateau, is a large plateau in India, making up the majority of the southern part of the country, ranging in elevation from 100 metres in the north to 1000 metres in the south. It is located between three mountain...
. The wilderness is extremely beautiful.
Piles of granite in varying colors of grey, ochre and pink dominate the landscape. The river has cut through weaker rocky substrata of the Hampi landscape and created a narrow gorge where granite hills confine the river in a deep ravine.
In this setting the ruins of
VijayanagaraVijayanagara is in Bellary District, northern Karnataka. It is the name of the now-ruined capital city, located at , of the historic Vijayanagara empire which extended over the southern part of India.-Location and Surroundings:...
and
HampiHampi is a village in northern Karnataka state, India. Hampi is located within the ruins of Vijayanagara, the former capital of the Vijayanagara empire. Predating the city of Vijayanagara, this village continues to be an important religious centre, housing the Virupaksha Temple. The village of...
, the seat of power of the Vijayanagar empire, overlook this holy river, creating a mythological landscape merging sacred traditions about a multitude of significant divinities.
The granite outcrops slowly disappear as the river flows south and the land opens into a long, broad plain ending at the rising slopes of the Sandur hills, rich in iron and manganese, beyond which is the town of Hosapete. A dam, the Tungabhadra Dam, was constructed at Hosapete in the middle of the 20th century to harness the river water, aiding the growth of agriculture and industry in this region.
The Tungabhadra River then flows east, joining the Krishna in the
Andhra PradeshAndhra Pradesh , abbreviated A.P., is a state situated on the south-eastern coast of India. It is India's fourth largest state by area and fifth largest by population. Its capital and largest city is Hyderabad...
state. From here the Krishna continues east to empty into the
Bay of BengalThe Bay of Bengal IPA:ˈbɒŋɡopoʃɑːˈgoɽ), the largest bay of the world, forms the northeastern part of the Indian Ocean. It resembles a triangle in shape, and is bordered by Bangladesh and the Indian state of West Bengal to the north , India and Sri Lanka to the west and Myanmar and the Andaman and...
.
x
The wedge of land that lies north of the Tungabhadra River, between the Tungabhadra and the Krishna, is known as the
Raichur DoabThe Raichur Doab is a Doab, in this case the triangular region of land in the southern Indian states of Andhra Pradesh and Karnataka lying between the Krishna River and its tributary, the Tungabhadra River. The doab is named for the town of Raichur in the Raichur District....
.
|url=http://www.tbboard.org/ |title=Tungabhadra Board |publisher= |accessdate=2006-09-20 }}
adil is real name of river krishna
Temples
There are a number of ancient and holy sites on the banks of the Tungabhadra River. At
HariharaHarihara is the name of a combined deity form of both Vishnu and Shiva from the Hindu tradition. Also known as Shankaranarayana , Harihara is thus worshipped by both Vaishnavites and Shaivities as a form of the Supreme God, as well as being a figure of worship for other Hindu traditions in general...
there is a temple dedicated to Harihareshwara. Surrounding the modern town of
HampiHampi is a village in northern Karnataka state, India. Hampi is located within the ruins of Vijayanagara, the former capital of the Vijayanagara empire. Predating the city of Vijayanagara, this village continues to be an important religious centre, housing the Virupaksha Temple. The village of...
, are the ruins of
VijayanagaraVijayanagara is in Bellary District, northern Karnataka. It is the name of the now-ruined capital city, located at , of the historic Vijayanagara empire which extended over the southern part of India.-Location and Surroundings:...
, the site of the powerful
Vijayanagara EmpireThe Vijayanagara Empire referred as the Kingdom of Bisnaga by the Portuguese, was a South Indian empire based in the Deccan Plateau. Established in 1336 by Harihara I and his brother Bukka Raya I, it lasted until 1646 although its power declined after a major military defeat in 1565 by the Deccan...
's capital city and now a
World Heritage SiteA UNESCO World Heritage Site is a site that is on the list that is maintained by the international World Heritage Programme administered by the UNESCO World Heritage Committee, composed of 21 state parties which are elected by their General Assembly for a four-year term.A World Heritage Site is a...
. The site, including the
VijayanagaraVijayanagara is in Bellary District, northern Karnataka. It is the name of the now-ruined capital city, located at , of the historic Vijayanagara empire which extended over the southern part of India.-Location and Surroundings:...
temple complex ruins, are being restored.
Alampur, on the left - northern bank of the river, known as Dakshina Kashi in Mahaboobnagar Dist. nbout 25 km from Kurnool is another important place, wherein the Early Chalukyas built a cluster of temples. The Nava Brahma Temples complex is one of the earliest models of temple architecture in India. Jogulamba is the presiding deity.
The Moola Brindavana of Guru Raghavendra is located on banks of Tungabhadra at
MantralayamMantralayam is a town in Kurnool district in Andhra Pradesh, India. It lies on the banks of the Tungabhadra river which forms the border with neighbouring Karnataka state. It is also called as Manchale...
.
Dams
About 15 km downstream from Shimoga at Gajanur across the River Tunga a dam is constructed. At Lakkavalli about 15 km upstream of Bhadravati across the Bhadra a dam is constructed. Both are multipurpose dams and irrigate lands in Shimoga, Chikkamagalur, Davanagere and Haveri.
TungaBhadra dam is constructed across river Tungabhadra, a tributary of River Krishna. The dam is built near the town of Hosapete in
KarnatakaKarnataka is a state in the southern part of India. It was created on November 1, 1956, with the passing of the States Reorganisation Act...
. It is considered as a multipurpose dam or project. Its storage capacity is 135
TmcftTmcft is the standard abbreviation for 1 thousand million cubic feet , usually used in reference to volume of water in a reservoir.-Conversion:1 tmc ft. is equivalent to:* 28,316,846,592 liters...
. Owing to siltation the capacity has been reduced by about 30 Tmcft. If there is seasonal and late rains, the dam distributes the estimated quantity of 235 Tmcft. The dam is filled as when the water is let into the cnals during the rainy season. The main architect of the dam was Dr. Thirumalai Iyengar, an engineer from Madras. As Tungabhadra Dam was constructed by him, so a general purpose hall in this place was named after him. Multipurpose dams are the one's which help in generation of
electricityElectricity is a general term that encompasses a variety of phenomena resulting from the presence and flow of electric charge...
,
irrigationIrrigation is an artificial application of water to the soil. It is usually used to assist in growing crops in dry areas and during periods of inadequate rainfall...
of land, Prevention and control of floods etc. It has become a
picnicIn contemporary usage, a picnic can be defined simply as a pleasure excursion at which a meal is eaten outdoors , ideally taking place in a beautiful landscape such as a park, beside a lake or with an interesting view and possibly at a public event such as before an open air theatre performance,...
or tourist spot over the years. The dam is near to world famous
heritageCultural heritage is the legacy of physical and intangible attributes of the past of a group or society that are selected from the past, and inherited, maintained in the present and bestowed for the benefit of future generations...
site
HampiHampi is a village in northern Karnataka state, India. Hampi is located within the ruins of Vijayanagara, the former capital of the Vijayanagara empire. Predating the city of Vijayanagara, this village continues to be an important religious centre, housing the Virupaksha Temple. The village of...
.
At Sunkesula, about 25 km upstream from Kurnool a barrage was constructed at about 1860s by the British Engineer, hailed as Bhagiratha for Andhras, Sir Arthur Cotton. Originally was intended to be used for navigation also. As the road and rail transportation increased it is now an irrigation project, for Kurnool and Kadapa Districts, carrying water through the renowned K.C.Canal.(Kurnool - Cuddapah canal- Till recently Kadapa was spelled "Cuddapah"). Recently the barrage is replaced by the Kotla Vijayabhaskara Reddy Project- a permanent dam. It impounds about of water and irrigates about of land in Kurnool and Kadapa districts.
Problems
Industrial pollution has damaged the Tungabhadra river. Industries and mining located on its banks in the Chikkamagalur, Shimoga, Davangere, Haveri, Bellary, Koppal and Raichcur Districts of Karnataka and Kurnool and Mahaboobnagar in Andhra Pradesh (almost all the districts along the course of the river) generate enormous amounts of effluents. According to Mr. M. Shankar, "It is disturbing to note that nearly three crores of litres of effluents were being released to the Tunga from the city, Shimoga)every year." (The Hindu, June, 06, 2008). This is the contribution of one city, which like Bhadrvathi and Hospet, cannot boast of being an industrial city. As such it is one of the most polluted river in the country.
Down river from the industries, the water has turned dark brown and has a pungent odour. Altogether, the Tungabhadra River pollution has affected 1,00,000 people in the sub-basin as most villages used the river water, previously obtained through the ancient
tankFor etymology, see Storage tank#Etymology.In India, an irrigation tank or tank is an artificial reservoir of any size. . It can also be a natural or spring included as part of a structure...
system, for drinking, bathing, irrigating crops, fishing and livestock water. The livelihood of village fishermen has been harmed by regular fish kills that have exhausted Tungabhadra's fisheries.
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