Apsarkonda Honavar (Bhima thirth)

Apsara Konda Honnavara

Apsara konda(Apsarakonda) is a small village near Honnavar, town in North Kanara district. Six km from Honnavar are the Apsara Konda Falls . Falls is reffered by the name "BHIMA THEERTH".

Set against the beautiful scenery of the surrounding hills and green fields, Apsarakonda Falls is an ideal weekend hideout, 6 km from Honnavar. Legends say that the apsaras came down from heaven to bathe in the pond here. People bathe here as it is said to possess therapeutic value, as well as holiness attached to it. The caves in this place house idols of Lord Narasimha and Umamba as the presiding deities. The nearest railhead is Honnavar. This city is situated at a distance of approximately 450 km from Bangalore and 220 km from Goa.

There is Devi temple and a branch of Ramachandra mutt. There are several big caves on the hillock called ‘Pandavas caves’.With a view of the river, the sea, lthe islands, l;the lush green fields and coconut groves, the Apsarkonda hillock verily offers a feast to the eyes that see.
See view of Apsarkonda

Uttara Kannada (Kannada ಉತ್ತರ ಕನ್ನಡ ), also known as North Canara or North Kanara, is a district in the southern Indian state of Karnataka. It is bordered by the state of Goa and Belgaum District to the north, Dharwad District and Haveri District to the east, Shimoga District and Udupi District to the south and the Arabian Sea to the west. The town of Karwar is the administrative headquarters of the district.

History
Uttara Kannada was the home of the Kadamba kingdom from the 350 - 525CE. They ruled from Banavasi. After the subjugation of the Kadambas by the Chalukyas, Uttara Kannada district came under successive rule of empires like Chalukyas, Rashtrakutas, Hoysalas and Vijayanagar empire.
Famous Arab traveler Ibn Battuta is said to have stayed for a time in the district under the protection of Nawayath Sultan Jamal al-Din at Hunnur. This place is presently known as Hosapattana and is located in the Honnavar taluka. Ruins of an old mosque and its minaret can still be seen in the village.
The district came under the rule of Maratha empire from around 1700 CE. to 1800 CE. It was ceded to the British at the conclusion of the Third Anglo-Maratha War in 1818. The British established North Kanara district as a part of the Bombay Presidency. After India's independence in 1947, Bombay Presidency was reconstituted as Bombay state. In 1956 the southern portion of Bombay state was added to Mysore state, which was renamed Karnataka in 1972.

Geography

The main geographic feature of the district is the Western Ghats or Sahyadri range, which runs from north to south through the district. Between the Sahyadris and the sea is a narrow coastal strip, known as the Payanghat, which varies from 8 to 24 km in width. Behind the coastal plain are flat-topped hills from 60 to 100 meters in height, and behind the hills are the ridges and peaks of the Sahyadris. East of the Sahyadris is the Balaghat upland, part of the vast Deccan plateau.
Moisture-bearing winds come from the west, and yearly rainfall averages 3000 mm on the coast, and as high as 5000 mm on the west-facing slopes of the Sahyadris. East of the crest is the rain shadow of the Sahyadris, which receive as little as 1000 mm annually. Much of the rain falls in the June-September monsoon.
Four principal rivers drain westwards from the crest of the Sahyadris to the sea; from north to south they are the Kali, Gungawali, Aghanashini and Sharavati. These rivers form numerous waterfalls, the most famous of which is Jog falls, on upper reaches of the Sharavati in neighboring Shimoga district. Other famous waterfalls include Unchalli Falls, where the river Aghanashini drops 116 meters, Magod Falls, where the Bedti river plunges 180 meters in two leaps, Shivganga falls, where the river Sonda(Shalmali) drops 74 meters, and Lalguli falls and Mailmane falls on the river Kali. In the lowlands, these rivers form wide estuaries, extending several kilometers inland from the coast.

People and the culture

The languages of the district are Kannada, Konkani, Marathi, Tulu and Urdu. The population is predominantly Hindu comprising of many communities called as Bhandaris, Havyaka, Konkan Maratha Havyaka, Goud Saraswat Brahmins, Daivajna Brahmins, Chitrapur Saraswat Brahmins, Vokkaligas, Sherugars, Namadhari naik, Nadavara and Vaishya (Vanis).
Muslims in the district are mainly of Nawayath descent. They live mostly in taluks of Bhatkal and Honnavar and speak Nawayathi. The Konkani speaking people include Christians also.

Entertainments

Yakshagana (Kannada/Tulu:ಯಕ್ಷಗಾನ, pronounced as yaksha-gaana) is a dance drama popular in the district of Uttar Karnataka . It is believed to have evolved from pre classical music form and theatrical arts [1]. Yakshagana is popular in the districts of Uttara Kannada, Shivamogga, Udupi, Dakshina Kannada and Kasaragod district of Kerala.[2] This would be considered to be a form of opera in western eyes. Actors wear costumes and enact the various roles. Traditionally, Yakshaganas would go on all night. It is sometimes simply called as Aataā in both Kannada and Tulu (meaning play).[2] Yaksha-gana literally means the song (gana) of a Yaksha. Yakshas were an exotic tribe mentioned in the Sanskrit literature of ancient India.

Uttara Kannada district is famous for its Jain Basadis, Vijayanagar and Nayaka architecture. The Chaturmukha Basadi, Vardhamanaswamy Temple, Parshwanatheshwara Basadi at Gerusoppa, Chandranath Deva Basadi and 24 tirthankara's basadi at Hadavalli or Sangitapura , erotic sculptures of temples of Bhatkal are well known. The Aryadurga Temple at Ankola, Partagaali Jivottam Mutt and Mahabaleshvara temple at Gokarna which is an important place of Vedic studies, Mahalasa Narayani Temple at Kumta, Ventakaraman Temple Honnavar and Chitrapur Mutt, Mahaganapati Mahamaya Temple at Shirali and the Madhukeshvara and Veerabhadra temples at Banavasi and beach temple at Murdeshwara. Other important religious places are the Maarikamba Temple at Sirsi, Sahasra Linga about 15 km from Sirsi, Swarnavalli Math belonging to the Havyaka and Rama Kshatriya community, Sonde or Vadiraj Math of the Madhva community, the Shankar Math and Bhuvangiri temple near Siddapur.
Utara Kannada district is home to the shrines or Dargahs of many sufi saints. Hazrat Shansuddin awliya in Sadashivgad, Hazrat Makhdoom Faqeeh Ismail Sukri and Hazrat Shah Nanga in Bhatkal and Hazrat Makhdoom Abu Mohammed in Murudeshwara are some of the popular ones.

Uttara Kannada district is famous for its Jain Basadis, Vijayanagar and Nayaka architecture. The Chaturmukha Basadi, Vardhamanaswamy Temple, Parshwanatheshwara Basadi at Gerusoppa, Chandranath Deva Basadi and 24 tirthankara's basadi at Hadavalli or Sangitapura , erotic sculptures of temples of Bhatkal are well known. The Aryadurga Temple at Ankola, Partagaali Jivottam Mutt and Mahabaleshvara temple at Gokarna which is an important place of Vedic studies, Mahalasa Narayani Temple at Kumta, Ventakaraman Temple Honnavar and Chitrapur Mutt, Mahaganapati Mahamaya Temple at Shirali and the Madhukeshvara and Veerabhadra temples at Banavasi and beach temple at Murdeshwara. Other important religious places are the Maarikamba Temple at Sirsi, Sahasra Linga about 15 km from Sirsi, Swarnavalli Math belonging to the Havyaka and Rama Kshatriya community, Sonde or Vadiraj Math of the Madhva community, the Shankar Math and Bhuvangiri temple near Siddapur.
Utara Kannada district is home to the shrines or Dargahs of many sufi saints. Hazrat Shansuddin awliya in Sadashivgad, Hazrat Makhdoom Faqeeh Ismail Sukri and Hazrat Shah Nanga in Bhatkal and Hazrat Makhdoom Abu Mohammed in Murudeshwara are some of the popular ones.