Pandavapura

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?Pandavapura Karnataka • India
Pandavapura
Coordinates: 12°30′N 76°40′E / 12.5, 76.67
Time zone	IST (UTC+5:30)
Area • Elevation	• 709 m (2,326 ft)
District(s)	Mandya
Population	18,236 (2001)

Coordinates: 12°30′N 76°40′E / 12.5, 76.67 Pandavapura (Kannada: ಪಾಂಡವಪುರ) is a panchayat town in Mandya district in the Indian state of Karnataka.

1 Geography
2 Demographics
3 History
4 About the Town
5 Transport
6 Tourism
7 References

[edit] Geography

Pandavapura is located at 12.5° N 76.67° E^[1]. It has an average elevation of 709 metres (2326 feet). Earlier, was called as French Rock.

[edit] Demographics

As of 2001 India census^[2], Pandavapura had a population of 18,236. Males constitute 51% of the population and females 49%. Pandavapura has an average literacy rate of 67%, higher than the national average of 59.5%: male literacy is 72%, and female literacy is 62%. In Pandavapura, 12% of the population is under 6 years of age.

[edit] History

The name 'Pandavapura' means "Town of Pandavas". Mythology states that the Pandavas during their period of exile stayed here for sometime, and Kunti, mother of the Pandavas, liked the hillock so much that it became one of her favorite haunts. The town is also named after the Pandavas because of their brief stay in this region. The name "French Rock" dates back to India's Pre-Independence days, the place was used as the camping ground by the French army, which came to help Tippu Sultan in his war against the British. It is believed that French named the small town as "French Rocks", as the town is in the vicinity of two rocky hills. After Indian Independence these rocky hills called as "Kunti Betta" by locals.
Pandavapura is approximately 130 km from Bangalore and 25 km from Mysore. It is a perfect destination for weekend get away.

Sunrise in Kunti Betta.

[edit] About the Town

Pandavapura town is surrounded by beautiful paddy and sugar cane fields. Agriculture is the main occupation around the town. The town is surrounded by many villages and the town is central point for farmers everyday business. Every thursday there will be farmer's market (called as "Santhe" in Kannada) in the heart of the town, where farmers directly sell their agricultural products. Apart from agricultural products, you can also find handicrafts, ayurvedic products etc,. Surrounding villages have Jaggery manufacturing units and it is a nice experience to watch the process of making Jaggery out of sugar cane. The Visweswarayya Canal (VC Canal) flows in the heart of the town, by dividing the town into two halves. The water for this canal is sourced from the Krishnaraja Sagar (KRS), which is Reservoir across the river Cauvery.

Lake which resides in between Pandavapura town and Kunti betta.

[edit] Transport

Pandavapura is well connected by Train and Bus transportation. Most of the trains which run between Bangalore and Mysore stops in Pandavapura. The Pandavapura railway station is 4 km away from the Pandavapura town, there will be very frequent auto rickshaws and buses for Pandavapura town. There are very few direct buses runs from Bangalore to Pandavapura. However travelers from Bangalore, can first reach the Mandya town using Bus and then can get hold of local transport for Pandavapura in Mandya KSRTC bus stand. Train is the best and easiest mode of transportation for Pandavapura from Bangalore.