Tunga River

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Tunga River
River Tunga during Monsoon
River Tunga during Monsoon
Origin Gangamoola, Chikmagalur district, Karnataka
Basin countries India
Length 147 km

The Tunga River (Kannada:ತುಂಗಾ ನದಿ) 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 merges with the Bhadra River at Koodli, a small town near Shimoga City, Karnataka. The river is given the compound name Tungabhadra from this point on. The Tungabhadra flows eastwards and merges with the Krishna River in Andhra Pradesh.

The river is famous for the sweetness of its water. There is a belief that " Thunga panam Ganga snanum" which means we should drink the water of river thunga and take bath in river Ganga.

It has a dam built across it at Gajanur, and a larger dam has been built across the compound Tungabhadra river at Hospet.

[edit] Religious centres

A depiction of the snake guarding the pregnant frog on the banks of the river at Shringeri.
A depiction of the snake guarding the pregnant frog on the banks of the river at Shringeri.
Temple view over Tunga River
Temple view over Tunga River

Shringeri, on the banks of the Tunga, has several temples, the most important being the Śāradā temple and the Vidyāśankara temple.

Bridge over the river
Bridge over the river
A view at Hariharapura
A view at Hariharapura

Coordinates: 14°00′N 75°40′E / 14, 75.667