Sirsi, Karnataka

Sirsi, karnataka
ಶಿರಸಿ
Town
Sirsi, karnataka

Location in Karnataka, India

Coordinates: 14°37′10″N 74°50′07″E / 14.6195°N 74.8354°ECoordinates: 14°37′10″N 74°50′07″E / 14.6195°N 74.8354°E
Country  India
State Karnataka
District Uttara Kannada
Area
 • Total 11.33 km2 (4.37 sq mi)
Elevation 590 m (1,940 ft)
Population (2011)
 • Total 117,000
 • Density 10,000/km2 (27,000/sq mi)
Languages
 • Official Kannada
Time zone IST (UTC+5:30)
PIN 5814xx
Telephone code +91-8384
Vehicle registration KA-31
Website www.sirsicity.gov.in

Sirsi is a town in the karwar district in the Indian state of Karnataka. Sirsi was also known as Kalyanapattana[1] during the Sonda Dynasty. It is a hill station with a population of around 120,000 people. This is the largest town in North Kanara district. The town is surrounded by lush green forest and the region is popular for a large number of waterfalls. Hubli and Belgaum is the nearest large city, and the main businesses around the town are mostly subsistence and agriculture based. Adike (Supari) (Areca nut) or (Betel nut) is the primary crop grown in the villages that surround the town, making it one of the major trading centres for Arecanut. The nuts grown here are transported all over India, and also exported abroad. The region is also popular for many other spices like cardamom, pepper, betel leaves and vanilla. The major food crop is paddy and rice is the staple food of the people.

Geography

Sirsi is located at 14°37′N 74°51′E / 14.62°N 74.85°E (Grid Square MK74).[2] It has an average elevation of 590 metres (1936 feet), and is situated in the heart of the Western Ghats. Sirsi is about 425 km from Bangalore. The nearest airport is located in Hubli, about 102 km from Sirsi. River Aghanashini takes birth from a place near Sirsi called "Donihalla" and flows towards the Arabian Sea in the West. The river also creates many waterfalls along its path. Yana (Kannada: ಯಾಣ) is a village located in forests of the Uttara Kannada district of Karnataka, India which is known for the unusual rock formations (Karst) or (Asteroid). It is located in the Sahyadri mountain range of the Western Ghats, about 60 kilometres (37 mi) from Karwar port, 40 kilometres (25 mi) from Sirsi, and 31 kilometres (19 mi) from Kumta. The two unique rock outcrops near the village are a tourist attraction and easily approachable by a small trek through 0.5 kilometres (0.31 mi) of thick forests from the nearest road head.

 Karwar Yellapur Mundgod
Ankola Akki Alur
   Sirsi  
Kumta Siddapur Sagara, Bangalore

Climate

The climate in Sirsi is strongly influenced by the monsoons, and the climate is tropical, moderated by proximity to the sea. During the monsoons, the region receives one of the heaviest rainfall in the world. As a result, the region also has a large variety of wildlife. The vegetation in the region is mainly moist deciduous, and valuable timber wood is commonly found in the forests of the region. Owing to the rich flora and fauna, unfortunately deforestation and poaching have been causes for concern in recent years. The climate of Sirsi is very pleasant, especially from October to February. It is a very beautiful place.

Demographics

As of 2011 India census,[3] Sirsi had a population of 117,000. Males constitute 51% of the population and females 49%. Sirsi has an average literacy rate of 91%, which is much higher than the national average of 74.05%: male literacy is 94%, and female literacy is 88%. About 12% of the population is under 6 years of age. The main community in Sirsi town is Havyak Brahmin. Other communities in this town are Goud Saraswat Brahmin, Lingayats, Halakki Vokkaligas, Namadhari Naik, Nadavas, Kurubas, Siddis, Shervegar Naayaks, Gudigars, Daivajna,Ganiga etc. There are also Christians and Muslims in this town. The majority of the people in Sirsi speak dialects of Kannada. A sizeable part of the population belonging to Gaud Saraswat Brahmin, Daivajna and Gavli communities and also Christians speaks Konkani. The Muslims in this town speaks Urdu.

Reaching there

By Road: Sirsi is linked to other parts of the state many state highways. Sirsi linked to neighbouring district headquarters of Dharwad, Udupi, Haveri, Belagaum,Sagara,Shimoga, Shikaripura, Soraba, . The state corporation has a very good network of buses to all major cities/towns in Karnataka, Maharashtra and Goa. VRL,SRS,Seabird and Sugama Transport are the major private bus operators.

By Train: Nearest railhead is at Talguppa. Talguppa is 54 km from Sirsi. Talguppa railway connects Bengaluru city via Sagara. Major railhead is Hubli, which is the Zonal Headquarters of South Western Railways.

By Air: Nearest airport is in Hubli and the other is Belgaum which are about 2.5 hrs and 5 hrs drive from Sirsi respectively. Hubli is connected to Bangalore and Mumbai by air.

Art and culture

Main article: Yakshagana
Yakshagana artist with Kirita depicts King
Yakshagana artist with Kedige

Yakshagana is a classical dance drama popular in the state of Karnataka in India mostly popular in the districts of North Kanara, Shimoga, Udupi, South Kanara and Kasaragod district of Kerala.[1] This theater art involves Music, Songs, Dance, Acting, Dialogue, story and unique costumes. While, songs and dance adhere to well established talas very similar to classical Indian dance forms, acting and dialogues are created spontaneously on stage depending on ability of artists. This combination of classical and folk elements makes Yakshagana unique from any other Indian art. This would be considered to be a form of opera in western eyes.

Traditionally, Yakshaganas use to start late in the night and run entire night. Bhagavata, the background singer is also the directory of the story and controls the entire proceedings on stage. Bagavatha along with background musicians who play Chande and Maddale forms himmela. The actors who ware colorful costumes and enact various roles in the story forms Mummela.

There are many professional troops in Karnataka. In spite of competition from modern movie industry and TV, these troops are arranging ticketed shows and making profit. Apart from this individuals arrange shows in their town inviting well known professional artists like Sri Chittani Ramachandra Hegde and Kondadakuli Ramachandra Hegde, providing an opportunity for local talents to act with legends.

Yakshagana is sometimes simply called as Aataā in both Konkani and Kannada (meaning play).[4] Yaksha-gana literally means the song (gana) of a Yaksha. Yakshas were an exotic tribe mentioned in the Sanskrit literature of ancient India.[5]

In Sirsi Holi is celebrated with a unique Carnival. Folk dance called “Bedara Vesha”, Which is performed during the nights beginning five days before the actual festival day. The festival is celebrated every alternate year in the town which attracts a large crowd on all the five days from different parts of the India.[6]

Main article: Dollu Kunitha

Dollu Kunitha is also another folk dance of Sirsi performed during Bedara Vesha & Marikamba Jathra.

Media and communications

Telephones
BSNL provides the landline telephone services and is widely used.
Radio
Dharwad AIR is the nearest radio station. Dharwad AIR station can be heard on 765 kHz Medium Wave and Dharwad Vividha Bharathi can be heard on 103 MHz FM. Both these radio stations have entertained people here for a very long time and are quite popular among the villagers.
Amateur Radio
QRZ.COM lists two amateur radio operators in Sirsi using the ITU prefix VU2/VU3.
Television
Sirsi has LPT-49 TV relay station airing Doordarshan National Channel. Cable TV and Direct to Home services are widely used and these have replaced the conventional VHF/UHF TV antennas and satellite dish antennas.
Internet
Fixed line internet facilities have greatly improved in the town with the launching of BSNL Dataone Broadband.
Mobile Phone Services
Majority of the mobile networks have coverage only in city limits. BSNL mobile has a good coverage in the rural parts. Airtel, BSNL networks provide 3G data services as well.
Newspapers 
Vijaya Karnataka, Prajavani, Samyukta Karnataka, Udayavani and The Times of India (all published from Hubli) are the major News Papers popular here. Patrakartha, Janamadhyama, Lokadhwani & Sirsi Siri are the local papers published here. Lokadhwani can also be accessed on the Internet http://www.sirsi.in & Sirsi Siri Newspaper Available in http://www.sirsi.info

Current budget information

The annual budget of the CMC Sirsi for the year 2009-10 is Rs.1534.28 lakhs, out of which Rs.781.20 lakhs is proposed for capital expenses, Rs.462.45 lakhs towards proposed revenue payment, Rs.232.09 lakhs towards extra ordinary payment, and for development of SC&ST is Rs.9.86 lakhs.[7]

Special and sweet dishes of Sirsi

Kadubu: The main ingredients are jackfruit pulp and jaggery. The batter is prepared and, with additional ingredients, the batter is put into a container and steamed. The dessert is a local delicacy and is served hot with ghee.

Holge: These are similar to the sweet equivalents of tortillas. One variant is made with gram flour and jaggery, while the other is made with coconuts.

Todadevu : This is a special kind of thin crust dosa made out of jaggery/sugarcane juice. (Most local desserts of Sirsi have jaggery rather than sugar.)

Kesaribath: Rice cooked in sugar, ghee, and kesari.

Karakali: This is a special kind of chutney which tastes very spicy. It is prepared from colocacia leaves.

Temple

Sirsi is famous for the Marikamba temple, built in 1688. The famous 'Marikamba Jaathre', commemorating the goddess Marikamba is held by the temple authorities every alternate year. Nearly a lakh devotees from all parts of the country attend the fair, making it one of the biggest festivals in the region. Close to the Marikamba temple are the temples dedicated to Maha Ganapati, Mahavishnu Temple and Shri Gopalakrishna.

For those who believe in astrology / fortune telling but do not have a horoscope in place, there is a ritual performed at the Maha Ganapathy temple by the priests there. The seeker has to frame the question that will have a binary outcome (Yes or No; True or False) The priest does the needful and the seeker is told about the verdict from Lord Ganesha. A lot of decisions like buying/selling property, choosing a vocation for higher studies are taken by some people through this ritual

22 km from Sirsi, famous Banavasi hobli is situated. Madhukeshwar temple is situated in Banavasi. The reigning deity Madhukeshwara of Banavasi, derived name from the linga, which has colour of honey.

Sodhe

Sodhe or Sonda or Sonda or Swadi flourished during the Vijayanagara Empire and is a considered to be a sacred place by both Hindus and Jains. Sonda is famous for Shri Vadiraja Matha, Shri Swarnavalli Matha and is about 15 km from Sirsi.[8][9]

Jain Matha

A Jain Matha exists here and it is headed by Bhattaraka Swasti Sri Bhattakalanka.[10][11][12] The Sonda Jain Matha is also known as the Swadi Jain Matha.[13]

Churches

St. Anthony's church is in Sirsi and is situated in the center of the town, and is the main church for the minority Christian population in the region. Another church is St. John Bosco Church situated on Hubli Road. One more beautiful church is Infant Jesus Church in Agasebagil.

Prominent places in the Taluk of Sirsi

Other destinations

Vibhuthi fall near Sirsi, Karnataka

Nature and terrain

Sirsi is a popular destination for trekkers and nature lovers alike, owing to its idyllic location in the middle of the Western Ghats. Many viewpoints and mountain peaks provide spectacular views of the Sahyadri mountain ranges. The tourist infrastructure has improved considerably in the last decade, owing to an effort by the government to improve tourism in the area. There are many obscure destinations and trekking routes surrounding this region, known mostly only to the people native to the region. The region is also popular for numerous medicinal plants used in the traditional Ayurveda system of medicine, and there are protected reserves near Devimane Ghats for the conservation of medicinal species and biodiversity in the region.

Educational institutes

References

  1. ↑ "Kalyanapattana".
  2. ↑ Falling Rain Genomics, Inc - Sirsi
  3. ↑ "Census of India 2001: Data from the 2001 Census, including cities, villages and towns (Provisional)". Census Commission of India. Archived from the original on 2004-06-16. Retrieved 2008-11-01.
  4. ↑ "Enduring art". Online webpage of The Hindu (Chennai, India). 2004-06-10. Retrieved 2007-09-06.
  5. ↑ "yaksha". Encyclopædia Britannica. Retrieved 2007-09-06.
  6. ↑ "Bedara Vesha".
  7. ↑ Source: [www.sirsicity.gov.in]
  8. ↑ "Goddess Shri Marikamba". marikamba.org. Retrieved 2007-04-08.
  9. ↑ "Marikamba Temple of Sirsi, Karnataka". durga-puja.org. Retrieved 2007-04-08.
  10. ↑ N shubhakara jain (2011-11-20). "shubhakara jain". Shubhakarajain.blogspot.com. Retrieved 2012-05-26.
  11. ↑ "News Updates". Www.Jainheritagecentres.Com. 2010-07-14. Retrieved 2012-05-26.
  12. ↑ "Glossary | Terms | Eastern Terms | Bhattaraka". Herenow4u.net. 2012-01-16. Retrieved 2012-05-26.
  13. ↑ "News Updates > Jain Event Invitation". Www.Jainheritagecentres.Com. Retrieved 2012-06-13.