Uttara Kannada

Coordinates: 14°36′N 74°42′E / 14.6°N 74.7°E / 14.6; 74.7
Source: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.
(Redirected from
North Canara
)

Uttara Kannada/North Canara District
UTC+5:30 (IST)
PIN
581xxx
Telephone code+91 0(838x)
ISO 3166 codeIN-KA
Vehicle registration
Coastline142 kilometres (88 mi)
Literacy84.06%
Precipitation
2,835 millimetres (111.6 in)
Avg. summer temperature33 °C (91 °F)
Avg. winter temperature20 °C (68 °F)
Websiteuttarakannada.nic.in

Uttara Kannada is a district in the

Udupi District to the south, and the Laccadive Sea
to the west.

Karwar is the district headquarters, Kumta and Sirsi are the major commercial centers in the district.

The district's agroclimatic divisions include the coastal plain (consisting of Karwar, Ankola, Kumta, Honnavar and Bhatkal taluks) and Malenadu (consisting of Sirsi, Siddapur, Yellapur, Haliyal, Joida, and Mundgod taluks).

History

Chaturmukha Basadi, Gerusoppa constructed by Rani Chennabhairadevi,considered to be longest reigning Pepper queen.[2]
Kodlamane Shree Vishnumurthy Temple
Kali River & Sadashivgad Fort as seen from Nandangadda Village.

The first known dynasty from Uttara Kannada District are

Fourth Mysore War in 1799. It was initially part of Kanara district in Madras Presidency. The district was divided to North and South Kanara districts in 1859. The British finally transferred Uttara Kannada district to Bombay Presidency
in 1862.

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.

Significant and picturesque, the Sadashivgad fort of historical importance is now a tourist destination located by the Kali river bridge, which has been built at the confluence of the river and the Arabian Sea. The renowned Bengali poet and Nobel laureate Rabindranath Tagore, who visited Uttara Kannada in 1882, dedicated an entire chapter of his memoirs to this town.[4] The 22-year-old Rabindranath Tagore stayed with his brother, Satyendranath Tagore, who was the district judge in Uttara Kannada. There is a substantial amount of Chardo families in this area as they had migrated due to the persecution of the Portuguese in Goa.

Portuguese

Cintacora, also known as Chittakula, and Sindpur, were

harbour
.

British

In 1638, a rival English trading body, the Courteen Association, established a factory at Uttara Kannada (actually the village named Kadwad, situated 6 kilometres (3.7 mi) eastwards on the banks of the Kali river). It was a trade port frequented by traders from

Arabia and Africa. Baitkhol port (the current civil port of Uttara Kannada) was known for its natural harbour. The name Baithkhol is Arabic term, Bait-e-kol, meaning bay of safety. Muslin was the chief commodity purchased but Uttara Kannada was also a source for pepper, cardamom, cassia and coarse blue cotton cloth. Situated on India's west coast, 50 miles south-east of Goa, Uttara Kannada was noted for its safe harbour. In 1649, the Courteen Association united with the British East India Company
and Uttara Kannada became a company factory.

North Kanara, 1896

Kingdom of Mysore

In the Treaty of Mangalore signed in 1784, between Tipu Sultan and the East India Company, one finds reference to Uttara Kannada and Sadashivgad written as Karwar and Sadasewgude respectively.[5]

Bhatkal and Honnavar were the chief ports of Tippu Sultan in the district.

The British Empire

The

Bombay and Colombo
.

Maratha Empire

It became a part of

Maratha territory. It was a part of the Bombay Presidency
until 1950.

Geography and climate

Karwar evening

The main geographic feature of the district is the

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.

Ecology

Candy corn plant in the Anshi National Park

The district's high rainfall supports lush forests, which cover approximately 70% of the district. The

Anshi National Park near Dandeli, preserves approximately 250 square kilometres (97 sq mi) of semi-evergreen forest, which is home to the tiger, black panther, leopard cat, gaur, Asian elephant, sambar and a range of birds and reptiles. Dandeli Wildlife Sanctuary protects 834 square kilometres (322 sq mi) of semi-evergreen and bamboo forest in the watershed of the Kali river and its tributaries, the Kaneri and Nagajhari. Wroughton's free-tailed bat (Otomops wroughtoni) is endemic to the forests of Bhimgad Wildlife Sanctuary
.

The district is also home to patches of

Echinodermata
. Attiveri bird sanctuary is home to 79 species of birds including migratory birds from 22 countries.

leopards
. The Kavala caves with their 5 feet (1.5 m). High natural Shiva linga, Synthery rocks is a 500 feet (150 m) high rock flanked by natural caves and waterfalls, Vincholi rapids, Sykes point which offers a view of Kali river, and a suspension bridge are places worth visiting in this sanctuary. Yana is an enchanting place that can be reached by trekking about 10 kilometres (6.2 mi) through lush forest. There is also a shrine of Bhairaveshvara here.
Yellapura are some of the best natural falls in Uttara Kannada District. There are many dams in this district namely Supa Dam, Kodasalli Dam and Kadra Dam. The atomic energy station at Kaiga is on the banks of Kali River (Karnataka)
.

Economy

Uttara Kannada has a Gross Domestic District Product of 530297 Lakh Crores with Karwar and Sirsi being major contributors.sirsi has the highest per capita income in the district at 54850 followed by karwar at 44326, while Bhatkal and Haliyal have the lowest.[6]

Agriculture

The chief crops of the district are rice and

sapota; vegetables include onion, radish, cucumber, cauliflower, sweet potato, eggplant (brinjal), and amaranth; spices include pepper, cardamom, ginger and nutmeg. Millet and cotton
are grown in the drier portion of the district east of the Western Ghats.

Bhatkal is known for its imported goods markets,[citation needed] which existed even before India's liberalisation.

Commerce and industry

Demographics

Historical population
YearPop.±% p.a.
1901454,722—    
1911430,755−0.54%
1921401,928−0.69%
1931418,048+0.39%
1941441,388+0.54%
1951518,062+1.61%
1961689,862+2.91%
1971849,453+2.10%
19811,073,561+2.37%
19911,220,260+1.29%
20011,353,644+1.04%
20111,437,169+0.60%
source:[7]

According to the

640).[8] The district has a population density of 140 inhabitants per square kilometre (360/sq mi). Its population growth rate over the decade 2001–2011 was 6.15%. Uttara Kannada has a sex ratio of 975 females for every 1000 males. 29.15% of the population lives in urban areas. Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes make up 8.10% and 2.39% of the population respectively.[8]

Religion

Religion in Uttara Kannada district (2011)[11]
Religion Percent
Hinduism
 
 82.61%
Islam
 
 13.08%
Christianity
 
 3.10%
Buddhism
 
 0.89%
Other or not stated
 
 0.32%

The population is predominantly

Hindu, although a Catholic community has existed here since the 1500s. Muslims are a sizeable minority in Bhatkal Taluk and are majority in Bhatkal City. A small community of Tibetan refugees lives in Mundgod
.

Language

Languages in Uttara Kannada district (2011).[12]

  Kannada (55.34%)
  Konkani (18.21%)
  Urdu (11.83%)
  Marathi (9.52%)
  Telugu (1.36%)
  Others (3.88%)

The main language spoken in this district is Kannada, spoken by 55.34%. Other major languages include Konkani at 18.21%, 11.83% Urdu, 9.52% Marathi and 1.36% Telugu. Marathi speakers are mostly located in Joida and Haliyal taluks in the north and Konkani is in majority in Karwar taluk, although it is spoken throughout the district in lesser numbers. Nawayathi is a Konkani dialect spoken by Nawayath Muslims in Bhatkal and surrounding areas.[12]

Nadavaru and Havigannada spoken by the Havyakas
.

Literacy

Total about 10.8 lakh people in the district are

literate, among them about 5.8 lakh are male and about 5 lakh are female. Literacy rate (children under 6 are excluded) of Uttara Kannada is 84%. 90% of male and 78% of female population are literate here. Overall literacy rate in the district has increased by 7%. Male literacy has gone up by 5% and female literacy
rate has gone up by 10%.

Rank Taluk Literacy
1 Sirsi 94%
2 Karwar 89%
3 Kumta 87%
4 Ankola 85%
5 Siddapur 85%
6 Honnavar 84%
7 Dandeli 83%
8 Bhatkal 83%
9 Yellapur 81%
10 Mundgod 80%
11 Joida 76%
12 Haliyal 74%

Culture

Costume of yakshaghana

songs, dance, acting, dialogue, story and unique costumes. While songs and dance adhere to well established talas very similar to Indian classical 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. Bagavatha, 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 wear 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 village inviting well known professional artists like Sri Chittani Ramachandra Hegde, Kondadakuli Ramachandra Hegde, Gopal Achari Theerthahalli and Ramesh Bhandari Murur, providing an opportunity for local talents to act with legends. Yakshagana is sometimes simply called as aataā in both Kannada and Khela (Karwari Konkani) Konkani (meaning play).[13] Yaksha-gana literally means the song (gana) of a yaksha. Yakshas were an exotic tribe mentioned in the Sanskrit literature of ancient India.[14]
The Nawayath men wears lungis unique to them.

Cuisine

Batata Vada

Uttara Kannada is famous for a variety of

Cashews and coconut
are also extensively used.

The staple diet includes a portion of steamed rice with a vegetable and/or seafood accompaniment. Seafood is immensely popular due to its ease of availability, and is prepared with a lot of local spices. Tea is the most popular beverage and is sometimes supplemented with cardamom or mint to give a distinct flavour.

  • Kotte Kadubu: The main ingredients in Kotte Kadubu are jackfruit pulp and jaggery. The batter which is prepared with additional ingredients is put into a container and steamed. This dessert is a local delicacy and is served hot with ghee.
  • Holge: These are similar to the sweet equivalents of
    coconuts
    .
  • Todadevu is a special kind of thin-crust dosa made out of jaggery or sugarcane juice. (Most local desserts of Sirsi have jaggery rather than sugar.)
  • Shira: is rice cooked in sugar, ghee, and semolina.
  • Karakali: is a special kind of spicy chutney prepared from colocasia leaves.
  • Kotte Roti: A form of idli-like preparation, steam cooked in a conical shaped container constructed using jackfruit leaves.
  • Patrode : a special dish prepared by steaming stuffed colocasia leaves.
  • Neer Dose: A soft thin pancake made of batter of boiled rice, coconut milk and salt.
  • Kajmiji
  • Koli Kajjaya and Hosagere Kajjaya are made of rice flour and fried in oil is a famous dish often using roti. Often served with thick potato sambar or Nati chicken curry, it is a delicacy among the non-vegetarian communities in Siddapura.
  • Banana Buns
  • Hanchina Rotti
  • Ankola Koli Saaru
  • Appe Huli
  • Patholi
  • Kalali Masala
  • Genasle
  • Bhatkal Biryani
  • Tambli

Transport

Public transport

North West Karnataka Transport Corporation (NWKRTC) is the state transport agency in the district. The NWKRTC covers all towns & villages of the district. There is a good network of public transport which connects the villages to the towns of the district. There are regular intra state services to major cities & towns of the state like Bangalore, Mangalore, Shimoga, Mysore, Hubli-Dharwad & Belgaum. The Kadama Transport buses of neighboring Goa state provides regular service from Karwar to Mangalore and all part of Goa state. Kumta, Bhatkal and Sirsi are the main hubs for public transport which provides services to intra-district & intrastate round the clock.

Many private transport buses also provide services for inter / intra state from the district. Bhatkal is the main sector for private transport in the district. The NH-66 which passes through the district which connects Panvel near Mumbai to Kerala state, many private buses are plying on this Highway which provides inter-intra state services to places like Bombay, Poona, Kolhapore, Belgaum, Panaji, Margao, Udupi, Mangalore, Bangalore, Mysore, Bhatkal, Kasaragod, Cannanore, Calicut etc.

Railways

The following Railways pass through the district:

Ports

Uttara Kannada being one of the coastal district of the Karnataka state has a coast of 120 kilometres (75 mi) has many ports which are used for sea trade, naval base, fishing and other maritime activities.

  • Karwar Port is an intermediate sea port the main activities of this port are berthing of ocean going ships, coastal shipping, and fishing jetty. Ship bunkering facility is also available at Karwar port.
  • Karwar Airport will be built by the Indian Navy at Alageri village. Naval air base which is part of the Navy's Rs 10,000 crore Phase 2 of Project Seabird
  • INS Kadamba is a naval base at Arga village of Karwar which is used exclusively for berthing of naval vessels. A naval ship repair yard (dry docks) is also attached to it.
  • Belkeri Port is an anchorage port.
  • Tadri Port is a fishing port.
  • Kumta Port is a fishing port.
  • Honnavar Port is a fishing port.
  • Bhatkal Port is a fishing port. It was actually Project Seabird which is now in Karwar, people protest and proposal for withdrawn. There is another fishing port called Tengingundy Port.

The Proposed Hubli-Ankola railway line can be feasible venture for the future developments of the ports in the district, for movement of the cargo, at present roads are only major mode of cargo movement which leads to congestion of the National Highways of the district.

Nearby airports

Tourist places

Uttara Kannada (North Kanara) has many tourist places which cater to different likes of the people. There are many religious places like

Anshi National Park
(Kali Tiger Reserve) is located in Uttara Kannada Jille. The backwaters of dams built across river Kali at Kadra, Thattihalla, Kodasalli, Supa and Bommanahalli provide splendid views in rainy season. There are many waterfalls in Uttar Kannada district Sathodi, Devkar, Emme shirle, Arebail, Benne Hole, U nchalli, Burude, Balepatte to name a few.

Notable personalities

References

  1. ^ a b "District Census 2011: Uttara Kannada" (PDF). Registrar General and Census Commissioner of India. Retrieved 17 February 2012.
  2. ^ Chandra, Subhash (6 December 2020). "A new page: Reviving a piece of history". The New Indian Express.
  3. ISBN 978-0-520-24385-9
    .
  4. ^ "My Reminiscences by Rabindranath Tagore: Ch. 37: Nature's Revenge – Uttara Kannada in Tagore's memoirs". online-literature.com. Retrieved 16 November 2022.
  5. ^ "Project South Asia". Archived from the original on 20 July 2008. Retrieved 11 August 2009.
  6. ^ Karnataka Directorate of Economics and Statistics https://des.kar.nic.in/sites/Conference%20Files/3%20Consolidated%20-%20All%20Articles%20-%20GDDP.pdf
  7. ^ "Decadal Variation In Population Since 1901". censusindia.gov.in. Retrieved 16 November 2022.
  8. ^ a b c "District Census Handbook: Uttara Kannada" (PDF). censusindia.gov.in. Registrar General and Census Commissioner of India. 2011.
  9. ^ US Directorate of Intelligence. "Country Comparison:Population". Archived from the original on 13 June 2007. Retrieved 1 October 2011. Swaziland 1,436,847
  10. ^ "2011 Resident Population Data". U. S. Census Bureau. Retrieved 30 September 2011. Hawaii 1,436,847
  11. ^ "Table C-01 Population by Religion: Karnataka". censusindia.gov.in. Registrar General and Census Commissioner of India. 2011.
  12. ^ a b "Table C-16 Population by Mother Tongue: Karnataka". www.censusindia.gov.in. Registrar General and Census Commissioner of India.
  13. ^ "Enduring art". The Hindu. Chennai, India. 10 June 2004. Archived from the original on 30 August 2004. Retrieved 6 September 2007.
  14. ^ "yaksha". Encyclopædia Britannica. Retrieved 6 September 2007.

External links

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