A fish sanctuary across Cauvery

This is not only a pilgrimage centre but it also boats of a fish sanctuary. It has several temples, which were initially constructed by the Cholas and then renovated and repaired by the Hoysalas. Unfortunately, the temples are not as well known as the temples of Halebidu and Belur though this place too is located in Hasaan district.

Hasssan is native to many places with Hoysala temples such as Belur, Halebidu and Ganga style temples in Shravanabelogala. However, this town, though located on the banks of the Cauvery, is relatively unknown to both tourists and pilgrims.

This is Ramanathapura, a fish sanctuary and a temple town in Arkalgud taluk, located  about 50 kilometres from Hassan.

Ramanathapura is among the few fishing sanctuaries located across the Cauvery and fishing is banned in this area. This ban has helped a variety of fish thrive in the sanctuary.

One of the most well-known fish found here is Deccan Masheer, Black Masheer or Tor khudree, which belongs to the carp family of freshwater fishes.

It is considered to be the greatest game fish in India and has therefore, been almost fished to extinction. It is now listed in the IUCN Red list as highly endangered.

Other fishes seen here include Rohu or Rahu, which also belongs to the Carp family, and the Maithili Brahmins and Kayasthas of Bihar and Uttar Pradesh treat it as one of their most sacred foods and they eat it on all auspicious occasions: Butter fish-these look like smaller versions of angel fishes and they are mainly classified as ornamental fishes: Katli Mahseer, which is also called copper masher and its is found in Krishna river too. In Karnataka, it is called Billi Meenu: Carnatic carp, which is a species of ray-finned fish. It is also called Barbodes carnaticus and it was first was described by Jerdon in 1849 when he came across this species in  Bhavani river, Nilgiris:   Spiny Eel, Freshwater shark and many other species are found here.

Pilgrims come here to visit the Rameshwara temple. This temple is generally classified as a Hoysala structure and there are five other temples. There is the Agastheswara, Durga Rameshwari, Lakshminarasimha, Subramanya, Pattibhirama temples also. All the temples are built in Dravadian style. The Lakshminarasimha temple was built during the reign of Chikkadevaraja Wodeyar. The Subramanya Temple has an interesting tale. A local ruler,  Ballalaraya, was harassing people of the area. The then Swamiji of Kukke Subramanya Matha came to Ramanathapura. Ballalaraya and Narasa Nayaka, the palegar of  Holenarsipur,  joined hands in welcoming the Madhwa seer and they consecrated the  Subramanya temple.

To this day, pooja at the Subramanya temple is performed by Madhwa priests. This temple features Subramanya as a seven hooded serpent. The car festival of Subramanya is held on  Maragashira Shuddha Shasti  and a cattle fair and rural exhibition are part of the festival which draws devotees from Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu apart from Karnataka.

The Agashteshwara temple has a beautiful shrine dedicated to Shiva. Apart from the Shiva Linga, the temple houses idols of Mahaganapathi, Parashurama, Lakshmi, Chamundi and other deities.   

The Durga Rameshwari  temple is an important Shakti Stala. The idol of the deity was installed by Shankaracharya. There is a Sanskrit Vedic patashala here

The idol of Pattabhirama temple is believed to have been consecrated by a rishi named Saubari or Soubhari, the son of Kanva Rishi.

Soubhari lived under water for twelve years when a king called Mandhata was ruling the area. One day, Soubhari came across the king of the fishes playing in the water with his children and grandchildren. This made Soubhari feel that he too should get married and that he too should have children and grandchildren. He then married all the fifty daughters of Mandhata.

The car festival of this deity is on Mrigashira Ramanuja saptaha.

The Prasanna Rameshwara Temple was built by the Hoysalas and subsequently renovated by the Vijayanagars. This is one of the most important temples in the area.

Hassan is the city nearest to Ramanathapura and this village is well-connected by road.  

The elephant sanctuary near Kolar

The elephants returned to these forests after more than 200 years. The elephants came in large numbers from the neighbouring states seeking food  and shelter.

The State initially rejoiced over the return of the elephants and quickly declared it as its only elephant sanctuary. The euphoria lasted just a few months before the familiar tale of man-animal conflict began and 50 people lost their live to elephants while a dozen of these majestic pachyderms were electrocuted.

In the last decade, more and more elephants have been migrating to this reserve which today is the only sanctuary in the State with a population of Asian elephants.

Strangely this sanctuary is more near to Karnataka though the sanctuary is not situated here. This is the Kaundinya wildlife sanctuary which is near Palamner in the state of Andhra Pradesh and it is just 30 kilometers away form Kolar.

The sanctuary is in Chittor district and it is just 120 kms from Bangalore. It is just a little more than two and half hour journey from Bangalore.

This is the only sanctuary in  Andhra Pradesh with a population of Asian elephants which migrated after 200 years from neighbouring regions of Bannerghatta and Anekal near Bangalore and forests of Hosur in Tamil Nadu.

Between 1983 and 1986, nearly 39 elephants moved into Kaundinya forcing the Andhra Government to act quickly and declare it as an elephant reserve (It was in 199-0 that the elephant reserve was formed).

Today, there are 75 elephants and all of them are from the forests of Karnataka and Tamil Nadu. The sanctuary has high hills and deep valleys with dry deciduous forests and thorny scrubs. These are interspersed with trees. These forests have small ponds, tanks and the Kaindinya and Kaigal rivers which are tributaries of Palar.

Apart from elephants, you can easily spot sloth bears, Chettal, Panther, Sambar, Porcupine, Wild Boar, Chowsingha, Starred Tortoise, Slender Loris, Jackal, Jungle Fowl and Jungle cat.

Unfortunately, the man–animal conflict that drove these elephants from Karnataka and Tamil Nadu are now being replayed here.

Over grazing, illegal felling of trees, collection of firewood, insufficient fodder have led to increased conflicts between elephants and man.

More than 50 people have been killed so far by elephants, and 12 elephants have been electrocuted by villagers. The Forest Department of Andhra  has found that Kalyani Dam in Chamala Valley, a part of Sri Venkateshwara National Park, is a good habitat for elephants. An elephant corridor is being planned between Koundinya Wildlife Sanctuary and Sri Venkateshwara National Park.

The sanctuary is 30 kms from Kloar and 60 kms from Chitoor. It covers an area of  358 sq kms and it is surrounded by small towns like V.Kota, Ramakuppam and Bandarlapalle.

October to April is the best time to visit the sanctuary. A number of buses and private transport to the sanctuary are available from Palamaneru or Palamneer, which is 41 km from Chittoor.
The nearest railway stations is Palamaneru.
The best place to stay is at the forest guest house at Palamaneru, Madanapalli and Horseley Hills. For more details contact the  Divisional Forest Officer, Chittoor (West). Ph: 08572-232458, Forest Range Officer, Palamaner, Ph: 08579-251027.

The country's only Vulture sanctuary

The country’s first vulture sanctuary is in Karnataka and it is located just a little away from Bangalore.

What makes the sanctuary all the more alluring to a wildlife enthusiast or a bird watcher is that the sanctuary is just off the busy Bangalore-Mysore road an getting there can never be a problem even in dead of night.

The sanctuary, the first in India, is located on Ramadevara Betta in Ramanagar, which is about 50 kilometres from Bangalore on the busy Bangalore-Mysore highway. Until its declaration as a habitat for the vultures, the Betta was better known as the p[lace where the iconic Hindi film Sholay was “shot”.     

The vultures, which are an endangered species, have found the Ramadevara Betta an ideal place to nest and breed. It has now become a heaven for a fairly large congregation of critically endangered vultures.

These are long-billed vultures and they are also called as the Indian Vulture (Gyps indicus). They are closely related to the Griffon Vulture and they breed mainly on hilly areas in central and south India.

Thus a scavenger, feeding on the carcass of dead animals and they often move in flocks. They have a bald head, very broad wings and short tail.

These vultures have found the Ramanagar rocks and hills the best place to nest.   

The State Government woke up top the threat that these vultures were facing on and January 31, 2012, declared 346.14 hectares in and around the hill as Ramadevarabetta Vulture Sanctuary.
The area of the sanctuary has been demarked and boards put up.

However, the process to declares it as a protected area began in 2005.
Ramadevarabetta  is classified as one of the world’s oldest granite outcrops and is also known as South India’s earliest rock climbing hub. The region may see yet another sanctuary coming up-this one is for bears.