Agumbe

State: Karnataka

Main Languages: Kannada

 

Introduction: The village of Agumbe is located in the Shimoga district in Karnataka. It is one of the most scenic places in India. This village is also known as the Cherrapunji of the south due to the heavy rainfall it gets. Agumbe also has the only permanent rainforest research station in India known as the Agumbe Rainforest Research Station. The famous herpetologist, Romulus Whitaker had called this village the capital of King Cobra. Areas near Agumbe have been converted for protection of medicinal plants. 

 

Biodiversity and environment: 

 

Agumbe is a part of the Western ghats as well as Malnad which makes it surrounding very rich in biodiversity. The village lies adjacent to one of the last lowland rainforests Someshware wildlife sanctuary and Kudremukh National Park. There are some of the newest species of flora and fauna found near this region. The village also gets its name from the various species available here. 

 

Climate:

 

The rainfall in this region dominates the climate of the region. Agumbe gets the second highest rainfall in the country after Cherrapunji. The mean annual rainfall is 7640 mm and the maximum rainfall recorded in one month was 4508 mm in August 1946.

 

Tourism:

 

Agumbe is the paradise for nature lovers. There are various tourist attractions here which attract tourists from all over the world. There are many waterfalls here like the Kunchikal Falls which is the highest waterfall in India and 116th in the world. This waterfall has been formed by the Varahi River. The Barkana Falls are the 10th highest in the world and is formed by the Seeta River. Another famous waterfall here is the Onake Abbi Fall. 

 

Apart from the waterfalls there is a popular sunset point in the village where tourists can see the sun setting over the Arabian Sea, which is very far from the village. The Rainforest research station and the Medicinal plants conservation area are can also be visited. 

 

Malgudi Days:

 

One of the most popular televisions serials called Malgudi Days had also been shot here. The serial had bee directed by Shankar Nag and was based on the novel by R.K Narayan. Many episodes from this serial had been shot here. A new series of episodes had been shot here in 1985.

 

Transportation:

 

Agumbe is located near the town of Thirthahalli, near the National Highway NH-13. It can also be reached through NH-4 which connects the state capital, Bangalore to Agumbe. NH-206 also connects the village till Shimoga. The nearest railway station is the Konkan Railway and the near airport is Mangalore. One of the most convenient road routes to reach Agumbe is the Banagalore via Hassan, Belur, Chikkamagalore.

 

Naxalite activities:

 

Since the year 2005 there has been reported Naxalite activity in this region. There has been a deployment of the Karnataka State Police personnel near Agumbe to check the intersections and minimize the risks of all these notorious activities. But the tourists continue to visit Agumbe and the tourism in this region has not been hampered by the same.