Sirsi, Karnataka

Śirasi
—  town  —
Marikamba temple at Sirsi
Śirasi Location of Śirasi in Karnataka and India
Coordinates	14°37′10″N 74°50′07″E
Country	India
State	Karnataka
District(s)	Uttara Kannada
Population	65,352 (2001)
Time zone	IST (UTC+05:30)
Area • Elevation	• 590 metres (1,940 ft)
Codes • Pincode • 5814xx • Telephone • +91 8384 • Vehicle • KA-31

Sirsi (Kannada: ಶಿರಸಿ Śirasi) is a town in the Uttara Kannada district in the Indian state of Karnataka. It is a hill station town with a population of around 90,000 people.This is the largest town in Uttara Kannada district. The town is surrounded by lush green forest and the region is popular for a large number of waterfalls. Hubli 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 14.62°N 74.85°E / 14.62; 74.85. 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.

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 rainfalls 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 found commonly in the forests of the region. Thus, deforestation and poaching have been causes for concern in recent years. The climate in Sirsi is very pleasant, especially from October till February. Its a very beautiful place which everyone should visit. g

Demographics

As of 2001 India census, Sirsi had a population of 65,352. Males constitute 51% of the population and females 49%. Sirsi has an average literacy rate of 79%, which is much higher than the national average of 66%: male literacy is 82%, and female literacy is 76%. About 12% of the population is under 6 years of age.The majority of the people in Sirsi speak dialects of Kannada, most notably the Havyaka dialect. A sizeable part of the population, both Hindus and Christians, also speaks Konkani.There are also Muslims in this city.

Language in Sirsi City
Language			Percent
Kannada			85%
Konkani			08%
Urdu			05%
Others			02%

Reaching there

Road: Sirsi is linked to other parts of the state many state highways. Sirsi linked to neighbouring district headquarters of Dharwad, Udupi, Haveri, Belagaum, Shimoga. The state corporation has a very good network of buses to all major cities/towns in Karnataka and Maharashtra. VRL (www.vrllogistics.com) and Sugama Transport are the 2 major private bus operators.

Railways: Nearest railhead is at Kumta. Kumta is 58 km from Sirsi. Kumta is situated on Konkan Railway line connecting Mangalooru to Mumbai. Major railhead is Hubli, which is the Zonal Headquarters of South Western Railways.

Air: Nearest airport is in Hubli which is about 2.5 hrs drive from Sirsi. Hubli is connected to Bangaluru and Mumbai by air.

Art and culture

Main article: Yakshagana

Yakshagana artist with Kirita depicts King

Yakshagana artist with Kedige

Yakshagana (Kannada:ಯಕ್ಷಗಾನ, pronounced as yaksha-gaana) is a classical dance drama popular in the state of Karnataka in India mostly popular in the districts of Uttara Kannada, Shimoga, Udupi, Dakshina Kannada 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 spntanously 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 village 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 Kannada and Tulu (meaning play). Yaksha-gana literally means the song (gana) of a Yaksha. Yakshas were an exotic tribe mentioned in the Sanskrit literature of ancient India.

TV and Radio

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.

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 from a very long time and are quite popular among the villagers. There are no much Amateur Radio operations in and around the town.

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 are the local papers published here. Lokadhwani can also be accessed on the Internet http://www.sirsi.in

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.

Digital media penetration

This town has an incredible penetration of telecom (fixed lines and mobiles). In the recent past, DTH penetration have revolutionized the TV media in the rural and urban parts of the town. The main city centre has a number of cybercafes and social media subscriptions are increasing tremendously amongst the youth today. Majority of the mobile network has coverage only in city limits. BSNL mobile has a good coverage in the rural parts. Mobile Service providers have not yet launched 3G services here. Fixed line internet facilities have greatly improved in the town with the launching of BSNL Dataone Broadband.

Restaurants and hotels

Sirsi has five major hotels: Panchavati, Kamat, Madhuvan, Samrat and Shivani. Best Places To Stay : Hotel Madhuvan And Panchavati and at Triveni Lodge (Kamat Group) for those who dont want to spend more. Shivani is an other option to stay. Best Hotels For Food : Non-Veg: Kamat ofcourse & Panchvati for veg lovers

For people who enjoy junk food items or those who want a quick snack, there plenty of mobile eateries and stalls just outside the KSRTC Bus Stand of Sirsi. (For the people abroad who come for a small vacation and enjoy Mars, Snickers, Oreos and Nutella, these items are available at a couple of grocery stores outside the bus depot that keep limited stocks of these items as well)

If you are in Sirsi, make sure you gulp a bottle of 'Jeera Soda'. Much better than variants of soda!Another popular soft drink during summer season is a drink called 'Kokam' which has many medicinal values.

Papads : Be sure to grab Sirsi special Jackfruit Papads (Halasina Kai Happala).

People from the cities can find it difficult to find a comfortable hotel though to sit, relax to drink and dine

Banking/Finance facilities

SBI,State Bank Of Mysore, Corporation Bank, Karnataka bank, Vijaya Bank, Bank Of Baroda, Syndicate Bank , HDFC Bank are some banks with full-fledged operations. SBI, SBM, Corporation Bank,ICICI Bank,HDFC , Vijaya Bank, Bank Of Baroda and Syndicate Bank and have automated teller machines in place as well. Co-operative banks namely Urban bank and Suvarna Co-operative banks have their head quarters in Sirsi. Currently there are no forex converting facilities in Sirsi.

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 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 reighning deity Madhukeshwara of Banavasi, derived name from the colour of the linga, which has colour of honey.

Sode/ Sonda/ Swadi is situated at a distance of 22 km from sirsi. The main deity of Sonda is lord Trivikram along concert goddess Rama. Just beside the temple, the famous Vadiraja Mutt is situated.

Special sweet dishes in Sirsi

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

Holge: Well these are not similar to pancakes but one could say that these are the sweet equivalents of tortillas. One variant is made with gramflour and jaggery while the other is made with coconuts.

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

Mosques

Jamiya Masjid, CP Bazar Sirsi, Sultani Masjid, Khaji Galli, Madina Masjid, C.P.Bazar, Norani Masjid, Indra Nagar,rajeev nagar,5th circle,m.g.road,Masjid E-Noor. Kasturi ba nagar, etc. located at 200 meters from Sirsi KSRTC main bus stand. This holy place serves for 5000 thousand believers around the community. Also there are number of mosques(masjids)around the town.

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. The Parish Priest is Rev. Fr. Felix Fernandes. which also adjoins a quality school. The Don Bosco High School is run by the Salesian Priests.

One more beautiful church is Infant Jesus Church in Agasebagil. The Parish Priest is Rev. Fr. Bonventure Rodrigues.

The Christian Community here is basically Catholic. We mention the St. Thomas Church, as an example.

THE PEOPLE OF SIRSI

What is most important about this town is that the people are very hospitable. The people here speak Kannada, Hindi, Urdu, Marathi, English, Konkani and can be very helpful to any stranger who visits this town.

Prominent places in the Taluk of Sirsi

• Banavasi, the capital of an ancient kingdom in Karnataka (state) ruled by the Kadamba Dynasty is 24 km away from the Sirsi town center. Banavasi is considered as the "first" capital of Karnataka state, with the current capital being Bangalore. Although most of the ancient grandeur of the dynasty in Banavasi has been lost, an ancient temple for Madhukeshwara (Lord Shiva) is still largely intact, and has been declared a monument of historical importance by the Archaeological Survey of India.
• Sahasralinga, (Sanskrit for a thousand Shiva (deity) Linga's) is another place of significance, where sculptures carved from stone are installed in the middle of a flowing river. The river is surrounded by lush green forest; the place is about 10 km away from the town center. The place is quite secluded, except during "Maha Shivaratri" celebrations when it receives a sizeable number of pilgrims from the surrounding areas.
• Sonda, famous for its Sri Vadiraja Matha, and the Swarnavalli Mutt are about 15 km away from Sirsi.
• Unchalli falls, (also known as Keppa Joga, referring to the other more famous waterfall nearby, Jog falls) is situated about 30 km from Sirsi, and is one of the biggest tourist attractions near Sirsi. The waterfall is a 116 meter drop and offers spectacular views at all times of the year.
• Yana is a nature's wonder.

Other destinations

• Shivaganga Falls
• Burude Falls
• Benne Hole falls
• Pancha linga
• Ganesh Paalu
• Mattighatta falls
• Waate Halla falls
• Muregaar falls
• "Vedic vana" Bakkala
• Kumbri gudda(hill)
• Dhoranagiri
• Musukina baavi
• Manjaguni Devasthana
• Giligundi cave
• Mabgi falls
• Batrashi Gudda
• Baroor Kenchagadde
• Jog falls
• a sacred place of Shri Shri Vadiraja swami, by name TAPOVANA is a superb place to visit
• banagere falls

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

• MES's Motensor Memorial College of Arts and Science, Sirsi
• Chandana English Medium School
• College of Forestry (Constituent of University of Agricultural Sciences, Dharwad) at Banavasi Road, Sirsi.
• Ave Maria Primary & High School [1]
• St. Anthony's English medium primary school
• KHB Colony Sarakari Hiriya prathamika shale
• Govt Higher Primary School No. 2, Sirsi
• Govt Higher Primary School No. 3, Sirsi
• Govt Higher Primary School No. 4, Sirsi
• St. Anthony's English Medium High School (Don Bosco English Medium School), Sirsi
• JMJ Educational Institute, Chipge, Sirsi
• Madhyamika Shikshanalaya, Neernalli,
• MES's College Of Commerce, Sirsi
• MES's College of Law, Sirsi
• Union High School, Khaji Galli, Sirsi
• UNION HIGH SCHOOL ( Under construction Building ), Indra Nagar Cross, Hubli Road, Sirsi.
• Model Boys School, Sirsi
• Morarji Desai Residential School, Sirsi
• Nilekani Higher Primary School, Sirsi
• Progressive High School, Sirsi
• MES, R N Shetty's Polytechnic, Sirsi
• Sahyadri High School, Sirsi
• Shri Gajanana High School, Sampakhanda, Sirsi
• Shri Marikamba High School, Sirsi
• Sri Sharadhambha High School, Bhairumbe, Sirsi
• Vidyodaya PU College, Yadalli, Sirsi
• Lions Club's School, Sirsi
• Shri Gajanana Secondary School Hegdekatta,Sirsi
• Sri siddivinayaka High School Goli
• L.N.M.S High School Salkani, Sirsi
• Iqra English high school, Muslim street sirsi
• MES pre primary,primary&high school,sirsi
• MES Engineering College, sirsi
• Don Bosco PU College Sirsi

External links

• State Government website on Sirsi
• Sirsi Package Tours
• Blog by Ravikiran on Sirsi
• More information about Gopal Krishna Temple Sirsi
• Marikamba Temple of Sirsi by Dr.Jyotsna Kamat
• Heche karnataka a small village with kadamba history.
• Oficial Shri Marikamba Website
• Sirsi Travel Guide
• Sirsi Local Website
• blog by a sirsian
• Sirsi on Google Map
• Sonda Vadiraja Mutt
• Keremane Yakshagana Mela