Bhadravati or Bhadravathi is an industrial city or Steel Town and taluk in the Shivamogga District of the Indian state of Karnataka. It is situated at a distance of about 255 kilometres (158 mi) from the state capital Bengaluru and at about 20 kilometres (12 mi) from the district headquarters, Shivamogga.[2] The town is spread over an area of 67.0536 square kilometres (25.8895 sq mi) and has a population of 151,102 as per the census held in 2011.[3]

Bhadravati
Steel Town
Nickname: 
Benkipura
Bhadravati is located in Karnataka
Bhadravati
Bhadravati
Location in Karnataka, India
Coordinates: 13°50′24″N 75°42′07″E / 13.840°N 75.702°E / 13.840; 75.702
Country India
StateKarnataka
DistrictShivamogga
Named forBhadra River
Government
 • BodyCity Municipal Council
Area
 • Total67.0536 km2 (25.8895 sq mi)
Elevation
597 m (1,959 ft)
Population
 (2011)
 • Total151,102
 • Density2,300/km2 (5,800/sq mi)
Languages
 • OfficialKannada
Time zoneUTC+5:30 (IST)
PIN
577301, 577302
Telephone code+91-8282
ISO 3166 codeIN-KA
Vehicle registrationKA-14
Sex ratio1.04 /
Literacy87%
Distance from Bangalore255 kilometres (158 mi) NW
Distance from Shimoga20 kilometres (12 mi) E
ClimateTropical savanna climate (Köppen)
Precipitation950 millimetres (37 in)
Avg. summer temperature31 °C (88 °F)
Avg. winter temperature25 °C (77 °F)
Websitebhadravathicity.mrc.gov.in

History edit

Bhadravati derives its name from the Bhadra River which flows through the city. It was earlier known as Benkipura, which in English means "city of fire",[2] and earlier Benki Pattana'. At some point in history, it was probably also known as Venkipura ('venki' means 'turn' in Sanksrit),[4] as it is situated at the place where Bhadra river takes a 90 degree turn to the west, and then to the east. Hoysalas ruled the city. The Goddess "Haladammadevi & Antaragattammadevi" have guarded the city since past time. The sacred temples are still present in the city.[2]

In 1413, Yerelakka nayaka (ಎರೆಲಕ್ಕನಾಯಕ) who was ruling the two cities called Dumma and Banuru (ದುಮ್ಮ, ಬಾಣೂರು), built two more cities, after clearing some of the wild forest, and named them, Narasimha Pura and Lakshmipura. Subsequently, these two cities became Benkipura or Venkipura and then Bhadravathi, as it is situated on the banks of Bhadra river.[4]

Iron ore from the hill station of Kemmannugundi and water from the Bhadra River helped the establishment of an iron mill in 1918 Known as Mysore Iron and Steel Limited (MISL). Bhadravathi's reputation as an industrial town was further enhanced with the establishment of a paper manufacturing firm, the Mysore Paper Mills Limited in 1936.

Demographics edit

Based on the 2011 Indian census, Bhadravati has a population of 160,392, of which males constitute 51% and females 49%. Bhadravati has an average literacy rate of 86.36%, higher than the national average of 59.5%; with 91.39% of the males and 81.46% of the females literate.[5] 10% of the population is under 6 years of age.[6] Kannada is the main language spoken in this city.

Language edit

Languages of Bhadravati

  Kannada (75.91%)
  Urdu (10.45%)
  Tamil (5.56%)
  Telugu (2.53%)
  Marathi (1.30%)
  Hindi (2.48%)
  Malayalam (1.65%)
  Others (0.12%)

Geography edit

Location edit

Bhadravati lies in the central part of the Karnataka State, in the south-east corner of the Shivamogga district. The latitude and longitude coordinates of Bhadravati town are 13°50′24″N 75°42′07″E / 13.840°N 75.702°E / 13.840; 75.702 (Bhadravati).[7]

Bhadravati is at an altitude of 597 metres (1,959 ft) above sea level.

The Bhadra River flows from the Bhadra Wildlife Sanctuary through the Bhadravathi city, there are many mugger crocodile(Vulnerable) species present in the river Bhadra.

Bhadravati lies between Western Ghats (Malnad) and AreMalenad region.

The Bhadravati Taluk has a total area of 675.08 square kilometres (260.65 sq mi), a population of 338,611, and a population density of 501.56 inhabitants per square kilometre (1,299.0/sq mi). The taluk borders five other taluks, the Shimoga Taluk to the west, the Honnali Taluk to the north, the Channagiri Taluk to the east, the Tarikere Taluk to the south-east, and the Narasimharajapura Taluk to the south-west.[8]

Climate edit

The average temperature in the summer is between 25 °C (77 °F) and 37 °C (99 °F). The average winter temperature is between 20 °C (68 °F) and 30 °C (86 °F).[9] The annual precipitation in the city is around 950 millimetres (37 in).[10]

Regional edit

There are 5 hobli headquarters in Bhadravathi:

  • Kudligere (ಕೂಡ್ಲಿಗೆರೆ)
  • Holehonnuru (ಹೊಳೆಹೊನ್ನೂರು)
  • Anaveri (ಆನವೇರಿ)
  • Hiruyur (ಹಿರಿಯೂರು)
  • Singanamane (ಸಿಂಗನಮನೆ)
  • Anjenaya agrahara

Transport edit

Road edit

One national highways passes through the city; NH-69(former NH-206); Two state highways pass through the city as well. KSRTC has a bus depot here, under Shivamogga division. Buses that ply from Bangalore to Shivamogga stop at Bhadravati and the entire journey takes around six hours to complete. Interstate buses to Coimbatore, Tirupati, Salem, Tiruvannamalai, Pune etc. are available from Bhadravathi.

Rail edit

The ShivamoggaBangalore train, the BirurShivamogga train, and the MysuruShivamogga train all go through Bhadravati. It is well connected by rail to the Bengaluru city.[11]

Air edit

The nearest airport is the newest Shivamogga Domestic Airport, around 21 kilometres (13 mi) from Bhadravati and the next nearest airport is at Mangaluru International Airport, around 198 kilometres (123 mi) from Bhadravati. Bengaluru International Airport is at a distance of 275 kilometres (171 mi).[12]

Economy edit

Bhadravati has two major factories that take up a large part of the city:[7] The Mysore Iron Works, which is now known as Visvesvaraya Iron and Steel Plant factory, started by Nalvadi Krishnaraja Wodeyar along with his Diwan Sir M. Visvesvarayya, and the Mysore Paper Mills factory.

Tourist Places edit

Bhadravati lies in the border of two Malnad districts Shimoga and Chickmagalur. Major Tourist attractions around the city include;

1. Lakshmi Narasimha Temple : The temple built in 13th century in Hoysala architecture situated in the heart of the city.

2. Bhadra Dam : Bhadra Dam is situated across Bhadra river which is20 km from the city.

3. Bhadra Wildlife Sanctuary : BWS is a protected area and a tiger reserve as part of Project Tiger, located 23 km south of Bhadravathi

4. Gondi : Gondi is situated at the foothills of western ghats, Check dam is the major tourist attraction of the place.

5. Kenchammanna Gudda and Gangur : situated amidst the western ghats, which is a major tourist attraction in monsoon.

Sports edit

Vishveshwarayya Iron & Steel Plant Ground is located in Bhadravati. The stadium was built in 1960 and can hold 25,000 spectators. The ground has played host to Ranji Trophy cricket matches on two occasions for home team Karnataka.[13]

Notable personalities edit

Sports:

Entertainment:

Technology:

References edit

  1. ^ "Bhadravathi City Statistics". Bhadravathi City Municipal Council. Archived from the original on 17 June 2006. Retrieved 1 August 2010.
  2. ^ a b c "Tourism". Bhadravati City Municipal Council. Archived from the original on 17 June 2006. Retrieved 1 August 2010.
  3. ^ "Home | ಭದ್ರಾವತಿ ನಗರಸಭೆ". Archived from the original on 1 February 2014. Retrieved 2014-01-28.
  4. ^ a b ನಾಯಕ, ಹಾ. ಮ. (n.d.). ಕನ್ನಡ ಭಾರತಿ 6: ಆರನೆಯ ತರಗತಿ. Karnataka Sarkara Text Book Department. p. 89. Retrieved 29 April 2022.
  5. ^ "Bhadravati City Population Census 2011 | Karnataka". www.census2011.co.in. Retrieved 12 November 2015.
  6. ^ "Census of India 2001: Data from the 2001 Census, including cities, villages and towns (Provisional)". Census Commission of India. Archived from the original on 16 June 2004. Retrieved 1 November 2008.
  7. ^ a b Google. "Bhadravati" (Map). Google Maps. Google.
  8. ^ Census of India 2001 (Map) (2001 ed.). Atlas of India. Cartography by Geoclip. Anne-Claire Couïc, Christophe Guilmoto, and Sébastien Oliveau. Retrieved 1 August 2010.
  9. ^ "Bhadravati City Municipal Council". Bhadravati City Municipal Council. Archived from the original on 17 June 2006. Retrieved 1 August 2010.
  10. ^ International Water Management Institute; Sakthivadivel, R.; Thiruvengadachari, S.; Amarasinghe, Upali A. (1999). "Modernization using the structured system design of the Bhadra Reservoir Project, India: an intervention analysis" (PDF). IWMI Research Report (33). Colombo, Sri Lanka: International Water Management Institute: 6. doi:10.3910/2009.040. ISBN 978-92-9090-385-7. ISSN 1026-0862. Retrieved 1 August 2010. normal annual rainfall of 950 mm in Bhadravati
  11. ^ "BHADRAVATI, BDVT". Train Running Information. Indian Railways. Retrieved 1 August 2010.
  12. ^ "Airport work to begin on May 15 – The Times of India". The Times of India. Retrieved 20 September 2016.
  13. ^ Cricinfo. "Vishvesharayya Iron & Steel Ltd Ground". Retrieved 1 August 2010.
  14. ^ "Forbes 2020 30 Under 30 Finance & VC Category", Forbes, Retrieved 17 April 2020.

External links edit