TUNGABHADRA RIVER

The 'Tungabhadra River' (Kannada:ತುಂಗಬಧ್ರಾ ನದಿ) is a sacred river in southern India that flows through the states of Karnataka and part of Andhra Pradesh to merge with the larger Krishna River in Andhra Pradesh.^[1]
It is the chief tributary of the Krishna River. In the epic Ramayana the Tungabhadra river was known by the name of Pampa (though another river in Kerala now bears the name Pampa.)

Contents

Course

Temples

Problems

References

External links

Course

The Tungabhadra River is formed by the confluence of two rivers, the Tunga River and the Bhadra River which flow down the eastern slope of the Western Ghats in the state of Karnataka.^[2] It then takes a northeasterly direction through rugged ridges formed by boulders piled on ancient granite outcroppings over the elevated plateau that dominates peninsular India, the Deccan Plateau. The wilderness is extremely beautiful. Piles of granite in varying colors of grey, ochre and pink dominate the landscape. The river has cut through weaker rocky substrata of the Hampi landscape and created a narrow gorge where granite hills confine the river in a deep ravine.^[3]

In this setting the ruins of Vijayanagara and Hampi, the seat of power of the Vijayanagar empire, overlook this holy river, creating a mythological landscape merging sacred traditions about a multitude of significant divinities.^[4]
The granite outcrops slowly disappear as the river flows south and the land opens into a long, broad plain ending at the rising slopes of the Sandur hills, rich in iron and manganese, beyond which is the town of Hospet. A dam, the Tungabhadra Dam, was constructed at Hospet in the middle of the 20th century to harness the river water, aiding the growth of agriculture and industry in this region.^[5]
The Tungabhadra River then flows east, joining the Krishna in the Andhra Pradesh state. From here the Krishna continues east to empty into the Bay of Bengal.
The wedge of land that lies north of the Tungabhadra River, between the Tungabhadra and the Krishna, is known as the Raichur Doab.

Temples

There are a number of ancient and holy sites on the banks of the Tungabhadra River. At Harihara there is a temple dedicated to Harihareshwara. Surrounding the modern town of Hampi, are the ruins of Vijayanagara, the site of the powerful Vijayanagara Empire's capital city and now a World Heritage Site. The site, including the Vijayanagara temple complex ruins, are being restored.^[6]

Problems

Industrial pollution has damaged the Tungabhadra river. Industries located on its banks in the Dharwad district& Davangere of Karnataka generate enormous amounts of effluents.
Down river from the industries, the water has turned dark brown and has a pungent odour. Altogether, the Tungabhadra River pollution has affected 1,00,000 people in the sub-basin as most villages used the river water, previously obtained through the ancient tank system, for drinking, bathing, irrigating crops, fishing and livestock water. The livelihood of village fishermen has been harmed by regular fish kills that have exhausted Tungabhadra's fisheries.^[7]

References

1. Tungabhadra River
2. Tungabhadra Board
3. Physical landscape of Vijayanagara
4. Vijayanagara Site
5. Hospet
6. Vijayanagara Research Project
7. River Krishna

External links

★ Map of Tungabhadra River through Vijayanagara

★ Photo of the Tungabhadra River, near the Open Island Centre, Hampi

★ Photos of the river at Hampi

★ River Krishna

★ Physical landscape

★ Photo,map & article on Tungabhadra