General 1

CHAPTER I GENERAL

Mandya district, located in the southern plain of State is mostly covered by greenery. Till the beginning of the 20th Century, this district was a dry area. After the construction of Krishnarajasagar dam, it got extensive irrigational facilities leading to the economic progress of the district. Since and paddy are extensively cultivated in this district, it has been given the epithet ‘Sugar and paddy bowl” of Karnataka. The hydroelectric power project of Shivasamudram which was commenced in 1902 in this district has the distinction of being the second Electric Power Station in Asia. All the seven taluks of the districts are covered by the Command Area Development Authority, Cauvery Basin. Sericulture being a profitable occupation has resulted in wide spread mulberry cultivation throughout this district and is widespread in all the taluks. All the towns, villages and hamlets of the district have been electrified. The district has a good network of transport and communication. The - rail line and highway passes through the district. The educational progress of the district has been impressive. Since the last two decades, many educational centres including a Post Graduation centre of the Mysore University and a College of Agriculture under the jurisdiction of the University of Agricultural Sciences, Bangalore have been established here. The district has also distinguished itself in the field of literature and culture. 2 District Gazetteer

The district has many tourist spots and places of historical importance in its vicinity. Shrirangapattana which enjoyed the status of the capital of Mysore Province between 1610 and 1799, Shivasamudram with its Gaganachukki and Barachukki waterfalls of Cauvery, falls near Dhanagur, the charming Brindavan gardens of Krishnarajasagar are renowned tourist places. Bird Sanctuary at Ranganathittu near Shrirangapattana is very popular. , Tonnur, Shrirangapattana, Adichunchanagiri are other important pilgrim centres. Kambadahalli of taluk is known for beautiful basadi of Ganga period and is a holy place for Jains. The temples of Hoysala period are found in Govindanahalli, Hosa , , , Agrahara Bachahalli, Madapura and Tenginaghatta of taluk, Nagamangala, Bellur and Lalanakere of Nagamangala taluk, , Hosobudanuru and in other places of Mandya taluk. The River Cauvery forms three small islands popularly called Adiranga, Madyaranga and Antyaranga, of which Adiranga is located in Shrirangapatna, Madya ranga in Shivasamudra ( taluk), and Antyaranga being Sri Ranga in Tamil Nadu. One more Shrirangappattana in the Dubare forest of has been recently discovered by Dr.M.G. Nagaraj. Origin of name , like most of the districts of Karnataka, takes its name from the headquarters. According to a mythological account of Mandya, the place, before it was called Mandya, seems to have been known as ‘vedaranya’ and later as ‘Vishnupura’. In the ‘Krita Yuga’ it is said, this part of the country was covered with thick jungles and a ‘rishi’ was doing ‘tapas’ (penance) here. He is said to have installed the God Janardhana or Varadaraja Swami and was said to be teaching the wild beasts to pronounce the sacred word ‘veda’. On this account, the place came to be known as vedaranya. Several years later, during the same ‘yuga’, another ‘rishi’, who was residing here, set up an image of the god, Sakaleshwara Swami, and Lord Vishnu, it is said, appeared to him. The place was thereafter renamed as Vishnupura. Another account says that towards the age of ‘Dwapara Yuga’, a king by name Indravarma, who had no issues, came to this place in the hope of getting a son. His prayers were granted, and his son, Somavarma , built a fort and an ‘agrahara’ at this place and gave it the name mandevemu, which it is believed, has been corrupted into Mandya. It is also said that in the ancient days, a great and popular sage called Mandavya, lived in the area doing ‘tapas’ and the place came to be called Mandya after his name. General 3

The name Mandya has been entrenched in the inscription of 1276 AD found at Ananthapadmanabha temple near Hosabudanuru which belongs to Mummadi Narasimha (Narasimha III) as ‘Anadi Agrahara Mandya’. The first Brahmin families which settled down here, named the place Mandya after their native place near Tirupati. Mandya continued to remain a ‘sarvamanya’ village till the time of , who withdraw the concession. He also shifted the taluk office from Mandya to Keregode but later, Dewan Purnaniah retransferred it to Mandya. In the copper plate of Krishnadevaraya of Vijayanagar Kingdom of 1516 AD, there is a reference of ‘Agrahara Mandaya’ and ‘Chikka Manteya’ given to Govinda Raja, twelth in descent from Ananthacharya a disciple of Saint Ramanujacharya and the first Brahmin family said to have settled down here, having migrated from ‘Mandevamu’ near Tirupathi. It can be inferred that the present name Mandya was derived from Mandeya, which further changed to Mantheya and earlier was a centre of learning. Location and Boundaries To the north west of the district lies Holenarasipur and Channarayapatna taluks of Hassan district and to its north and north-east are Kunigal and Turuvekere taluks of Tumkur district and to its east lie Kanakapura and Channapatna taluks of and to its south and south west are Mysore, Tirumakudal Narasipur, Krishnarajanagar taluks of and Kollegal taluk of . The district extends from 76° 19’–77° 07’ East latitude and 12° 11’ N – 13° 00’ North longitude. It is unique in that the district has no common boundary with any other state and is encircled on all sides by five districts of Karnataka state. Area and population Mandya district has a total area of 4,961 sq. km. which forms 2.59 per cent of the total geographical area of the State. It ranks 20th among 27 districts of Karnataka in terms of area. The total population of the district is 16,44,374, which forms 3.66 per cent of the total population of the state and ranks 9th among the 27 districts in terms of population. According to the provisional statistics available in the 2001 census, the total population of the district amounts 17,61,718 which includes 8,87,307 males and 8,74,411 females. Out of the total population, 14,79,534 people live in rural areas and the remaining 2,82,184 people live in urban areas. While Nagamangala taluk with 21 per cent of the total area of the district occupies the first place in respect of area among 4 Mandya District Gazetteer the taluks, Shrirangapattana taluk which comprises of three per cent of the area of the district figures is in the last place. Mandya taluk which has a population 23 per cent of the district has the highest population among the taluks of this district. Shrirangapattana taluk has only has nine per cent of the total population of the district. The district has seven taluks, 31 hoblies , 1,365 inhabited and 13 uninhabited villages and seven towns (as on 2002). The district has two revenue divisions with Mandya, Maddur and taluks under Mandya Sub-division and Krishnarajpet, Nagamangala, and Shrirangapattana taluks under Pandavapura sub-division. The geographical and the general information of Mandya district is given in table 1.1 and 1.2 and details of population census of 1991 is given in table 1.3 and provisional census statistics of of 2001 is given in table 1.4 and hobli-wise details of revenue villages in table 1.5. Table 1.1 Geographical details of Mandya District Sl.No. Taluk Area in East Longitude North Latitude Sq.Km From To From To

1 Krishnarajpet 905 76o19` 76o37` 12o28` 12o53` 2 Maddur 618 76o 42` 77o06` 12o24 12o47` 3 Malavalli 810 76o53 ` 77 o07` 12o11` 12o29` 4 Mandya 716 76o42` 76o39` 12o22` 12o44` 5 Nagamangala 1,045 76o34` 76o54` 12o38` 13o00` 6 Pandavapura 540 76o28` 76o40` 12o21` 12o41` 7 Shrirangapattana 357 76034` 76o53` 12o15` 12o29` District 4,961 76o19` 77o07` 12o11` 13o00` Source : Mandya district At a Glance - 2000-01 Table 1.2 General particulars of Mandya District Sl. Taluk Villages ( As per Village City/Urban agglomeration/ No. 1991 Census) Panchayats Municipality/Corporation/ Notified areas

inhabited Un- 2000-01 As per inhabited 1991 Census 2000-01 1 Krishnarajpet 296 20 34 1 1 2 Maddur 153 7 42 1 1 3 Malavalli 172 14 39 2 1 4 Mandya 174 9 45 1 1 5 Nagamangala 343 23 27 2 1 6 Pandavapura 140 31 24 2 1 7 Shrirangapattana 87 9 21 2 1 Total 1,365 113 232 11 7 Source : 1. Mandya District At A Glance-2000-01, Zilla Panchayat 2000-01 General 5

Table 1.3 Talukwise Area and Population of Mandya District (As per 1991 Census)

Sl.No Taluk Area Population Sq.k.mkm Total Male Female 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 1 Krishnarajpet Total 904.42 221,103 110,291 110,812 Rural 900.16 203,104 100,870 102,234 Urban 4.26 17,999 9,421 8,578 Krishnarajpet town Urban 4.26 17,999 9,421 8,578 panchayat 2 Maddur Taluk Total 618.43 282,726 144,572 138,154 Rural 612.73 260,611 133.243 127,368 Urban 5.70 22,115 11,329 10.786 Maddur Town Municipal Urban 5.70 22,115 11,329 10,786 Council 3 Malavalli Taluk Total 810.11 264,075 136,511 127,564 Rural 807.54 226,971 117,519 109,452 Urban 2.57 37,104 18,992 18,112 Mandal Urban 0.57 7,282 3,656 3,626 Panchayat Malavalli Town Municipal Urban 2.00 29,822 15,336 14,486 Council 4 Mandya Taluk Total 715.90 383,030 197,759 185,271 Rural 699.06 262,765 135,215 127,550 Urban 16.84 120,265 62,544 57,721 Mandya City Corporation Urban 16.84 120,265 62,544 57,721 5 Nagamangala Total 1044.70 178,663 88,139 90.524 Rural 1039.49 158,380 77,569 80,811 Urban 5.21 20,283 10,570 9,713 Bellur Mandal Panchayat Urban 2.69 6,187 3,239 2,948 Nagamangala Town Urban 2.52 14,096 7,331 6,765 Panchayat 6 Pandavapur Total 539.43 160,155 80,993 79,162 Rural 530.81 140,903 71,152 69,751 Urban 8.62 19,252 9,841 9,411 Melukote Mandal Panchayat Urban 4.28 3,254 1,655 1,599 Pandavapura Town Urban 4.34 15,998 8,186 7,812 Panchayat 7 Shrirangapattana Total 353.81 146,741 75,270 71,471 Rural 342.19 124,836 64,151 60,685 Urban 11.62 21,905 11,119 10.786

Krishnarajpet

6 Mandya District Gazetteer

Shrirangapattana Urban 11.62 21,905 11,119 10,786 Town Council Mandya Total 4961. 00 1644,374 837,597 806,777 District Ru ral 4901. 80 699,719 677,851 1388,570 Urban 54.84 137,878 128,926 266,804 Krishnaraja- Sagara Notified Notified Urban 4.36 7,881 4,062 3,819 Area

* Since the area of the three villages of Pandavapura and Shrirangapattana taluks are included under the Krishnarajasagara Notified Area, it has been shown separately. * Source : Census of 1991, Part 12-B, Mandya District Census, Series-11, Karnataka

Table 1.4 Details of provisional population as per 2001 Census Sl.No Ta lu k Area Sq.k.m Population Total Male Female 1 Krishnarajpet Total 904.42 247,757 123,271 124,468 Rural 900.16 225,284 111,705 113,579 Urban 4.26 22,473 11,566 10,907 Krishna-Krishnarajpet Rajpet town Urban 4.26 22,473 11,566 10,907 Panchayat 2 Maddur Taluk Total 618.43 289,704 146,110 143,594 Rural 612.73 263,248 132.723 130,525 Urban 5.70 26,456 13,387 13.069 Maddur Town Urban 5.70 26,456 13,387 13,069 Municipal Council 3 Malavalli Taluk Total 810.11 281,345 143,124 138,221 Rural 807.54 245,545 124,837 120,708 Urban 2.57 35,800 18,287 17,513 Malavalli Town Urban 2.57 35,800 18,287 17,513 MunicipalMuniciple Council 4 Mandya Taluk Total 715.90 405,898 206,199 199,699 Rural 699.06 274,687 139,569 135,118 Urban 16.84 131,211 66,630 64,581 Mandya Corporation Urban 16.84 131,211 66,630 64,581 5 Nagamangala Taluk Total 1044.70 190,814 94,282 96.532 Rural 1039.49 174,764 86,076 87,688 Urban 5.21 16,050 8,206 7,844 Nagamangala Urban 5.21 16,050 8,206 7,844 Town Panchayat

General 7

6 Pandavapur Taluk Total 539.43 175,008 82,520 87,488 Rural 530.81 156,772 78,309 78,463 Urban 8.62 18,236 9,211 9,025 Pandavapura Urban 8.62 18,236 9,211 9,025 town Panchayat 7 Shrirangapattana Total 353.81 162,682 82,472 80,210 Taluk Rural 342.19 139,234 70,528 68,706 Urban 11.62 23,448 11,944 11.504 Shrirangapattana Urban 11.62 23,448 11,944 11,504 Town Municipal Council 8 Mandya District Total 4961.00 17,61,718 887,307 874,411 Krishnaraja- Sagara Rural 4897.44 14,79,534 743,747 735,787 Notifie d Area Urban 59.20 282,184 143,560 138,624 Urban 4.36 8,510 4,329 4.181

Note: 1. The Talukwise area figures are for the reporting area for land utilisation purposes as worked out by State Survey Department. The Geographical area of the district is computed by the Survey of India. So the total figures of the taluk do not tally with the total figures for areas. 2. Krishnarajasagar Notified area has been converted into Grama Panchayat in March, 2002 by the Government. Still as per the census of 2001, Krishnarajasagar has been considered as Notified area. Of the present seven urban areas of the district, there is one Corporation (Mandya), three Municipalities (Maddur, Malavalli and Shrirangapattana) and three Town Panchayats (Krishnarajpet, Pandavapura and Nagamangala).

Table 1.5 The details of Hobli-wise Revenue villages, of the district (Inclusive of un-inhabited villages ) – 2001 Taluk Hobli Villages 1 2 3 Mandya Sub-Division 1. Man dya 1. Mandya 17 2. Kottatti 35 3. Dudda 54 4. Basaralu 50 5. Ke ragodu 27 Total 183

8 Mandya District Gazetteer

1 2 3 2. Maddur 1. Maddur 43 2. Chikkarasinakere 42 3. Koppa 44 4. Atakooru 33 Total 162 3. Malavalli 1. Malavalli 51 2. 45 3. Boppagowdanapura 45 4 45 Total 186 Pandavapura-Sub-Division 4. Pandavapura 1. Pandavapura 57 2. Chinakuruli 65 3. Melukote 49 Total 171 5. Krishnarajapet 1. Krishnarajape t 51 2. Santhebachahalli 59 3. Shilanere 52 4. Bhookin akere 48 5. 49 6. Kikkeri 57 Total 316 6. Nagamangala 1. Nagamangala 64 2. Devalapura 63 3. Honakere 82 4. Bindiganavile 75 5. Bellur 82 Total 366 7. Shrirangapattana 1. Shrirangapattana 17 2. 20 3. Kurubara Shettyhalli 27 4. 31 Total 95

Administrative History The district was inhabited from very ancient times. Archaeological sites of Paleolithic, Neolithic and Iron age and pre-historic sites are to be found in Hangarahalli, Belakavadi, Muttatti, Pandavapura and other places of the district. Around the fourth century A.D. most part of the district was under General 9 the rule of Ganga’s of Talakad and Shimsha valley was known as Chikkagangavadi. In the beginning of Ninth century A.D. the Rashtrakutas of Malked defeated the second Shivamara of Ganga and appointed an officer to look after the administration of Gangavadi province, but the kingdom was returned to the Ganga kings later. Again, in the 10th century A.D. Ganga’s established their rule in the district, Gangavadi came under the administration of Cholas during the rule of Rakkasaganga, the last ruler of Gangas. Then this province belonged to Mudigonda Chola Mandala of Chola kingdom. Shivasamudra and Malavalli parts were called Rajendra Chola olanadu. After Hoysala won Talakad, Mandya district area was annexed with the Hoysala kingdom. It appears that Tonnur near Melkote was the secondary capital of Hoysala Vishnuvardhana. After Hoysalas this region belonged to the kings of . It is understood that a major part of the district was under the rule of the Feudatories of Nagamangala and Channapatna who were subordinate rulers under Vijayanagara. In 1454 A.D. Thimma Vodeya of Nagamangala built the fort of Shrirangapattana with the permission of the King of Vijayanagar. Then onwards from 16th century to the beginning of 17th century, the representatives of Vijayanagar Kings stayed in Shrirangapattana. Later, the Mysore Raja Wadeyar invaded Shrirangapattana and not only made it their capital but also included most part of the Mandya district under the Mysore Province. Shrirangapattana became famous during the rule of Chikkadevaraya. Shrirangapattana, which is now only headquarters of a taluk, was once the headquarters of a Vijayanagar viceroy. About 1610 AD Raja Wodeyar of Mysore gained possession of Shrirangapattana and made it his capital. After the fall of Tipu, the capital was shifted from Shrirangapattana to Mysore in 1799. During the reign of Krishnaraja Wodeyar III from 1811 to 1831, the entire kingdom was divided into six ‘Foujdaris’ and the present Mandya district formed part of the Ashtagram Foujdari. Hyder Ali ruled this region for about 21 years from 1761. The areas under his rule were divided into two parts. The first part also called Baramahals in Payanghat area - below the ghat –comprised of Salem and Erode. The second part consisted the areas above the ghat called Balghat which included Mysore, Shrirangapattana, Bangalore, Kolar, Bidanur/ Hydernagar and Chitradurga. During the administration of Dewan Poornaiah the above two divisions were regrouped under Astagrama Foujudari, Bangalore, Madhugiri, Chitradurga, Nagar and Manjarabad. During the regime of Tippu Sultan, the state was divided into three main divisions: a) Subhayam (sea) - coastal area, b) Subhataram (cities/town surrounded by hilly and forest areas) and c) Subhagubra (land – open/plain area). Tippu ruled between 1782 and 1799 and after his death in1799, as per the agreement between Marathas, Nizams and the British ( 22.6.1799) Canara, Coimbatore and Wynad district areas came under the rule of British East India Company. Gooty area was given to Nizam, Harappanahalli, and Sunda (Sandoor) areas came under the rule of Marathas and the remaining Mysore area were ruled by the royal families of Mysore Wadeyars. Mummadi Krishnaraja Wadeyar was declared the King of Mysore on 30.6.1799 and Mysore was made the administrative centre for Mysore Province. When Shrirangapattana came under the rule of the British East India Company in 1795, the fort of Srirangapata was handed over to the British Force and it was made the headquarters of the defence forces (subsidiary regiment and supporting defence regiment). Colonel Arthur Wellesly was in charge till 1805 and Dariya Daulat of Shrirangapattana was his residence. As per the estimates of the traveller Buchanan, the population of Shrirangapattana which was around 1,50,000 earlier was reduced to 32,000 in 1801. Since British soldiers were unhappy to stay in Shrirangapattana due to adverse climatic conditions, the defence center was shifted to Bangalore during the period 1809 to 1811. In addition, some units of defence were posted at Shrirangapattana, Erode and French Rocks (Pandavapura). The defence units of Shrirangapattana together with the bullet manufacturing unit were shifted to Fort Saint George of Madras in 1830. As a result of these changes Shrirangapattana’s importance had politically weakened. When the British Commission was formed in 1834, these six foujdaris were reconstituted in to four divisions, namely Bangalore, Nugur, Chitradurga (Chituldroog) and Ashtagram, each under a European Superintendent with revenue and judicial powers. One Superintendent was posted to the province of coorg. The Superintendents were allowed to exercise great authority and had rarely been interfered with in district administrative arrangements and consequently there was no uniformity of practice in the different divisions, which were so large that the superintendents could not do their work efficiently. Later on Bowring, who was the then Commissioner, introduced in 1862- 63, a general scheme of reorganization and divided the State into three divisions, Ashtagram, Nandidroog (Nandidurg) and Nugur (Nagar), each under a Superintendent and these again into eight districts such as Mysore, Bangalore, Kolar, Tumkur, Chitradurga, Shimoga, Chikmagalur (kadur) and Hassan each under a Deputy Superintendent. In 1869 when the office of the Chief Commissioner of Mysore was created, the Superintendents of Divisions eea 11 General

came to be styled as commissioners and Deputy Superintendents in charge of charge in Superintendents Deputy and commissioners as styled be to came the districts were called Deputy Commissioners. Deputy called were districts the In 1869, the Mysore district was divided, for the purpose of administration, of purpose the for divided, was district Mysore the 1869, In into 14 taluks or amildaris, the names and extent of which are given here. given are which of extent and names the amildaris, or taluks 14 into

Population Population Area Taluk Sl.No. (Sq. m.) m.) km (Sq. 1 Mysore 436 99,589 99,589 436 Mysore 1 ar 342 76,622 76,622 342 ar g ana j Chamara 2 200 67,177 67,177 200 Astagrama Astagram Patna Patana 3 (including (including Island) Shrirangapattana 534 87,587 87,587 534 apattana y Piri 4 5 Yadatore 246 39,082 39,082 246 Yadatore 5 6 Heggadadevanakote 544 40,300 40,300 544 Heggadadevanakote 6 7 Gundlupete 658 46,669 46,669 658 Gundlupete 7 8 Nanjanagud 318 42,856 42,856 318 Nanjanagud 8 rama 171 34,410 34,410 171 rama g Asta sore y M 9 10 Talkad 267 58,950 58,950 267 Talkad 10 a 248 45,199 45,199 248 a y Mand 11 12 Maddur 192 32,193 32,193 192 Maddur 12 13 Malavalli 284 52,810 52,810 284 Malavalli 13 14 Yalandoor (Jahagir) 95 23,124 23,124 95 (Jahagir) Yalandoor 14 Total 4,545 7,46,568 7,46,568 4,545 Total

Out of the fourteen taluks that formed the Mysore district, only the four the only district, Mysore the formed that taluks fourteen the of Out taluks of Patna Ashtagram, Mandya, Maddur and Malavalli formed part of the of part formed Malavalli and Maddur Mandya, Ashtagram, Patna of taluks present Mandya District. Maddur taluk was formed into a sub taluk in 1875 in taluk sub a into formed was taluk Maddur District. Mandya present and later, in 1886, it was absorbed by Mandya taluk. In 1879, when the when 1879, In taluk. Mandya by absorbed was it 1886, in later, and commission was once again reorganized, the posts of Commissioners of divisions of Commissioners of posts the reorganized, again once was commission were abolished with the result that under the Chief Commissioner, there were there Commissioner, Chief the under that result the with abolished were only the Deputy Commissioners of the districts, under them were the Assistant the were them under districts, the of Commissioners Deputy the only Commissioners and under them the Amildars. Several administrative changes administrative Several Amildars. the them under and Commissioners took place in the year 1882 as a result of the Rendition of Mysore. The two The Mysore. of Rendition the of result a as 1882 year the in place took districts of Chitradurga and Hassan were abolished the four taluks of sourthern of taluks four the abolished were Hassan and Chitradurga of districts half of Hassan district viz., Arkalgud, Channarayapatna, Nagamangala and Nagamangala Channarayapatna, Arkalgud, viz., district Hassan of half Attiguppe (present Krishnarajpet) were added on to Mysore District in the in District Mysore to on added were Krishnarajpet) (present Attiguppe same year. Simultaneously with this change, Arkalgud taluk which contained which taluk Arkalgud change, this with Simultaneously year. same ten hoblis was abolished in 1882 and the hoblies were distributed among the among distributed were hoblies the and 1882 in abolished was hoblis ten adjoining taluks. The name of Patna Ashtagram taluk was changed to changed was taluk Ashtagram Patna of name The taluks. adjoining 12 Mandya District Gazetteer

Shrirangapattana taluk in the same year. A number of villages from Channarayapatna and Holenarasipur taluks were added to Kikkeri hobli in 1882, while the Melkote hobli was transferred to Shrirangapattana taluk and some villages of Santhebachahalli hobli to Nagamangala Taluk. Later, four subdivisions, namely Sagar, French Rocks, Closepet (Ramangaram) and Chikkballapur were constituted. The French Rocks (Hirode) subdivision was formed in 1882 and was placed under an Assistant Commissioner with his headquarters at French Rocks. In 1886, when the Hassan district was reconstituted, Arkalgud taluk was again revived with six hoblies comprising of Arkalgud, Basavapatna, Konanur, Krishnarajakatte, Mallipatna and Marur. Arakalgud and channarayapatna taluk were transferred to Hassan district. The other two taluks of Nagamangala and Attiguppe continue to remain in Mysore district. When allocations of members to the Mysore Representative Assembly were made in 1889, the taluks in Mysore district were (1) Mysore, (2) Yedatore (Krishnarajangar) (3) Hunsur (4) Heggadadevanakote, (5) Gundlupet (6) Chamarajanagar, (7) Nanjungud, (8) T.Narasipur, (9) Shrirangapattana (10) Attiguppe (11) Nagamangala (12) Mandya and (13) Malvalli. Though French Rocks was a sub division, yet there was neither a sub-taluk nor taluk of that name and it was only a hobli. However, a sub-taluk known as French Rocks was formed later. But it was abolished in 1923 and the three hobli of Kyathanahalli, Pandavapura Kasaba and Melkote constituting the sub taluk were included in Shrirangapattana taluk. The name of Attiguppe was changed to Krishnarajpet in1891. Mysore district was composed of thirteen taluks and one jahgir in 1930. There were three sub-divisions; Nanjangud, Chamarajanagar, Gundlupet and Tirumakudal Narasipur taluks formed the Nanjangud sub-division and Mysore, Hunsur, Heggadadevanakote and Yadatore taluks formed the Mysore sub-division, the remaining five taluks namely Seringapatna, Mandya, Malvalli, Nagamangala and Krishnarajpet formed the French Rocks sub division. After the construction of Krishnarajasagar dam, the important of the area now comprising the Mandya district grew and in order to facilitate the acquisition of lands in connection with the Irwin (Visvesvaraya) canal and the resettlement of the farmers and the disposal of questions connected with the cultivation of the newly irrigated tracts, a new revenue sub-division was constituted in 1928 with Mandya as its headquarters. Maddur Taluk was revived and once again it was made into a separate taluk on 1st May 1931. It included Maddur hobli ( 43 villages), Koppa hobli ( 44 villages) and General 13

Athakur hobli (33 villages) from Mandya taluk and Chikka Arasinakere hobli (40 villages) from Malavalli taluk. This taluk had 160 villages with a total area of 1,07,959 acres. Dodda Arasinakere was divided into three villages. They are Dodda Arasikere, Matanahalli and Devarahalli. As a result, this the total number of villages increased to 162. The Hirode, Melkote and Chinkurli hoblies which were included in Shrirangapattana taluk, were separated and constituted into a separate taluk called French Rocks (Pandavapur) taluk with effect from Ist July 1937. After these changes, the Mysore district became and exceptionally unwieldy comprising 15 taluks and one sub taluk besides the jahagir taluk of Yelandur and the normal work in the district office was nearly twice as much as that in some of the other districts. With the development of irrigation under the Irwin (Visvesvaraya) canal there was a great increase in the volume of work in all departments and the special and intricate problems connected with irrigation in the canal area occupied a good deal of the Deputy Commissioners time and attentions. The question of bifurcation of the district which had become very large was under the consideration of Government for sometime. A proposal to this effect was placed in the before the budget session of the Mysore Representative Assembly in 1937, but there was not much support from the members for this proposal. Sir Mirza M. Ismail the then Dewan, referring to this in his speech to the Mysore Representative Assembly on 20th June 1937, said; “The question of the bifurcation of the Mysore district, I regret to note, has not met with the support of many of the members of this house. The opposition is due, I am afraid, to an incorrect and imperfect appreciation of the real position. As you know, the district is by far the biggest in the state, in area, population and in revenue. It presents special irrigational and other problems requiring close and continuous attention. Experience has shown that it is essential, in public interest, that the district should be split up into two, if its problems are to receive sufficient attention. It is not merely the development of irrigation under the Irwin Canal that has suggested and necessitated this course. The Malnad taluks of Heggadadevanakote and Piriyapatna require a more concentrated effort than it has been possible for the administration to bestow upon them. Government was convinced the time will wholly justify their decision. They are confident that the results will more than repay the recurring expenditure involved, it is only a matter of Rs.35,000/- and that the people of, what at present is, an un wieldy district will derive considerable benefit from its bifurcation”. 14 Mandya District Gazetteer

The Governmental finally decided to bifurcate the Mysore district in 1939 and to constitute, with effect from 1st July 1939, a new district to be known as Mandya district, with its headquarters at Mandya. The two revenue sub divisions of French Rocks and Mandya comprising seven taluks of Seringapatna, French Rocks, Nagamangala, Krishnarajpet, Maddur, Malvalli and Mandya formed the Mandya district while the Mysore district was left with the remaining eight taluks one sub-taluks and one jahagir taluk. Thus, the present Mandya district came into being as a separate administrative district with effect from 1st July 1939 and was the ninth district in the old Mysore State. Tablel 1.6 Details of Taluks in Mysore (1939) Sl.No. Sub-Division Taluk 1 2 3 1 Mysore Mysore Hunasur Heggadadevanakote Krish narajan agara(Yedatore ) and Piriyapatna sub-taluk

2 Nanjangud Nanjangud Gundlupet Chamarajanagar Tirumakudalu Narasipur and Yelandur Jahagir

3. Frenchrocks(Pandavapura) Shrirangapattana Frenchrocks Nagamangala Krish narajapet

4 Man dya Mandya Malavalli Maddur

No change of considerable importance has taken place since the formation of the district except some transfers of villages from one taluk to another purely on account of administrative convenience. The name of French Rocks was changed to Pandavapura and the aglicised form of Seringapatam to /Shrirangapattana. Six hoblies of Shrirangapattana taluk were General 15 reduced to four and that of Krishnarajpet taluk from six to five. Hirode, Melkote and Chinakurali hoblies were merged with French Rocks taluk with effect from 1-7-1937. After reconstitution in addition to the earlier 51 villages, 10 villages from Kyathanahalli hobli of Shrirangapattana were included in the new Hirode hobli. Similarly, in addition to 54 villages, 21 villages from Kannambadi hobli of Krishnarajpet taluk and one village from Kasaba hobli were transferred to Chinakurali hobli. Melkote hobli had 49 villages and altogether there were 186 villages in French Rocks taluk. Shrirangapattana hobli was reconstituted to include a newly formed hobli with Kurubarashetty halli as its headquarters on 22nd September, 1939. The Asali Inam Gaudagere village was separated from the Kebbahalli Dhakale village on 10th May, 1940. Mandya Kasaba hobli (43 villages) was divided into Mandya Kasaba (17 villages) and (26 villages) hoblies on 25th September, 1943. Kuragahalli and Mydanahalli villages of Srirangaptana taluk were transferred to Mysore taluk on 7th May, 1957. The details of the administrative divisons which existed as on 2001-02 are given in table 1.7.

Table 1.7 Details of Sub-divisions and taluks of the District – 2002 Sub-Division Area No. of Villages as per 1991 Census Sq.k.m. Hoblies inhabited villages Villages un inhabited ------1. Mandya Sub-Division 1. Mandya 716 4 174 9 2. Maddur 618 5 153 7 3. Malavalli 810 4 172 14 Total 2,144 13 499 30 2. Pandavapura Sub-Division 1. Krishnarajpet 905 6 296 20 2. Nagamangala 1,045 5 343 23 3. Pandavapura 540 3 140 31 4. Shrirangapattana 357 4 87 9 Total 2,847 18 866 83 Total of district 4,961 31 1,365 113

Note : Latest Statistics as per ‘Mandya District At A Glance 2007-08’ is given in Appendix. 16 Mandya District Gazetteer

GEOLOGY The district for the most part, is made up of gneisses which are generally gray in colour with well developed gneissosity. Such rock structures are seen predominantly near Chinkuruli, but gneisses exposed near Melkote, Siddaghatta and other places are varied and complex. The Dharwar Schists occur as narrow linear bands in many parts of the district. They are seen prominently between Bellibetta, Hadanur, Krishnarajpet and Chinakurali. The Bellibetta band extends southwards for about 25 km from a point six kilometres west of Krishnarajpet, near Bellibetta up to the river Cauvery. It has a width of about five km but narrows down as it approaches the river Cauvery. The Hadanur band which is well developed near Hadanur extends between Krishnarajpet and Chinakurali. This forms the extension of the Nuggehalli belt According to the auther “recent geological surveys have indicated that Hadanur band is a separate band forming part of Krishnarajpet schist belt and not the extension of Nuggehalli belt” Another band extends from Yediyur to Karighatta with dark hornblende schist as its main component. Banded iron formations with lenses of quartz is exposed between Maddur and Channapattana. Occurrence of minor amount of gold is reported from such bands near Vittalapur and Karighatta. Some villages of this district like Talagavadi, Siddalingapur, Kanaghatti, Naranakere, Turaganur are known for good quality porphyries which are used as ornamental stones. Geological Evolution Mandya district forms part of Peninsular India and its physical feature essentially resemble the geological history of the main land. The major rock types of the district belong to Archaean era. They have been subjected to deformation and have undergone metamorphism. They have varied chemical compositions and are most complex and aptly designated as Archaean complex and consist of a wide variety of granite, gneisses and schist with associated quartzite and limestone. The Dharwar Group belonging to the same Archaen complex consist of an assemblage of metasedimentary rocks intimately associated with metavolcanics and occurs as various belts within an expanse of granites, and gneisses which have been grouped under the term ‘Peninsular Gneiss’ as it covers a vast portion of Peninsular India. Generally these igneous rocks crop up from lower surface of the earths crust and these gneisses have yielded differing radiometric ages and the term originally included a wide range of General 17 compositions. Younger intrusive granites and pegmatites are also seen in the surrounding areas. Towards the southern end of the Closepet Granite and adjoining it are a group of igneous rocks called porphyries which are considered to be a part of the Closepet Granites. Protrusions of these rocks are seen near Shrirangapattana. The whole area has been subjected to intense deformation and upliftment. Karnataka has remained a stable landmass since the end of Proterozoic era. Protracted erosion over millions of years has left only remnants of rocks in a varied topography. And the present areas of this district also belong to the Archaean Complex of Karnataka which is known for its rich metallic and non metallic minerals as well as ornamental stones. Only the important ones are described here. Felsite and Porphyry dykes Felsite and porphyry dykes of more than 40 varieties with varied colour and texture occur in Shrirangapattana and Mandya taluks. These variants include ash green, light green, grass green, gray, brown, chocolate brown and snuff colour dykes. They occur as dykes cutting across granite and gneisses. Because they are highly fractured and exhibit conchoidal weathering, they do not lend themselves for separation as slabs. They are extensively used as pillars, panels and tiles and as ornamental stones and have been used to erect monuments, and for carving flower vases. Green quartzite with chromium mica (fuchsite quartzite) occurs around Mallenahalli in Krishnarajpet taluk. Like felsite and porphyry these rocks too cannot be heaved into slabs, but are extensively used in sculpture as ornamental stones. Beryl Yellowish green beryl crystals have been reported from the pegmatites of Melkote and its southern part. Of these, those occurring around Katteri and Chikkayarahalli deposits are considered to be of good quality. They occur in a variety of colours ranging from white, green, blue and deep blue. Beryl is also reported from Babygrama and Linganakoppa of Pandavapura taluk. Light green coloured beryl crystals are known to occur around Kurubara and Ragi muddanahalli areas of Krishnarajpet taluk. Mica Mica is mainly made up of potassium and aluminium silicate and occurs in many rocks. Normally it occurs as veins and layers and is generally seen as 18 Mandya District Gazetteer books in pegmatite. Minor deposits of mica have been reported from Undavadi near Krishnarajpet and Wadesamudra of Pandavapura taluk. Vermiculite Vermiculite which is a type of mica has been reported from Melkote and Krishnarajpet areas. This mineral normally occurs in hornblende biotite schist as lenses and pods and in highly weathered biotite gneiss and also along the contacts of both these rocks. Rock Crystal Pure, transparent variety of rock crystal is reported from Melkote area, where they occur in the cavities of granite in clusters. These when cut and polished shine like diamond and are used as medium quality gemstones. Gold Exploration for gold in this part was carried out between 1882 and 1913, particularly in Volagere area which lies near Bellibetta to the west of Krishnarajpet. It appears that a shaft was sunk for a depth of 40 metres and five grams per ton of ore was reported from this mining. The total reserves have not been estimated. Similar explorations were carried out near Hunjanekere near Shrirangapattana, on the southern part of Nagamangala and near Boothaganahalli north of . Gold occurrences seem to be sporadic. Iron Ore Iron ore was smelted in local furnaces to produce cast iron and steel. Parts of Maddur and Malavalli bear testimony to iron smelting as witnessed by the presence of slag heaps. Since good quality iron and steel was imported at a cheaper rate from foreign countries, the local industry gradually withered away. Magnatite Banded magnetite quartzite occurs extensively near Maddur , Hunsur, , Karalakatte, Chattanahalli, Bommanayakana halli, Aralapura villages of Malavalli taluk. Such bands have pockets of magnetite which on powdering to 60 mesh size have shown 66.35 percent iron and 8.36 percent solid residue. The reserves are estimated to be around 41.47 million tones. Corundum Reddish Corundum crystals occur in a north-south trending linear tract of 30 km length extending from Kupya of T.Narsipur taluk of Mysore district General 19 to Mandya. Important deposits are reported from Satanur near Mandya, Erehalli, and Ramanahalli areas. Another tract with corundum deposits extends from about 60 km. from near Ramanagaram to Malavalli. China clay Deposits of China clay are reported in weathered granites near Melkote where they occur as pure white clay pockets of limited extension. These clay pockets are used by local people for religious purpose. Earthquake Mandya district is relatively free from earthquakes. There have, however, been reports of minor earthquakes in some areas. Mention may be made about earthquakes which occurred in March, 1967, November and December, 1968, August, 1969, January, 1970, September 1970, January, 1971, March, 1971, May, 1971 and May, 1972. The earthquake which struck Doddegowdana koppalu on 16th may, 1972 measured 4.2 to 4.5 magnitude on Richter scale and by far is considered to be the biggest quake in the district. Physical Features The landmass of Mandya district is a part of the southern plateau and largely forms a plain area. There are a few hills dotting the district and are sporadic in nature. On an average, the area is 760 to 920 metres above mean sea level. The hill range extending from Biligiri Rangana hill occurs as isolated hills on the eastern margin of Malavalli and is the only important physical feature. Near Shivanasamudram, the River Cauvery cuts across this hill range and descend as Gaganachukki and Barachukki falls. Hills are also found around Pandavapura, Tonnur, Melkote, Narayanadurga and Basavanakallu. Prominent among these are the ones occurring on the southern border of Hoolikere and Kharighatta. Hills are also noticed in some parts of Krishnarajpet and Nagamangala taluks. Adichunchanagiri is an important hill from the religious point of view. Kabbaladurga hill, is another important hill located in the border in the neighbouring Kanakapura taluk. It is 1,063 metre or 3,570 feet above the sea level. One side of the hill is very steep and the other has a gentle slope and can be negotiated. Karighatta hill (726 m/ 2,697 feet from above sea level) is located near Shrirangapattana. The granite hill of Melkote (1081 m/ 3,589 feet above the sea level) also known as Yadugiri is one of the important tourist places. Narayanadurga hill near Sindhaghatta is 1,088 m/ 3,589 feet above the sea level. Other areas have isolated granite tors. The River Cauvery has carved a smooth, gently undulating landscape in the plains. 20 Mandya District Gazetteer

Water Resources There are three major catchment areas in the district: 1. Cauvery 2. Shimsha and 3. Lokapavani. Many streams join these rivers. Cauvery, Hemavathi, Lokapavani, Shimsha and Veera Vaishnavi are the important rivers of the district. Bindenahalli tore, Amruthuru Tore, Nidasale Tore, Handi halla, Hebballa and Bhima are some of the important streams. A total of 1.43 lakh hectares of cultivated land have been brought under irrigation by making use of these sources. The district has a total of 14,735 hectares water spread area, out of which 12,924 hectares is occupied by Krishnarajsagar (submerged area). There are 224 large tanks with water spread area of 9779 hectares. Similarly, there are 596 small tanks with water spread area of 1733 hectares. The topography of the area shows gradual slope towards east and the stream flowing in this area mainly join the Bay of Bengal. The Cauvery The Cauvery is an important river of the district and originates in Brahmagiri range at a place called Talacauvery in Madakeri taluk of Kodagu district. It flows through Hassan and Mysore district and at Krishnarajasagar the river Hemavathi joins the Cauvery. It then enters Shrirangapattana and flows easterly along the edge of Pandavapura and Shrirangapattana taluk as if defining the border of these two taluks. The river, in its next stage encircles the river islets of Shrirangapattana and near Mahadevapura it follows north easterly direction and enters Thirumakudalu Narasipur taluk. From there onwards, it flows at the border of Malavalli and Kollegal taluks. On the south eastern margin of the Malavalli taluk, the river bifurcates into two parts at Belakavadi creating the island of Shivasamudra. Here it follows a narrow gorge and descends from 92 metres to form spectacular Gaganachukki and Barachukki falls. After flowing for some distance, the branches take easterly course at the north eastern corner of Kollegal taluk in the Chamarajanagar District. It forms another falls called Hogenakal falls in the neighbouring state of Tamil Nadu. The river Cauvery reaches the boundary of Karnataka at Bodmalai range which lies on the south eastern edge of Mahadeshwara hill range. It then enters Tamil Nadu creating a vast expanse of greenery and then joins Bay of Bengal. Since it rains heavily in the from June to September, the river Cauvery flows full during this season. Dams have been constructed at many places on the river Cauvery to provide irrigational facilities. Since there is large delta on the either side of the General 21 river with irrigational facilities there is rich harvest in this part. Krishnarajasagar dam is the largest of these. Just three kilometres down stream of Krishnarajasagar dam, is a dam called Madadakatte that has been constructed near Seethapura. Chikkadevaraya nala on the left bank of this small dam provides irrigational facilities to Mysore and Mandya districts. Further down lies the Bangarada doddi dam which has been constructed across one of the branches of Cauvery called Paschimavahini. After crossing the left bank of the dam, the River Cauvery reaches Shrirangapattana where it branches into three parts. From the Shrirangapattana island, at a small distance in the down stream direction lies Ramaswamy katte. Ramaswamy canal on the left bank of this dam runs for about 50 km. and Rajaparameshwari canal on the right bank runs about 30 km. – and they provide irrigational facilities to Mysore and Mandya districts. In order to provide water to the Shivasamudram Power Generation Unit, a small dam has been constructed just above the waterfalls. The Hemavathi The Hemavathi is an important tributary of the river Cauvery and is also known as the Yennehole. It originates at a place called Javali near Melabangadi in taluk of Chikkamagalur district and flows in a southerly direction. For some distance it flows along the western border of the district and takes a south course which also marks the boundary of Hassan and Mandya districts. It enters into Mandya district near Guddehosahalli in Krishnarajpet taluk and takes a north south direction and north west of Krishnarajasagar dam it joins the river Cauvery. A dam has been constructed to this river at Mandagere and Hemagiri (Bandihole in Krishnarajpet taluk). The Lokapavani The Lokapavani is another tributary of the river Cauvery. This river takes its birth at Honakere in Nagamangala taluk and takes a southerly course flowing through Nagamangala, Pandavapura and Shrirangapattana taluk and joins Cauvery at Sangama near Shrirangapattana. It is a perennial river and is about 150 feet wide. Before Lokapavani joins Cauvery a stream from Motitalab joins this river. Two dams have been constructed across this river, one near Uyyanahalli of Nagamangala taluk and the other at Bolenahalli of Melkote hobli. The Shimsha The river Cauvery has another tributary called the Shimsha which is also known as the Kadamba and the Kadabakolla. It originates on the southern 22 Mandya District Gazetteer part of Devarayanadurga in Tumkur District. Following a south westerly course it enters the Turuvekere taluk. From there it takes south easterly course and flows through the western part of Kunigal taluk. It then takes southerly course and enters Mandya district near Kirangur, on the north western part of Maddur taluk. Since it flows in the vicinity of Maddur, the river is also called Maddurhole. It crosses Maddur taluk and takes south easterly course and enters Malavalli and descends as Shimsha falls near Dhanagur and joins the Cauvery river. The river flows in full splendour only during the rainy season (length of the flow: 130 km). A power generating station called the Shimsha Power Station was established in 1940. A dam has been constructed across this river at Tagahalli (Maddur taluk). The Veeravaishnavi This is a tributary to the Shimsha river and enters Mandya district at Bellur hobli in Nagamangala taluk where it takes easterly course and joins Shimsha river at Dummasandra in Nagamangala taluk. A dam has been constructed across this river. Mandya district is situated in Cauvery catchment area. Cauvery of Cauvery catchment area, Lokapavani and Handihalla sub valleys and Veeravaishnavi sub valley of Shimsha catchment areas forms part of Mandya district drainage basin. Cauvery catchment area has been divided into: 1) Upper Cauvery basin, 2) Middle Cauvery bain 3) Kabini sub basin 4) Shimsha basin, 5) Arkavathi sub basin. The catchment areas of Mandya district are given here:

Taluk Totalarea Shimsha Upper MiddleCauve ry Sq.k.m.km sub-basin Cauvery sub-basin su b-ba sin Maddur 618 618 - - Malavalli 810 567 - 243 Mandya 716 659 - 57 Krishnarajpet 604 - 604 - Nagamangala 1,045 920 42 83 Pandavapura 539 - 54 485 Shrirangapattana 354 - 21 333

As per the irrigational Census of 1986-87, there were 7,759 dug wells in the district, out of which 6,131 dug wells were provided with electrical pumps. General 23

A total of 9,720 hectares could be brought under irrigation. There are 112 shallow wells and 11 deep irrigational bore wells from which about 300 hectares can be irrigated. FLORA AND FAUNA Mandya district is almost a plain land and though bereft of dense natural jungles like those in the Western Ghats, there are at many places reserved and protected forest areas. It is the main aim of forest science to conserve and protect both fauna and flora of forest areas to use them for the benefit of mankind. During the regime of Tippu Sultan, teak wood was declared a royal tree in Mysore state. Later, sandalwood also became the state property. There was no proper forest administration in the state till 1864. When Mysore Province was under British rule from 1831 to 1881, the forest areas were divided into reserve forest and protected forest areas. Forest maps were prepared as per the forest regulation enacted in 1865. When stringent forest laws came into being in 1894, since suitable protective measures were taken and the uncontrolled rights of the local people on forest areas was docked, the growth of forests prospered. Later, due to large scale cutting down of trees, forest areas were reduced in the plains and in such places teak and plantation trees were planted. The increased population growth together with a large demand for livestock grazing areas, forest areas came under great stress. As a result of this existing forest laws were amended and in 1952 a new forest law was enforced. Based on the climatic condition, botanists - Champion and Seth have classified the forests of India into 16 divisions. As per that classification, the forests of Mandya are grouped under tropical, deciduous forests. The fauna of the district belongs to the genus, Hardwickia binata, Pterocarpus marsupium, Albizzia, Terminalia paniculata, Termin Alia chebula, (Sandalwood), Azadiracta indica etc. The district has 8.15per cent i.e. 404.6 sq km forest area out of the total geographical area. Reserve forest area accounts 20.69 sq km, while the protected and other unclassified forest areas are part of common forest areas. The details of reserve forest areas of the district is given in table 1.8 24 Mandya District Gazetteer

Table 1.8 Details of the District’s Reserve forest Reserve Forest Region/Taluk Area (in hectares)) Narayanadurga Nagamangala, 4,402 Krishrajpet, Pandavapura Hasuvina Kaval Nagamangala 339 Konanakallu Nagamangala 953 H.N. Kaval Nagamangala 312 Basavanakallu Nagamangala 1,176 Moodibetta Nagamangala 470 Bittehalli Srirangapattana 720 Karighatta Srirangapattana 163 Basavanabetta Malavalli 10,035 Danagur Malavalli 2,623 Be vukallu Mandya 1,285 Hulikere(uppe r Mandya 318 area) forest Hulikere (Lowe r Mandya 1267 area) forest Total 24,063

Trees that are found in the district are : Shorea talura, Terminalia chebula, Anogeisses latifolia, Erythroxylom monogynum Albizzia amara, Lagerstromia parviflora, Vitex altrissina, Bombax malabaricum, Terminalia tomentosa, Feronia elephantum, Dodonia viscosa, Tamarindus indica, Pongamia pinnata, Dendrocalamus strictu, Phyllanthus emblica, Artocarpus heterophyllus and Mangifera indica. Since there are no dense forests in this district, wild animals are scarce and the plain land is not suitable for wild life. Earlier it was reported that around Purigali (Malavalli taluk) area tigers were common and around Hulikere and Karighatta areas panthers were known to exist. Elephants, wolfs, wild dogs, porcupine, rabbit, deer etc. are occasionally found in the reserve forest areas even today. Ranganathittu Bird Sanctuary Ranganathittu Bird Sanctuary is about three km. from Shrirangapattana in Shrirangapattana taluk, Mandya district. There are six small islands in the backwaters of reservoir built across Cauvery river. Different birds from different parts of the country both inland and from abroad migrate to this place General 25 following a particular season. This was declared as Sanctuary in 1941. The soft clay occurring on both the sides of the sanctuary has housed a variety of insects. It is to these insects that the migratory birds are attracted. In addition, the rocky knobs plants and a variety of trees have sheltered these birds. In summer, this area experiences a maximum temperature of 36’C and in winter the minimum temperature is 14’C. Some important birds of this sanctuary are as follows Little Cormorant - Phalacrocorax niger, Large Cromorant -Phalacrocorax corbo, Night heron - nicticorax Nicticorax, Darter or snakebird – Anhinga rufa, White ibis - Threskiornis aethiopica, Great stone flover - Esacus magnirostris, Spoon bill -Platalea lucorodia, Open billed stork - Anastomus oscitans, Indian cliff swallow - Hirunds fluvicola, Lesser Whistling teal - Dendrosygna javanica, River tern - Sterna aurantia, Cattle egret - Bubulcus ibis, Little egret - Egretta garzetta, Large egret - Egretta alba, Medium egret - Egretta intermedia, Pond heron or Paddy bird - Ardeola gravii Gendehosahalli in Shrirangapattana taluk is being developed as a new bird sanctuary (for details see chapter 17). Melkote Wild Life Sanctuary This Park is within the premises of Sanskrit Research Academy and is spread over an area of 50 sq km. Under the supervision of the Director of the above academy and the park boasts many types of ornamental and fruit bearing plants, 27 varieties of Champaka tree, a wide variety of hibiscus plants are grown. Aromatic plants are imported from different countries. The forest adjoining this park has supported wild life among which wolf, wild bear, wild dog, black buck, spotted deer, mongoose, peacocks, wild fowl, partridge, snakes, monitor, frog, rare catla fish, rahu fish, butterfly, bees, other animals and insects are important. Adichunchanagiri Peacock Sanctuary At Adichunchanagiri in Nagamangala taluk, the peacocks dwelling in shrubby forest have been conserved and importance has been given to their breeding. Sloth bear, black buck, wild bear, jackal, bonnet monkey, mongoose, partridge, hoopoe, drongo, Rhesus, wood pecker, parakeet, cobra, wild lizard and other animals take shelter in this park. Indavalu Nature Park and Garden Indavalu Nature park is located about six kilometers from Mandya town. 26 Mandya District Gazetteer

Measures have been taken to conserve deer, rabbit, guinea pigs, duck and other animals and birds. This is also being developed as a tourist place. Kokkare Belluru Kokkare Belluru is a village located about 12 km from Maddur. Since hordes of pelican migrate to this part, the village has been aptly named Kokkare Belluru. Painted storks and pelican migrate to this place every year in the month of March to breed. It is interesting to note that care is taken by the birds to protect their young ones. As the chick grows and their feathers become sturdy and get enough strength in their pinions to fly, the birds go back to their original habitat. The villagers too have protected these birds which take shelter in the nearby trees without being disturbed. The owners of the trees where the birds seek refuge are paid from Rs. 50 to 250 per tree by the Forest Department and it has proved to be a good measure to encourage the conservation of these birds. CLIMATE Compared to the neighbouring Mysore and Bangalore districts, Mandya district enjoys a salubrious climate. Four seasons have been identified in the district. From December to February there will be chill with clear sky and dry air. Summer season which starts from March to May and rainy season from June to September and winter from October to November being post rainy days. Rainfall Records of rainfall in the district are available for seven stations for periods ranging from 23 to 82 years. The details of the rainfall at these stations and for the district as a whole for the years 1901 to 1950 are given in Table 1.9 The average rainfall in the district is 691.2 mm. The rainfall is generally uniform in the district except in the region of the western border where the rainfall is a little higher. The rainfall varies from 742 mm at Krishnarajpet to 670.6 mm at Shrirangapattana. The rainfall is mostly confined to the period from April to November. The district receives rainfall both in the south-west monsoon and the retreating monsoon seasons. The heaviest rainfall is in the post-monsoon month of October. Rainfall, mostly in thunder showers, is also received in the latter half of the hot season. The rainfall in the hot, south-west monsoon and the retreating monsoon seasons constitutes 25 per cent, 40 per cent and 33 percent respectively of the annual rainfall. General 27

There are variations in the annual rainfall from year to year. During the fifty year period from 1901 to 1950, the highest rainfall amounting to 166 percent of the normal occurred in 1903. The lowest annual rainfall was in 1927 when it was only 63 per cent of the normal. During this fifty year period, the rainfall was less than 80 percent of the normal in six years, none of them being consecutive. However at individual stations, two and three consecutive years of such low rainfall have during this fifty year period. Nagamangala had two consecutive years of such low rainfall in four oceasions. On an average, there are 45 rainy days (i.e. day with rainfall of 2.5 mm or more) in a year. This number varies from 41 at Nagamangala to 49 at Krishnarajpet. The heaviest rainfall in 24 hours recorded at any station in the district was 200.7 mm at Nagamangala on 12th November 1925. The talukwise rainfall statistics for the district from 1901 to 1999 has been detailed in table 1.10 Rainguagewise rainfall statistics is given in table 1.11. Temperature There is no meteorological observatory in the district. But as conditions in the district are very similar to those in the neighbouring district of Mysore, which has a meterological observatory, the account of temperature, which follows is based on the climatological records available for Mysore. The period from March to May is one of continuous rise in temperature. April is usually the hottest month with the mean daily maximum temperature at about 35’c and the mean daily minimum temperature in the hot season may go above 37’c. The heat is relieved by frequent thunder storms in April and May. With the advance of the monsoon into the district by about the beginning of June, the temperatures drop appreciably and throughout the south west monsoon period. The weather is pleasant. In the post monsoon season, the temperatures decrease progressively, the drop in the night temperatures being more pronounced. December is usually the coldest month with the mean daily minimum at about 16’c on some days the minimum temperature may drop down to about 10’c. The highest maximum temperature recorded at Mysore was 38.6’c on 25th April 1931. The lowest minimum temperature was 10.6’c on 13th December 1945. Relative humidity Relative humidities are high during the south west monsoon season and moderate in the post monsoon season. The period from December to May is the driest part of the year, with humidities, especially in the afternoon being less than 50 per cent. 28 Mandya District Gazetteer District Mandya 28

Cloudiness Skies are heavily clouded or overcast during the south west monsoon west south the during overcast or clouded heavily are Skies period and to a lesser extent in the post monsoon period. During the rest of rest the During period. monsoon post the in extent lesser a to and period the year, skies are mainly clear or lightly clouded. During the summer the During clouded. lightly or clear mainly are skies year, the afternoons, there is some increase in cloudiness. in increase some is there afternoons, Winds Winds are generally moderate, with a little strengthening during the during strengthening little a with moderate, generally are Winds southwest monsoon period. Winds are south westerly or westerly in the period the in westerly or westerly south are Winds period. monsoon southwest from May to September. North easterlies and easterlies appear in October and October in appear easterlies and easterlies North September. to May from these predominate in the next four months. In March and April, the winds are winds the April, and March In months. four next the in predominate these mainly south westerly or westerly in the mornings and north easterly to easterly north and mornings the in westerly or westerly south mainly easterly in the afternoons. the in easterly Special climatic phenomena climatic Special During October and November, some of the depressions and cyclonic and depressions the of some November, and October During storms originating in the Bay of Bengal cross the east coast and move and coast east the cross Bengal of Bay the in originating storms westwards across the peninsula occasionally. Such depressions and storms and depressions Such occasionally. peninsula the across westwards pass through the neighbourhood of the district causing widespread heavy rain heavy widespread causing district the of neighbourhood the through pass and gusty winds. Thunder storms are common in the hot season and the post the and season hot the in common are storms Thunder winds. gusty and monsoon season. Rainfall during the monsoon period is often associated with associated often is period monsoon the during Rainfall season. monsoon thunder. Table : 1.9 Talukwise Average rainfall in mm from 1901 to 1970. to 1901 from mm in rainfall Average Talukwise 1.9 : Table

Taluk Jan. Feb. Mar Apr. May June July Aug Sept. Sept. Aug July June May Apr. Mar Feb. Jan. Taluk

Mandya 50A 4.8 7.4 10.7 40.4 121.2 47.2 36.6 75.7 110.0 110.0 75.7 36.6 47.2 121.2 40.4 10.7 7.4 4.8 50A Mandya B 0.4 0.4 0.7 3.0 7.1 3.4 3.5 4.7 6.8 6.8 4.7 3.5 3.4 7.1 3.0 0.7 0.4 0.4 B Sriranga Sriranga Patna 50 A 4.1 5.6 10.7 49.0 133.1 43.4 38.3 64.3 90.2 90.2 64.3 38.3 43.4 133.1 49.0 10.7 5.6 4.1 A 50 Patna Shriranga B 0.3 0.3 0.8 3.7 7.5 4.0 3.8 4.7 6.1 6.1 4.7 3.8 4.0 7.5 3.7 0.8 0.3 0.3 B Pattana

Malavalli 50 A 2. 3 7.9 7.6 7.6 120.1 43. 9 3.8 79.5 110.7 110.7 79.5 3.8 9 43. 120.1 7.6 7.6 7.9 3 2. A 50 Malavalli B 0.3 0.4 0.7 3.4 7.4 3.8 3.9 5.1 6.2 6.2 5.1 3.9 3.8 7.4 3.4 0.7 0.4 0.3 B

Krishna- Krishna- Rajapet 50 A 3.6 5.8 8.1 47.0 140.5 61.0 64.3 64.8 100.3 100.3 64.8 64.3 61.0 140.5 47.0 8.1 5.8 3.6 A 50 Rajapet B 0.3 0.5 0.7 3.7 8.0 4.5 6.0 5.2 6.2 6.2 5.2 6.0 4.5 8.0 3.7 0.7 0.5 0.3 B

Naga- Naga- Mangala 50 A 4.3 5.1 7.4 43.7 112.3 39. 1 31.5 61.2 122.2 122.2 61.2 31.5 1 39. 112.3 43.7 7.4 5.1 4.3 A 50 Mangala 7.1 3.1 2.7 4.1 6.4 6.4 4.1 2.7 3.1 7.1 3.2 0.5 0.4 0.3 B eea 29 General

107.9 107.9 98.5 44.2 8 35. 91.9 49.5 2.5 4.8 1.88 A 50 Maddur B 0.3 0.4 0.3 3.7 6.6 3.4 4.7 6.1 5.8 5.8 6.1 4.7 3.4 6.6 3.7 0.3 0.4 0.3 B

Panda- Panda- Vapura 13 A 3.3 6.6 4.8 56.4 110.2 31.2 28.2 77.0 82.0 82.0 77.0 28.2 31.2 110.2 56.4 4.8 6.6 3.3 A 13 Vapura B 0.3 0.4 0.7 4.7 6.5 2.8 3.0 5.5 6.2 6.2 5.5 3.0 2.8 6.5 4.7 0.7 0.4 0.3 B

Total of A 3.5 6.2 7.4 47.9 118.5 43.1 40.8 74.4 103.3 103.3 74.4 40.8 43.1 118.5 47.9 7.4 6.2 3.5 A of Total District B 0.3 0.4 0.6 3.6 7.2 3.6 3.9 5.1 6.2 6.2 5.1 3.9 3.6 7.2 3.6 0.6 0.4 0.3 B District

Max. Total of Percent Yearly Dec. Nov. Oct. Taluk rainfall min. max. during 24 during rainfall rainfall hours & hours &Year** Year** & Year

Oct.2 1956 60(1923)177.8 (1909) 179 688.5 12.2 67.6 154.7 A 50 a y Mand B 7.9 4.0 1.1 43.0 43.0 1.1 4.0 7.9 B

Srirangaparna 50 A 152.4 67.6 11.9 670.6 201 (1903) 65(1912)167.6 1957 May 22 22 May 1957 65(1912)167.6 (1903) 201 670.6 11.9 67.6 152.4 A 50 Srirangaparna B 8.5 4.0 1.0 44.7 44.7 1.0 4.0 8.5 B

Malavalli 50 A 146.8 67.1 14.0 691.9 176(1903) 54(1927)160.5 1957 May 23 23 May 1957 54(1927)160.5 176(1903) 691.9 14.0 67.1 146.8 A 50 Malavalli B 8.0 4.1 1.0 44.3 44.3 1.0 4.1 8.0 B

Krishna- 50 A 160.8 74.4 11.4 742.0 164(1933) 53(1914) 155.5 1940 Oct. 8 8 Oct. 1940 155.5 53(1914) 164(1933) 742.0 11.4 74.4 160.8 A 50 Krishna- Rajpet B 8.8 4.3 0.7 48.7 48.7 0.7 4.3 8.8 B Rajpet

Naga- 50 A 158.2 79.0 11.9 675.9 170(1903) 54(1913) 200.7 1925 Nov.11 Nov.11 1925 200.7 54(1913) 170(1903) 675.9 11.9 79.0 158.2 A 50 Naga- Mangala B 8. 0 4.7 0.9 41.4 41.4 0.9 4.7 0 8. B Mangala

Maddur 18 A 177.5 52.3 14.2 680.9 152(1946) 61(1940) 117.3 1958 Sep. 21 21 Sep. 1958 117.3 61(1940) 152(1946) 680.9 14.2 52.3 177.5 A 18 Maddur B 9.1 3.8 1.1 45.3 45.3 1.1 3.8 9.1 B

Pandava 13 A 205.5 64.3 19.1 688.6 139(1949) 66(1938) 112.5 1951 Sep.28 Sep.28 1951 112.5 66(1938) 139(1949) 688.6 19.1 64.3 205.5 A 13 Pandava Pura B 9.3 4.3 1.1 44.8 44.8 1.1 4.3 9.3 B Pura

Total of A 165.1 67.5 13.5 691.2 166(1903) 63 (1927) (1927) 63 166(1903) 691.2 13.5 67.5 165.1 A of Total 44.6 1.0 4.2 8.5 B District

A- General rainfall mm. B- Daily average rainfall (more than 2.2 mm. rainfall daily) rainfall mm. 2.2 than (more rainfall average Daily B- mm. rainfall General A- **Years shown in bracket in shown **Years 30 Mandya District Gazetteer

Table 1.10 Taluk-wise rainfall from 1901 to 1999 of the District ( in m.m.)

Year K.R.Pet Maddur Malavalli Mandya Naga Pandava Shriranga District mangala pura pattana Average

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 1901 873.6 706.5 887 761.6 829 701.3 779.3 791.19 1902 746.8 662.6 566.2 600.2 649.7 504.7 546.9 611.01 1903 953.7 1314.8 1296.4 1296.4 1089 1148.4 1223 1191.56 1904 795.4 517.8 592.1 602.8 399.4 472.5 445 546.43 1905 632.9 602.2 516.8 504.4 599.7 521.6 601.5 562.73 1906 789.5 N.A 780.9 716.2 771.1 N.A 660.1 743.56 1907 649 548.1 635.8 609.8 458.4 497.2 621.1 574.20 1908 534.1 110.9 719.5 509.8 410.7 N.A 546.8 471.87 1909 862.6 944.5 1060.2 1388 845.3 941.3 935 982.41 1910 1013.9 699.2 779.2 770.5 848.6 731.4 807.4 800.03 1911 752.1 592.1 677 659.8 546.9 N.A 600 629.65 1912 845 N.A 502.1 501.6 795.7 N.A 435.9 616.06 1913 741.7 N.A 590.7 720.6 362.6 N.A 637.1 610.54 1914 395.1 572.7 848.8 616.5 492.3 507.5 545.3 568.31 1915 662.6 669.9 685.2 782 911.3 1120.4 796.1 803.93 1916 1104 926.5 1059.1 1169 968.2 1287.1 1074 081.13 1917 976.5 N.A 899.1 749.2 831.2 N.A 698 840.80 1918 664.3 N.A 584.3 548.6 723.3 N.A 517.6 607.62 1919 812.8 709.7 783.9 738.4 763.4 774 694.1 752.33 1920 466.6 623.5 607 672.4 541.8 516.5 583 572.61 1921 467.6 633 672.8 616.3 723.6 N.A 651.7 537.86 1922 674.7 776.6 590.3 832.3 703.5 671.7 576.6 689.39 1923 569.5 529.8 440.8 413.1 442.4 511.5 460.2 481.04 1924 893.5 N.A 462.8 614.6 748.6 N.A. 762.1 696.32 1925 771.4 N.A 546.3 604.4 787.9 636.7 496.3 640.50 1926 644 N.A 496.6 682.7 722.7 N.A 635.6 636.32 1927 501.5 393.1 373.4 446.2 413.9 414.7 440.5 424.76 1928 857.6 N.A. 614.7 609.6 681.6 N.A 762.2 661.42 1929 732.3 578.8 778.1 746.7 806.2 489.4 657 676.93 1930 857.6 762.3 877.6 790 887.6 731.3 779.3 813.67 1931 821.6 856.8 567.3 630.6 652.8 660.8 549.7 677.09 General 31

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9

1932 968.2 1045 777.7 854.2 868.2 869.8 823.6 885.90 1933 1216.4 522.2 816.4 950.4 791.2 860.9 921.9 868.49 1934 618.1 690.2 510.8 548 461 499.4 535.3 551.83 1935 679.2 713.6 586.7 606 474.1 492.3 484.9 576.69 1936 411.2 581.4 487.4 411.8 622.2 465.1 556.4 505.07 1937 591 596.6 687.5 683.6 535.9 674.6 968.5 676.81 1938 578.2 796.1 521.8 526 575.9 502.1 548.6 578.39 1939 584.3 826.2 625.5 689.7 669.5 862.6 737.6 713.63 1940 1010. 645.7 886.6 718.3 855.9 849.3 861.4 832.56 1941 594.3 801.2 644.8 609.8 590.5 669.8 672.7 654.73 1942 763.7 803.7 670.4 697.5 557.7 633.3 534.5 665.83 1943 690.4 769.5 685.9 727 722.4 640.6 784.6 717.20 1944 955.5 483.8 696.1 957.3 611.1 683 754.7 734.50 1945 612.2 1027.5 784.2 618.8 454.1 397.8 620.1 644.67 1946 777.8 849 1050.1 796.4 873.8 765.2 611.7 817.71 1947 680.3 581 648.5 775 620.2 551.1 705.7 651.69 1948 707.6 661.8 692.9 695.7 713.4 684.2 522.3 668.27 1949 643.2 536.3 774.2 560 530.8 726.7 569.8 620.14 1950 771.7 841.8 622.3 612.2 427.5 415.6 526 603.16 1951 830.3 755.8 957.9 643.5 788.7 855 995.3 830.93 1952 539.3 1007.9 584.5 906.5 758.9 516.9 793.5 729.64 1953 997 964.4 946.9 946.3 1217.3 745.6 606.1 917.66 1954 826.1 693.5 829.7 1189 972.5 880.3 612.2 857.67 1955 675.4 769.1 635.4 991.6 853.1 467.7 581.6 710.56 1956 618.6 660.6 849.6 1118 742.1 603 690.2 754.60 1957 696.7 831.5 788.1 1244 672.1 664 718 802.06 1958 811.2 789.9 989.5 1338 754 909.9 646 891.24 1959 622.7 760.2 572.9 864.5 703.9 646.4 608.1 656.67 1960 586.9 662.8 583 687.7 857.4 690.6 609.9 668.33 1961 755.8 550.4 704.1 1189 467.9 492.9 420.6 654.40 1962 827.6 650.4 830.6 1153 515.4 716.8 570.5 752.07 1963 728.7 884.6 385.7 950.5 532.9 537.3 525 649.24 1964 1069.7 430.6 637.8 1541 548.7 860.5 765.6 836.31 1965 344.9 882.6 434.3 353.8 284.3 286.4 260.3 406.66 1966 755.2 562.8 862.9 759.1 751.7 754.1 641.3 726.73 32 Mandya District Gazetteer

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 1967 410 697.8 553.9 380.4 443.6 481.6 461.5 489.83 1968 726.4 462.3 664.1 688 711.3 738 629.1 659.89 1969 591.2 614.1 710.1 681.8 617.6 502.7 513.7 604.46 1970 668.6 956.2 692 769 627.8 662.9 550.1 703.80 1971 559 1070.3 1026 825.9 529 773.5 760.8 792.07 1972 939.9 697.5 941 801.6 766 827.6 717.8 813.06 1973 527.9 596.3 702.5 565.9 764.3 896.6 363.9 631.06 1974 418.7 944.2 526.8 687.7 863.7 537.7 624.6 657.63 1975 856.6 387.2 1119.4 748.8 917.3 762.3 625.4 773.86 1976 467.9 772.3 399.7 380.8 495.5 371.4 382.3 467.13 1977 1187.1 996.8 912.9 929.5 1324.5 1069.8 766.8 1026.77 1978 757.5 893.5 899 817.3 844.5 820.6 602.6 805.00 1979 742 646.9 827.7 820.5 984.5 601.1 999.2 803.13 1980 749.5 846.9 554.3 677.2 564.8 408.1 658.6 637.06 1981 949.7 409.7 776 777.5 722.8 884.1 812.9 761.83 1982 600.6 737 473.5 555 478 358.6 329 504.53 1983 726.2 630.5 839.4 711.7 938.4 730.7 666.5 749.06 1984 961.8 581.3 418 450.7 987.6 501.2 707.3 658.27 1985 466.8 941.6 558.7 382.1 659.6 353.7 422.5 540.71 1986 971.3 770.2 1199.8 624.8 801.9 702.2 757.3 832.50 1987 870.1 762 1216.2 826.5 1006 862.4 640.7 883.41 1988 844.1 786.9 716 755.5 973.1 790.9 675.5 791.71 1989 684.5 388.9 733 645.6 911.7 471.1 661.1 642.26 1990 438.1 1073.8 363.4 302.3 521.2 346 349 484.81 1991 1027.7 795 793.6 874 924.4 972.4 841.8 889.81 1992 708.7 811.9 578.8 629.9 627.4 604.3 498 636.57 1993 602.2 666.7 670.3 639.2 N.A 1170.7 751 750.02 1994 754.9 749.8 552.5 671.3 631 792 764 702.21 1995 785.4 942.5 518.9 652.5 699.2 584.6 826.8 715.70 1996 914.9 796.8 752.7 937.9 1038.7 788 859.2 869.74 1997 508.1 888.5 576.2 902.9 820.5 690.6 582.9 709.96 1998 864 817.8 625.8 688.8 950 692 496.3 733.53 1999 1021.61 1067.4 541.6 838.1 1017 1020 818.6 903.47

Source : Drought Monitoring Cell, Bangalore. General 33

Table 1.11 Details of Rain gauge centre-wise annual rainfall in mm. - 2001 Sl. Rain gauge Winter Summer South-west North-east Annual No. Centre monsoon monsoon Jan-Feb. Mar-May June-Sept. Oct-Dec. Jan.-Dec. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7

1. Krishnarajpet Taluk a. Akkihebbal 0 175 347 185 707 b. Krishnarajpet 0 110 439 192 741 c. Kikkeri 0 131 332 253 716 d. Santhebachahalli 0 124 466 176 766 e. Sheelunere 0 161 414 169 744

2. Maddur Taluk a. Koppa 0 81 339 487 907 b. Kodlu 0 217 349 423 989 c. Maddur 0 159 412 253 824 d Kesturu 0 60 344 215 619

3. Malavalli Taluk a. Halaguru 0 0 453 269 722 b. Malavalli 0 131 242 164 567 c. V.C.Farm Agri.Res. Centre 0 130 316 285 731

4. Mandya Taluk a. Basaralu 0 152 279 192 623 b. Lingaraja Chatra 0 221 209 368 798 c. Madya 1 164 172 396 733 d. Kottatti 0 5 164 244 413

5. Nagamangala Taluk a. Bellur 0 0 311 176 487 b. Bindiganavile 0 53 368 129 550 c. Devalapura 0 22 145 187 354 d. Honakere 0 128 248 140 516 e. Nagamangala 0 182 425 195 802 34 Mandya District Gazetteer

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 6. Pandavapura Taluk a. Chinakuruli 0 0 352 179 531 b Melukote 0 204 528 197 929 c. Pandavapura 0 139 209 264 312

7. Shrirangapattana Taluk a. Krishnarajasagar Dam0 187 277 191 655 b. K.R.E.S 0 195 298 220 713 c. Shrirangapattana 0 243 193 295 732 d. Arakere 0 288 198 330 827

Table 1.12 Taluk-wise actual rainfall (m.m.) – 2001 Krishnaraj Maddur Malavalli Mandya Naga- Pandava Sriranga District Pet mangala pura patna (Average) 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 January 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 February 0 0 0 0 0 0 3 0 March 0 7 0 1 0 0 0 1 April 104 99 66 99 66 78 126 92 May 36 24 21 36 11 37 103 38 June 17 1 5 1 21 10 15 11 July 49 41 72 45 28 64 24 44 August 97 96 46 56 61 79 47 70 Sept. 237 224 215 105 189 210 155 191 Oct. 94 290 178 218 96 116 148 159 Nov. 100 53 67 77 67 95 104 81 Dec. 2 2 5 5 2 2 8 4 Annual 336 837 675 643 541 691 733 698 Winter 0 0 0 0 0 0 3 0 (Jan-Feb) Summer 140 129 87 136 77 114 228 131 (Mar-May) South- 400 361 337 206 299 363 242 315 west monsoon (June-Sept.) General 35

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9

North-east 195 345 249 300 165 213 259 243 monsoon (Oct.- Dec) Annual 735 835 673 642 541 690 732 698

ECOLOGY AND ENVIRONMENT As per the directives of forest policy, every district should have a minimum of 33 per cent of forest in its total geographical area. In Mandya district, including the reserve forest, it accounts for only 8 per cent . In order to a maintain natural balance and for the barest minimal environmental considerations, it is necessary to grow more greenery. Faunal resources, likewise, are also very vital. Animal husbandry has become an important industry in the district. Gobar gas derived from cowdung is used for cooking as well and lighting. Livestock constitutes the backbone of the farmers’ economy. Therefore its conservation is the prime duty of every farmer. In earlier times, vast meadows were reserved for fodder, but of late, due to a variety of reasons there is substantial decrease in such meadows. Farmers have also encroached forest land. In addition, widespread occurrence of parthenium has stifled the growth of fodder resulting in an acute problem of livestock fodder shortage in the villages. Drinking water too is problem during summer season. There are 173 major and minor industries in the district. In addition, many small industries have sprung up and have engulfed cultivable land. Mandya town boasts of a sugar factory and an acetate factory. Noxious and toxic effluents from these industries are polluting both air and water. Airborne particles get deposited both inside and outside buildings in the surrounding areas. Their inhalation causes acute bronchitis and asthma. Methane vapours released from acetate factories have a strong odour and is deleterious to health. Dark coloured liquid effluents from the sugar and acetate factory which is poisonous enters into Hebballa which ultimately joins Sulekere. Since this source is extensively used for drinking, bathing and even for irrigation, it appears that the people around this place have developed acute intestinal problems and other skin problems. Particularly at peril are the people who consume fish from this tank. The pollutants ultimately enter the fodder that livestock consume and find way into their milk. The fertilizer and paper factory of Belagola also releases liquid effluents into the river. People using these water sources have serious health problems. Of late, the paper factory treats its effluents which have reduced the 36 Mandya District Gazetteer pollution to a certain extent. The sugar factories of Kalamuddanadoddi (Bharatinagar) and Pandavapur have also contributed to such pollution. There has been a substantial increase in the number of vehicle in the Mandya district and they are a major cause of atmospheric pollution. Increased urbanization, the resulting development of slums and ghettoes, absence of a proper drainage system and water treatment plants and lack of prudence in environmental matters is leading to an environmental disaster. Tourist places like Melkote, Keretonnur, Muttatti, Shivasamudra, Paschimavahini, Nimishamba temple, Daria Daulat, Balamuri, Ranganathittu and other places are facing threat from callous tourists who indiscriminately throw plastic bags and other non-biodegradable used materials which is contributing to the problem. These places that are visually stunning have attracted film makers. It is necessary that such teams should have knowledge of the historical and religious importance of these places and their conservation should be initiated. It is equally important that though there is ban for sand mining along the river courses of Shimsha and Cauvery, there is large scale unauthorized sand mining activity without the notice of the government. It is time that strict actions is taken to curb this menace in the interest of conserving these places of both historical and human importance.

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