chapter 1

General 1

CHAPTER I

GENERAL

Mandya district, located in the southern plain of Karnataka State ismostly covered by greenery. Till the beginning of the 20th Century, this districtwas a dry area. After the construction of Krishnarajasagar dam, it gotextensive irrigational facilities leading to the economic progress of the district.Since sugarcane and paddy are extensively cultivated in this district, it hasbeen given the epithet ‘Sugar and paddy bowl” of Karnataka. The hydroelectricpower project of Shivasamudram which was commenced in 1902 in thisdistrict has the distinction of being the second Electric Power Station in Asia.All the seven taluks of the districts are covered by the Command AreaDevelopment Authority, Cauvery Basin. Sericulture being a profitable occupationhas resulted in wide spread mulberry cultivation throughout this district andis widespread in all the taluks. All the towns, villages and hamlets of thedistrict have been electrified. The district has a good network of transport andcommunication. The Bangalore - Mysore rail line and highway passes throughthe district. The educational progress of the district has been impressive. Sincethe last two decades, many educational centres including a Post Graduationcentre of the Mysore University and a College of Agriculture under thejurisdiction of the University of Agricultural Sciences, Bangalore have beenestablished here. The district has also distinguished itself in the field ofliterature and culture.

2 Mandya District Gazetteer

The district has many tourist spots and places of historical importance inits vicinity. Shrirangapattana which enjoyed the status of the capital of MysoreProvince between 1610 and 1799, Shivasamudram with its Gaganachukki andBarachukki waterfalls of Cauvery, Shimsha falls near Dhanagur, the charmingBrindavan gardens of Krishnarajasagar are renowned tourist places. BirdSanctuary at Ranganathittu near Shrirangapattana is very popular. Melukote,Tonnur, Shrirangapattana, Adichunchanagiri are other important pilgrimcentres. Kambadahalli of Nagamangala taluk is known for beautiful basadi ofGanga period and is a holy place for Jains. The temples of Hoysala period arefound in Govindanahalli, Hosa Holalu, Kikkeri, Aghalaya, Agrahara Bachahalli,Madapura and Tenginaghatta of Krishnarajpet taluk, Nagamangala, Bellurand Lalanakere of Nagamangala taluk, Basaralu, Hosobudanuru and in otherplaces of Mandya taluk. The River Cauvery forms three small islands popularlycalled Adiranga, Madyaranga and Antyaranga, of which Adiranga is located inShrirangapatna, Madya ranga in Shivasamudra (Kollegal taluk), and Antyarangabeing Sri Ranga in Tamil Nadu. One more Shrirangappattana in the Dubareforest of Kodagu district has been recently discovered by Dr.M.G. Nagaraj.

Origin of name

Mandya district, like most of the districts of Karnataka, takes its namefrom the headquarters. According to a mythological account of Mandya, theplace, 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 countrywas 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 wassaid to be teaching the wild beasts to pronounce the sacred word ‘veda’. Onthis account, the place came to be known as vedaranya.

Several years later, during the same ‘yuga’, another ‘rishi’, who wasresiding here, set up an image of the god, Sakaleshwara Swami, and LordVishnu, it is said, appeared to him. The place was thereafter renamed asVishnupura. 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 hopeof getting a son. His prayers were granted, and his son, Somavarma , built afort and an ‘agrahara’ at this place and gave it the name mandevemu, whichit is believed, has been corrupted into Mandya. It is also said that in theancient days, a great and popular sage called Mandavya, lived in the areadoing ‘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 ADfound at Ananthapadmanabha temple near Hosabudanuru which belongs toMummadi Narasimha (Narasimha III) as ‘Anadi Agrahara Mandya’. The firstBrahmin families which settled down here, named the place Mandya aftertheir native place near Tirupati. Mandya continued to remain a ‘sarvamanya’village till the time of Tipu Sultan, who withdraw the concession. He alsoshifted the taluk office from Mandya to Keregode but later, Dewan Purnaniahretransferred it to Mandya. In the copper plate of Krishnadevaraya ofVijayanagar Kingdom of 1516 AD, there is a reference of ‘Agrahara Mandaya’and ‘Chikka Manteya’ given to Govinda Raja, twelth in descent fromAnanthacharya a disciple of Saint Ramanujacharya and the first Brahminfamily said to have settled down here, having migrated from ‘Mandevamu’ nearTirupathi. It can be inferred that the present name Mandya was derived fromMandeya, which further changed to Mantheya and earlier was a centre oflearning.

Location and Boundaries

To the north west of the district lies Holenarasipur and Channarayapatnataluks of Hassan district and to its north and north-east are Kunigal andTuruvekere taluks of Tumkur district and to its east lie Kanakapura andChannapatna taluks of Bangalore Rural district and to its south and southwest are Mysore, Tirumakudal Narasipur, Krishnarajanagar taluks of Mysoredistrict and Kollegal taluk of Chamarajanagar district. The district extendsfrom 76° 19’–77° 07’ East latitude and 12° 11’ N – 13° 00’ North longitude. Itis unique in that the district has no common boundary with any other stateand 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 percent of the total geographical area of the State. It ranks 20th among 27 districtsof 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 provisionalstatistics available in the 2001 census, the total population of the districtamounts 17,61,718 which includes 8,87,307 males and 8,74,411 females. Outof the total population, 14,79,534 people live in rural areas and the remaining2,82,184 people live in urban areas. While Nagamangala taluk with 21 per centof the total area of the district occupies the first place in respect of area among


the taluks, Shrirangapattana taluk which comprises of three per cent of thearea of the district figures is in the last place. Mandya taluk which has apopulation 23 per cent of the district has the highest population among thetaluks of this district. Shrirangapattana taluk has only has nine per cent of thetotal population of the district.

The district has seven taluks, 31 hoblies , 1,365 inhabited and 13uninhabited villages and seven towns (as on 2002). The district has tworevenue divisions with Mandya, Maddur and Malavalli taluks under MandyaSub-division and Krishnarajpet, Nagamangala, Pandavapura andShrirangapattana taluks under Pandavapura sub-division. The geographicaland the general information of Mandya district is given in table 1.1 and 1.2 anddetails of population census of 1991 is given in table 1.3 and provisional censusstatistics of of 2001 is given in table 1.4 and hobli-wise details of revenuevillages in table 1.5.

Table 1.1 Geographical details of Mandya District

Source : 1. Mandya District At A Glance-2000-01, Zilla Panchayat 2000-01

Sl. No.

Taluk Villages ( As per 1991 Census)

Village Panchayats

City/Urban agglomeration/ Municipality/Corporation/

Notified areas

inhabited Un-inhabited

2000-01

As per 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

Sl.No. Taluk Area in Sq.Km

East Longitude From To

North Latitude 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

General 5

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

Sl.No Taluk Area Sq.k.m

Population

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

panchayat Urban 4.26 17,999 9,421 8,578

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

Council Urban 5.70

22,115 11,329 10,786

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 Belakavadi Mandal

Panchayat Urban 0.57 7,282 3,656 3,626

Malavalli Town Municipal Council

Urban 2.00 29,822 15,336 14,486

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

Panchayat Urban 2.52 14,096 7,331 6,765

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

Panchayat Urban 4.34 15,998 8,186 7,812

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

km


* Since the area of the three villages of Pandavapura and Shrirangapattana taluks are includedunder the Krishnarajasagara Notified Area, it has been shown separately.

* Source : Census of India 1991, Part 12-B, Mandya District Census, Series-11, Karnataka

Table 1.4 Details of provisional populationas per 2001 Census

Krishnarajpet

Sl.No Taluk Area Sq.k.m Population Total Male Female 1 Krishnarajpet

Krishna- Rajpet town Panchayat

Total Rural Urban Urban

904.42 900.16

4.26 4.26

247,757 225,284

22,473 22,473

123,271 111,705 11,566 11,566

124,468 113,579 10,907 10,907

2 Maddur Taluk Maddur Town Municipal Council


618.43 612.73

5.70 5.70

289,704 263,248

26,456 26,456

146,110 132.723 13,387 13,387

143,594 130,525 13.069 13,069

3 Malavalli Taluk Malavalli Town Municiple Council


810.11 807.54

2.57 2.57

281,345 245,545

35,800 35,800

143,124 124,837 18,287 18,287

138,221 120,708 17,513 17,513

4 Mandya Taluk Mandya Corporation


715.90 699.06 16.84 16.84

405,898 274,687 131,211 131,211

206,199 139,569 66,630 66,630

199,699 135,118 64,581 64,581

5 Nagamangala Taluk Nagamangala Town Panchayat


1044.70 1039.49

5.21 5.21

190,814 174,764

16,050 16,050

94,282 86,076

8,206 8,206

96.532 87,688 7,844 7,844

Krishnarajpet

Municipal

Shrirangapattan a Town Council

Urban 11.62 21,905 11,119 10,786

Mandya District

Total 4961.00 1644,374 837,597 806,777

Rural 4901.80 1388,570

699,719 677,851

Urban 54.84 266,804

137,878 128,926

Krishnaraja- Sagara Notified Area

Urban 4.36 7,881 4,062 3,819

Krishnarajasagara NotifiedArea

General 7

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

6 Pandavapur Taluk Pandavapura town Panchayat


539.43 530.81

8.62 8.62

175,008 156,772

18,236 18,236

82,520 78,309

9,211 9,211

87,488 78,463 9,025 9,025

7 Shrirangapattana Taluk Shrirangapattana Town Municipal Council


353.81 342.19 11.62 11.62

162,682 139,234

23,448 23,448

82,472 70,528 11,944 11,944

80,210 68,706 11.504 11,504

8 Mandya District Krishnaraja- Sagara Notified Area


4961.00 4897.44

59.20 4.36

17,61,718 14,79,534

282,184 8,510

887,307 743,747 143,560

4,329

874,411 735,787 138,624

4.181

Taluk Hobli Villages 1 2 3 Mandya Sub-Division 1. Mandya 1. Mandya

2. Kottatti 3. Dudda 4. Basaralu 5. Keragodu

17 35

54 50 27

Total 183


Administrative History

The district was inhabited from very ancient times. Archaeological sitesof Paleolithic, Neolithic and Iron age and pre-historic sites are to be found inHangarahalli, Belakavadi, Muttatti, Pandavapura and other places of thedistrict. Around the fourth century A.D. most part of the district was under

1 2 3 2. Maddur 1. Maddur

2. Chikkarasinakere 3. Koppa 4. Atakooru

43 42 44 33

Total 162 3. Malavalli 1. Malavalli

2. Halaguru 3. Boppagowdanapura 4 Kirugavalu

51 45

45 45

Total 186 Pandavapura-Sub-Division

4. Pandavapura 1. Pandavapura 2. Chinakuruli 3. Melukote

57 65

49 Total 171

5. Krishnarajapet 1. Krishnarajapet 2. Santhebachahalli 3. Shilanere 4. Bhookinakere 5. Akkihebbal 6. Kikkeri

51 59

52 48

49 57

Total 316 6. Nagamangala 1. Nagamangala

2. Devalapura 3. Honakere 4. Bindiganavile 5. Bellur

64 63 82

75 82

Total 366 7. Shrirangapattana 1. Shrirangapattana

2. Belagola 3. Kurubara Shettyhalli 4. Arakere

17 20

27 31

Total 95

General 9

the rule of Ganga’s of Talakad and Shimsha valley was known asChikkagangavadi. In the beginning of Ninth century A.D. the Rashtrakutas ofMalked defeated the second Shivamara of Ganga and appointed an officer tolook after the administration of Gangavadi province, but the kingdom wasreturned to the Ganga kings later. Again, in the 10th century A.D. Ganga’sestablished their rule in the district, Gangavadi came under the administrationof Cholas during the rule of Rakkasaganga, the last ruler of Gangas. Then thisprovince belonged to Mudigonda Chola Mandala of Chola kingdom.Shivasamudra and Malavalli parts were called Rajendra Chola olanadu. AfterHoysala Vishnuvardhana won Talakad, Mandya district area was annexedwith the Hoysala kingdom. It appears that Tonnur near Melkote was thesecondary capital of Hoysala Vishnuvardhana. After Hoysalas this regionbelonged to the kings of Vijayanagara. It is understood that a major part of thedistrict was under the rule of the Feudatories of Nagamangala and Channapatnawho were subordinate rulers under Vijayanagara. In 1454 A.D. ThimmaVodeya of Nagamangala built the fort of Shrirangapattana with the permissionof the King of Vijayanagar. Then onwards from 16th century to the beginningof 17th century, the representatives of Vijayanagar Kings stayed inShrirangapattana. Later, the Mysore Raja Wadeyar invaded Shrirangapattanaand not only made it their capital but also included most part of the Mandyadistrict under the Mysore Province. Shrirangapattana became famous duringthe rule of Chikkadevaraya. Shrirangapattana, which is now only headquartersof a taluk, was once the headquarters of a Vijayanagar viceroy. About 1610AD Raja Wodeyar of Mysore gained possession of Shrirangapattana and madeit his capital. After the fall of Tipu, the capital was shifted fromShrirangapattana to Mysore in 1799. During the reign of Krishnaraja WodeyarIII from 1811 to 1831, the entire kingdom was divided into six ‘Foujdaris’ andthe present Mandya district formed part of the Ashtagram Foujdari.

Hyder Ali ruled this region for about 21 years from 1761. The areas underhis rule were divided into two parts. The first part also called Baramahals inPayanghat area - below the ghat –comprised of Salem and Erode. The secondpart 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 wereregrouped under Astagrama Foujudari, Bangalore, Madhugiri, Chitradurga,Nagar and Manjarabad. During the regime of Tippu Sultan, the state wasdivided 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 1799and after his death in1799, as per the agreement between Marathas, Nizamsand the British ( 22.6.1799) Canara, Coimbatore and Wynad district areascame under the rule of British East India Company. Gooty area was given toNizam, Harappanahalli, Harihara and Sunda (Sandoor) areas came under therule of Marathas and the remaining Mysore area were ruled by the royalfamilies of Mysore Wadeyars. Mummadi Krishnaraja Wadeyar was declaredthe King of Mysore on 30.6.1799 and Mysore was made the administrativecentre for Mysore Province. When Shrirangapattana came under the rule of theBritish East India Company in 1795, the fort of Srirangapata was handed overto the British Force and it was made the headquarters of the defence forces(subsidiary regiment and supporting defence regiment). Colonel Arthur Welleslywas in charge till 1805 and Dariya Daulat of Shrirangapattana was hisresidence. As per the estimates of the traveller Buchanan, the population ofShrirangapattana which was around 1,50,000 earlier was reduced to 32,000 in1801. Since British soldiers were unhappy to stay in Shrirangapattana due toadverse climatic conditions, the defence center was shifted to Bangalore duringthe period 1809 to 1811. In addition, some units of defence were posted atShrirangapattana, Erode and French Rocks (Pandavapura). The defence unitsof Shrirangapattana together with the bullet manufacturing unit were shiftedto Fort Saint George of Madras in 1830. As a result of these changesShrirangapattana’s importance had politically weakened.

When the British Commission was formed in 1834, these six foujdariswere reconstituted in to four divisions, namely Bangalore, Nugur, Chitradurga(Chituldroog) and Ashtagram, each under a European Superintendent withrevenue and judicial powers. One Superintendent was posted to the provinceof coorg. The Superintendents were allowed to exercise great authority andhad rarely been interfered with in district administrative arrangements andconsequently 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 threedivisions, Ashtagram, Nandidroog (Nandidurg) and Nugur (Nagar), eachunder a Superintendent and these again into eight districts such as Mysore,Bangalore, Kolar, Tumkur, Chitradurga, Shimoga, Chikmagalur (kadur) andHassan each under a Deputy Superintendent. In 1869 when the office of theChief Commissioner of Mysore was created, the Superintendents of Divisions

Sl.No. Taluk Area (Sq. m.)

Population

1 Mysore 436 99,589 2 Chamarajanagar 342 76,622 3 Patana Astagrama

(including Shrirangapattana Island)

200 67,177

4 Piriyapattana 534 87,587 5 Yadatore 246 39,082 6 Heggadadevanakote 544 40,300 7 Gundlupete 658 46,669 8 Nanjanagud 318 42,856 9 Mysore Astagrama 171 34,410 10 Talkad 267 58,950 11 Mandya 248 45,199 12 Maddur 192 32,193 13 Malavalli 284 52,810 14 Yalandoor (Jahagir) 95 23,124

Total 4,545 7,46,568

km

came to be styled as commissioners and Deputy Superintendents in charge ofthe districts were called Deputy Commissioners.

In 1869, the Mysore district was divided, for the purpose of administration,into 14 taluks or amildaris, the names and extent of which are given here.

Out of the fourteen taluks that formed the Mysore district, only the fourtaluks of Patna Ashtagram, Mandya, Maddur and Malavalli formed part of thepresent Mandya District. Maddur taluk was formed into a sub taluk in 1875and later, in 1886, it was absorbed by Mandya taluk. In 1879, when thecommission was once again reorganized, the posts of Commissioners of divisionswere abolished with the result that under the Chief Commissioner, there wereonly the Deputy Commissioners of the districts, under them were the AssistantCommissioners and under them the Amildars. Several administrative changestook place in the year 1882 as a result of the Rendition of Mysore. The twodistricts of Chitradurga and Hassan were abolished the four taluks of sourthernhalf of Hassan district viz., Arkalgud, Channarayapatna, Nagamangala andAttiguppe (present Krishnarajpet) were added on to Mysore District in thesame year. Simultaneously with this change, Arkalgud taluk which containedten hoblis was abolished in 1882 and the hoblies were distributed among theadjoining taluks. The name of Patna Ashtagram taluk was changed to

Patna Astagram

General11


Shrirangapattana taluk in the same year. A number of villages fromChannarayapatna and Holenarasipur taluks were added to Kikkeri hobli in1882, while the Melkote hobli was transferred to Shrirangapattana taluk andsome 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 AssistantCommissioner with his headquarters at French Rocks. In 1886, when theHassan district was reconstituted, Arkalgud taluk was again revived with sixhoblies comprising of Arkalgud, Basavapatna, Konanur, Krishnarajakatte,Mallipatna and Marur. Arakalgud and channarayapatna taluk were transferredto Hassan district. The other two taluks of Nagamangala and Attiguppecontinue to remain in Mysore district.

When allocations of members to the Mysore Representative Assemblywere 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 FrenchRocks was a sub division, yet there was neither a sub-taluk nor taluk of thatname and it was only a hobli. However, a sub-taluk known as French Rockswas formed later. But it was abolished in 1923 and the three hobli ofKyathanahalli, Pandavapura Kasaba and Melkote constituting the sub talukwere included in Shrirangapattana taluk. The name of Attiguppe waschanged to Krishnarajpet in1891. Mysore district was composed of thirteentaluks and one jahgir in 1930. There were three sub-divisions; Nanjangud,Chamarajanagar, Gundlupet and Tirumakudal Narasipur taluks formed theNanjangud sub-division and Mysore, Hunsur, Heggadadevanakote and Yadatoretaluks formed the Mysore sub-division, the remaining five taluks namelySeringapatna, Mandya, Malvalli, Nagamangala and Krishnarajpet formed theFrench Rocks sub division. After the construction of Krishnarajasagar dam, theimportant of the area now comprising the Mandya district grew and in orderto facilitate the acquisition of lands in connection with the Irwin (Visvesvaraya)canal and the resettlement of the farmers and the disposal of questionsconnected with the cultivation of the newly irrigated tracts, a new revenuesub-division was constituted in 1928 with Mandya as its headquarters. MaddurTaluk was revived and once again it was made into a separate taluk on 1st May1931. 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 areaof 1,07,959 acres. Dodda Arasinakere was divided into three villages. They areDodda Arasikere, Matanahalli and Devarahalli. As a result, this the totalnumber of villages increased to 162. The Hirode, Melkote and Chinkurli hoblieswhich were included in Shrirangapattana taluk, were separated and constitutedinto a separate taluk called French Rocks (Pandavapur) taluk with effect fromIst July 1937.

After these changes, the Mysore district became and exceptionallyunwieldy comprising 15 taluks and one sub taluk besides the jahagir taluk ofYelandur and the normal work in the district office was nearly twice as muchas that in some of the other districts. With the development of irrigation underthe Irwin (Visvesvaraya) canal there was a great increase in the volume ofwork in all departments and the special and intricate problems connected withirrigation in the canal area occupied a good deal of the Deputy Commissionerstime and attentions. The question of bifurcation of the district which hadbecome very large was under the consideration of Government for sometime.A proposal to this effect was placed in the before the budget session of theMysore Representative Assembly in 1937, but there was not much supportfrom 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. Theopposition is due, I am afraid, to an incorrect and imperfect appreciation of thereal 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 problemsrequiring close and continuous attention. Experience has shown that it isessential, in public interest, that the district should be split up into two, if itsproblems are to receive sufficient attention. It is not merely the developmentof irrigation under the Irwin Canal that has suggested and necessitated thiscourse. The Malnad taluks of Heggadadevanakote and Piriyapatna require amore concentrated effort than it has been possible for the administration tobestow upon them. Government was convinced the time will wholly justifytheir decision. They are confident that the results will more than repay therecurring expenditure involved, it is only a matter of Rs.35,000/- and that thepeople of, what at present is, an un wieldy district will derive considerablebenefit from its bifurcation”.


The Governmental finally decided to bifurcate the Mysore district in 1939and to constitute, with effect from 1st July 1939, a new district to be known asMandya district, with its headquarters at Mandya. The two revenue subdivisions of French Rocks and Mandya comprising seven taluks of Seringapatna,French Rocks, Nagamangala, Krishnarajpet, Maddur, Malvalli and Mandyaformed the Mandya district while the Mysore district was left with theremaining eight taluks one sub-taluks and one jahagir taluk. Thus, the presentMandya district came into being as a separate administrative district witheffect from 1st July 1939 and was the ninth district in the old MysoreState.

Tablel 1.6 Details of Taluks in Mysore (1939)

No change of considerable importance has taken place since the formationof the district except some transfers of villages from one taluk to another purelyon account of administrative convenience. The name of French Rocks waschanged to Pandavapura and the aglicised form of Seringapatam toSrirangapatna/Shrirangapattana. Six hoblies of Shrirangapattana taluk were

Sl.No. Sub-Division Taluk 1 2 3 1

2

3.

4

Mysore Nanjangud Frenchrocks(Pandavapura) Mandya

Mysore Hunasur Heggadadevanakote Krishnarajanagara(Yedatore) and Piriyapatna sub-taluk Nanjangud Gundlupet Chamarajanagar Tirumakudalu Narasipur and Yelandur Jahagir Shrirangapattana Frenchrocks Nagamangala Krishnarajapet Mandya Malavalli Maddur

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 witheffect from 1-7-1937. After reconstitution in addition to the earlier 51 villages,10 villages from Kyathanahalli hobli of Shrirangapattana were included in thenew Hirode hobli. Similarly, in addition to 54 villages, 21 villages fromKannambadi hobli of Krishnarajpet taluk and one village from Kasaba hobliwere transferred to Chinakurali hobli. Melkote hobli had 49 villages andaltogether there were 186 villages in French Rocks taluk. Shrirangapattanahobli was reconstituted to include a newly formed hobli with Kurubarashettyhalli as its headquarters on 22nd September, 1939.

The Asali Inam Gaudagere village was separated from the KebbahalliDhakale village on 10th May, 1940. Mandya Kasaba hobli (43 villages)was divided into Mandya Kasaba (17 villages) and Keregodu (26 villages)hoblies on 25th September, 1943. Kuragahalli and Mydanahalli villages ofSrirangaptana taluk were transferred to Mysore taluk on 7th May, 1957. Thedetails of the administrative divisons which existed as on 2001-02 are given intable 1.7.

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

Table 1.7 Details of Sub-divisions and taluks of the District – 2002

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


GEOLOGY

The district for the most part, is made up of gneisses which are generallygray in colour with well developed gneissosity. Such rock structures are seenpredominantly near Chinkuruli, but gneisses exposed near Melkote, Siddaghattaand other places are varied and complex. The Dharwar Schists occur asnarrow linear bands in many parts of the district. They are seen prominentlybetween Bellibetta, Hadanur, Krishnarajpet and Chinakurali. The Bellibettaband extends southwards for about 25 km from a point six kilometres west ofKrishnarajpet, near Bellibetta up to the river Cauvery. It has a width of aboutfive km but narrows down as it approaches the river Cauvery. The Hadanurband which is well developed near Hadanur extends between Krishnarajpetand Chinakurali. This forms the extension of the Nuggehalli belt According tothe auther “recent geological surveys have indicated that Hadanur band is aseparate band forming part of Krishnarajpet schist belt and not the extensionof Nuggehalli belt” Another band extends from Yediyur to Karighatta withdark hornblende schist as its main component. Banded iron formations withlenses of quartz is exposed between Maddur and Channapattana. Occurrenceof minor amount of gold is reported from such bands near Vittalapur andKarighatta. Some villages of this district like Talagavadi, Siddalingapur,Kanaghatti, Naranakere, Turaganur are known for good quality porphyrieswhich are used as ornamental stones.

Geological Evolution

Mandya district forms part of Peninsular India and its physical featureessentially resemble the geological history of the main land. The major rocktypes of the district belong to Archaean era. They have been subjected todeformation and have undergone metamorphism. They have varied chemicalcompositions and are most complex and aptly designated as Archaean complexand consist of a wide variety of granite, gneisses and schist with associatedquartzite and limestone.

The Dharwar Group belonging to the same Archaen complex consist ofan assemblage of metasedimentary rocks intimately associated withmetavolcanics and occurs as various belts within an expanse of granites, andgneisses which have been grouped under the term ‘Peninsular Gneiss’ as itcovers a vast portion of Peninsular India. Generally these igneous rocks cropup from lower surface of the earths crust and these gneisses have yieldeddiffering radiometric ages and the term originally included a wide range of

General 17

compositions. Younger intrusive granites and pegmatites are also seen in thesurrounding areas. Towards the southern end of the Closepet Granite andadjoining it are a group of igneous rocks called porphyries which are consideredto be a part of the Closepet Granites. Protrusions of these rocks are seen nearShrirangapattana. The whole area has been subjected to intense deformationand upliftment.

Karnataka has remained a stable landmass since the end of Proterozoicera. Protracted erosion over millions of years has left only remnants of rocksin a varied topography. And the present areas of this district also belong tothe Archaean Complex of Karnataka which is known for its rich metallic andnon metallic minerals as well as ornamental stones. Only the important onesare described here.

Felsite and Porphyry dykes

Felsite and porphyry dykes of more than 40 varieties with varied colourand texture occur in Shrirangapattana and Mandya taluks. These variantsinclude ash green, light green, grass green, gray, brown, chocolate brown andsnuff colour dykes. They occur as dykes cutting across granite and gneisses.Because they are highly fractured and exhibit conchoidal weathering, they donot lend themselves for separation as slabs. They are extensively used as pillars,panels and tiles and as ornamental stones and have been used to erectmonuments, and for carving flower vases. Green quartzite with chromiummica (fuchsite quartzite) occurs around Mallenahalli in Krishnarajpet taluk.Like felsite and porphyry these rocks too cannot be heaved into slabs, but areextensively used in sculpture as ornamental stones.

Beryl

Yellowish green beryl crystals have been reported from the pegmatites ofMelkote and its southern part. Of these, those occurring around Katteri andChikkayarahalli deposits are considered to be of good quality. They occur ina variety of colours ranging from white, green, blue and deep blue. Beryl is alsoreported from Babygrama and Linganakoppa of Pandavapura taluk. Lightgreen coloured beryl crystals are known to occur around Kurubaramanchenahalli and Ragi muddanahalli areas of Krishnarajpet taluk.

Mica

Mica is mainly made up of potassium and aluminium silicate and occursin many rocks. Normally it occurs as veins and layers and is generally seen as


books in pegmatite. Minor deposits of mica have been reported from Undavadinear Krishnarajpet and Wadesamudra of Pandavapura taluk.Vermiculite

Vermiculite which is a type of mica has been reported from Melkote andKrishnarajpet areas. This mineral normally occurs in hornblende biotite schistas lenses and pods and in highly weathered biotite gneiss and also along thecontacts 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 andpolished 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 ofKrishnarajpet. It appears that a shaft was sunk for a depth of 40 metres andfive grams per ton of ore was reported from this mining. The total reserveshave not been estimated. Similar explorations were carried out near Hunjanekerenear Shrirangapattana, on the southern part of Nagamangala and nearBoothaganahalli north of Bannur. 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 bythe presence of slag heaps. Since good quality iron and steel was imported ata cheaper rate from foreign countries, the local industry gradually witheredaway.Magnatite

Banded magnetite quartzite occurs extensively near Maddur , Hunsur,Hullahalli, Karalakatte, Chattanahalli, Bommanayakana halli, Aralapura villagesof Malavalli taluk. Such bands have pockets of magnetite which on powderingto 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 tractof 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, Kirangur and Ramanahalli areas. Another tract with corundumdeposits extends from about 60 km. from near Ramanagaram to Malavalli.

China clay

Deposits of China clay are reported in weathered granites near Melkotewhere they occur as pure white clay pockets of limited extension. These claypockets 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 aboutearthquakes 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 Doddegowdanakoppalu on 16th may, 1972 measured 4.2 to 4.5 magnitude on Richter scale andby 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 andlargely forms a plain area. There are a few hills dotting the district and aresporadic in nature. On an average, the area is 760 to 920 metres above meansea level. The hill range extending from Biligiri Rangana hill occurs as isolatedhills on the eastern margin of Malavalli and is the only important physicalfeature. Near Shivanasamudram, the River Cauvery cuts across this hill rangeand descend as Gaganachukki and Barachukki falls. Hills are also foundaround Pandavapura, Tonnur, Melkote, Narayanadurga and Basavanakallu.Prominent among these are the ones occurring on the southern border ofHoolikere and Kharighatta. Hills are also noticed in some parts of Krishnarajpetand Nagamangala taluks. Adichunchanagiri is an important hill from thereligious point of view. Kabbaladurga hill, is another important hill located inthe border in the neighbouring Kanakapura taluk. It is 1,063 metre or 3,570feet above the sea level. One side of the hill is very steep and the other has agentle slope and can be negotiated. Karighatta hill (726 m/ 2,697 feet fromabove 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 theimportant tourist places. Narayanadurga hill near Sindhaghatta is 1,088 m/3,589 feet above the sea level. Other areas have isolated granite tors. The RiverCauvery has carved a smooth, gently undulating landscape in the plains.


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 importantrivers of the district. Bindenahalli tore, Amruthuru Tore, Nidasale Tore, Handihalla, Hebballa and Bhima are some of the important streams. A total of 1.43lakh hectares of cultivated land have been brought under irrigation by makinguse of these sources. The district has a total of 14,735 hectares water spreadarea, out of which 12,924 hectares is occupied by Krishnarajsagar (submergedarea). 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 streamflowing in this area mainly join the Bay of Bengal.

The Cauvery

The Cauvery is an important river of the district and originates inBrahmagiri range at a place called Talacauvery in Madakeri taluk of Kodagudistrict. It flows through Hassan and Mysore district and at Krishnarajasagarthe river Hemavathi joins the Cauvery. It then enters Shrirangapattana andflows easterly along the edge of Pandavapura and Shrirangapattana taluk asif defining the border of these two taluks. The river, in its next stage encirclesthe river islets of Shrirangapattana and near Mahadevapura it follows northeasterly direction and enters Thirumakudalu Narasipur taluk. From thereonwards, it flows at the border of Malavalli and Kollegal taluks. On the southeastern margin of the Malavalli taluk, the river bifurcates into two parts atBelakavadi creating the island of Shivasamudra. Here it follows a narrow gorgeand descends from 92 metres to form spectacular Gaganachukki and Barachukkifalls. After flowing for some distance, the branches take easterly course at thenorth eastern corner of Kollegal taluk in the Chamarajanagar District. It formsanother falls called Hogenakal falls in the neighbouring state of Tamil Nadu.The river Cauvery reaches the boundary of Karnataka at Bodmalai rangewhich lies on the south eastern edge of Mahadeshwara hill range. It thenenters Tamil Nadu creating a vast expanse of greenery and then joins Bay ofBengal. Since it rains heavily in the Western Ghats from June to September, theriver Cauvery flows full during this season.

Dams have been constructed at many places on the river Cauvery toprovide 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. Krishnarajasagardam is the largest of these. Just three kilometres down stream of Krishnarajasagardam, is a dam called Madadakatte that has been constructed near Seethapura.Chikkadevaraya nala on the left bank of this small dam provides irrigationalfacilities to Mysore and Mandya districts. Further down lies the Bangaradadoddi dam which has been constructed across one of the branches of Cauverycalled Paschimavahini. After crossing the left bank of the dam, the RiverCauvery reaches Shrirangapattana where it branches into three parts. Fromthe Shrirangapattana island, at a small distance in the down stream directionlies Ramaswamy katte. Ramaswamy canal on the left bank of this dam runs forabout 50 km. and Rajaparameshwari canal on the right bank runs about 30km. – and they provide irrigational facilities to Mysore and Mandya districts.In order to provide water to the Shivasamudram Power Generation Unit, asmall dam has been constructed just above the waterfalls.The Hemavathi

The Hemavathi is an important tributary of the river Cauvery and is alsoknown as the Yennehole. It originates at a place called Javali near Melabangadiin Mudigere taluk of Chikkamagalur district and flows in a southerly direction.For some distance it flows along the western border of the district and takes asouth course which also marks the boundary of Hassan and Mandya districts.It enters into Mandya district near Guddehosahalli in Krishnarajpet taluk andtakes a north south direction and north west of Krishnarajasagar dam it joinsthe river Cauvery. A dam has been constructed to this river at Mandagere andHemagiri (Bandihole in Krishnarajpet taluk).The Lokapavani

The Lokapavani is another tributary of the river Cauvery. This river takesits birth at Honakere in Nagamangala taluk and takes a southerly courseflowing through Nagamangala, Pandavapura and Shrirangapattana taluk andjoins Cauvery at Sangama near Shrirangapattana. It is a perennial river and isabout 150 feet wide. Before Lokapavani joins Cauvery a stream from Motitalabjoins this river. Two dams have been constructed across this river, one nearUyyanahalli of Nagamangala taluk and the other at Bolenahalli of Melkotehobli.The Shimsha

The river Cauvery has another tributary called the Shimsha which is alsoknown as the Kadamba and the Kadabakolla. It originates on the southern


part of Devarayanadurga in Tumkur District. Following a south westerlycourse it enters the Turuvekere taluk. From there it takes south easterly courseand flows through the western part of Kunigal taluk. It then takes southerlycourse and enters Mandya district near Kirangur, on the north western part ofMaddur taluk. Since it flows in the vicinity of Maddur, the river is also calledMaddurhole. It crosses Maddur taluk and takes south easterly course andenters Malavalli and descends as Shimsha falls near Dhanagur and joins theCauvery river. The river flows in full splendour only during the rainy season(length of the flow: 130 km). A power generating station called the ShimshaPower Station was established in 1940. A dam has been constructed across thisriver at Tagahalli (Maddur taluk).

The Veeravaishnavi

This is a tributary to the Shimsha river and enters Mandya district atBellur hobli in Nagamangala taluk where it takes easterly course and joinsShimsha river at Dummasandra in Nagamangala taluk. A dam has beenconstructed across this river.

Mandya district is situated in Cauvery catchment area. Cauvery ofCauvery catchment area, Lokapavani and Handihalla sub valleys andVeeravaishnavi sub valley of Shimsha catchment areas forms part of Mandyadistrict drainage basin. Cauvery catchment area has been divided into: 1)Upper Cauvery basin, 2) Middle Cauvery bain 3) Kabini sub basin 4) Shimshabasin, 5) Arkavathi sub basin. The catchment areas of Mandya district aregiven here:

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

Taluk Totalarea Sq.k.m.

Shimsha sub-basin

Upper Cauvery sub-basin

MiddleCauvery sub-basin

Maddur Malavalli Mandya Krishnarajpet Nagamangala Pandavapura Shrirangapattana

618 810 716 604 1,045 539 354

618 567 659 - 920 - -

- - -

604 42 54 21

- 243 57

- 83 485 333

km

General 23

A total of 9,720 hectares could be brought under irrigation. There are 112shallow wells and 11 deep irrigational bore wells from which about 300hectares can be irrigated.

FLORA AND FAUNA

Mandya district is almost a plain land and though bereft of dense naturaljungles like those in the Western Ghats, there are at many places reserved andprotected forest areas. It is the main aim of forest science to conserve andprotect both fauna and flora of forest areas to use them for the benefit ofmankind.

During the regime of Tippu Sultan, teak wood was declared a royal treein Mysore state. Later, sandalwood also became the state property. There wasno proper forest administration in the state till 1864. When Mysore Provincewas under British rule from 1831 to 1881, the forest areas were divided intoreserve forest and protected forest areas. Forest maps were prepared as per theforest regulation enacted in 1865. When stringent forest laws came into beingin 1894, since suitable protective measures were taken and the uncontrolledrights of the local people on forest areas was docked, the growth of forestsprospered. Later, due to large scale cutting down of trees, forest areas werereduced in the plains and in such places teak and plantation trees wereplanted. The increased population growth together with a large demand forlivestock grazing areas, forest areas came under great stress. As a result ofthis existing forest laws were amended and in 1952 a new forest law wasenforced.

Based on the climatic condition, botanists - Champion and Seth haveclassified the forests of India into 16 divisions. As per that classification, theforests of Mandya are grouped under tropical, deciduous forests. The fauna ofthe district belongs to the genus, Hardwickia binata, Pterocarpus marsupium,Albizzia, Terminalia paniculata, Termin Alia chebula, Santalum album (Sandalwood),Azadiracta indica etc.

The district has 8.15per cent i.e. 404.6 sq km forest area out of thetotal geographical area. Reserve forest area accounts 20.69 sq km, whilethe protected and other unclassified forest areas are part of commonforest areas. The details of reserve forest areas of the district is given intable 1.8


Table 1.8 Details of the District’s Reserve forest

Trees that are found in the district are : Shorea talura, Terminalia chebula,Anogeisses latifolia, Erythroxylom monogynum Albizzia amara, Lagerstromiaparviflora, Vitex altrissina, Bombax malabaricum, Terminalia tomentosa,Feronia elephantum, Dodonia viscosa, Tamarindus indica, Pongamia pinnata,Dendrocalamus strictu, Phyllanthus emblica, Artocarpus heterophyllus and Mangiferaindica.

Since there are no dense forests in this district, wild animals are scarceand the plain land is not suitable for wild life. Earlier it was reported thataround Purigali (Malavalli taluk) area tigers were common and aroundHulikere and Karighatta areas panthers were known to exist. Elephants, wolfs,wild dogs, porcupine, rabbit, deer etc. are occasionally found in the reserveforest areas even today.

Ranganathittu Bird Sanctuary

Ranganathittu Bird Sanctuary is about three km. from Shrirangapattanain Shrirangapattana taluk, Mandya district. There are six small islands in thebackwaters of reservoir built across Cauvery river. Different birds from differentparts of the country both inland and from abroad migrate to this place

Reserve Forest Region/Taluk Area (in hectare) Narayanadurga Nagamangala,

Krishrajpet, Pandavapura

4,402

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 Bevukallu Mandya 1,285 Hulikere(upper area) forest

Mandya 318

Hulikere (Lower area) forest

Mandya 1267

Total 24,063

s)

General 25

following a particular season. This was declared as Sanctuary in 1941. The softclay occurring on both the sides of the sanctuary has housed a variety ofinsects. 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. Insummer, this area experiences a maximum temperature of 36’C and in winterthe minimum temperature is 14’C.Some important birds of this sanctuary are as follows

Little Cormorant - Phalacrocorax niger, Large Cromorant -Phalacrocoraxcorbo, 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 cliffswallow - Hirunds fluvicola, Lesser Whistling teal - Dendrosygna javanica, Rivertern - Sterna aurantia, Cattle egret - Bubulcus ibis, Little egret - Egretta garzetta,Large egret - Egretta alba, Medium egret - Egretta intermedia, Pond heron orPaddy bird - Ardeola gravii

Gendehosahalli in Shrirangapattana taluk is being developed as a newbird sanctuary (for details see chapter 17).

Melkote Wild Life Sanctuary

This Park is within the premises of Sanskrit Research Academy and isspread over an area of 50 sq km. Under the supervision of the Director of theabove academy and the park boasts many types of ornamental and fruitbearing plants, 27 varieties of Champaka tree, a wide variety of hibiscus plantsare grown. Aromatic plants are imported from different countries. The forestadjoining this park has supported wild life among which wolf, wild bear, wilddog, black buck, spotted deer, mongoose, peacocks, wild fowl, partridge,snakes, monitor, frog, rare catla fish, rahu fish, butterfly, bees, other animalsand insects are important.

Adichunchanagiri Peacock Sanctuary

At Adichunchanagiri in Nagamangala taluk, the peacocks dwelling inshrubby forest have been conserved and importance has been given to theirbreeding. Sloth bear, black buck, wild bear, jackal, bonnet monkey, mongoose,partridge, hoopoe, drongo, Rhesus, wood pecker, parakeet, cobra, wild lizardand other animals take shelter in this park.Indavalu Nature Park and Garden

Indavalu Nature park is located about six kilometers from Mandya town.


Measures have been taken to conserve deer, rabbit, guinea pigs, duck and otheranimals and birds. This is also being developed as a tourist place.

Kokkare Belluru

Kokkare Belluru is a village located about 12 km from Maddur. Sincehordes of pelican migrate to this part, the village has been aptly namedKokkare Belluru. Painted storks and pelican migrate to this place every year inthe month of March to breed. It is interesting to note that care is taken by thebirds to protect their young ones. As the chick grows and their feathers becomesturdy and get enough strength in their pinions to fly, the birds go back to theiroriginal habitat. The villagers too have protected these birds which take shelterin the nearby trees without being disturbed. The owners of the trees where thebirds seek refuge are paid from Rs. 50 to 250 per tree by the Forest Departmentand it has proved to be a good measure to encourage the conservation of thesebirds.

CLIMATE

Compared to the neighbouring Mysore and Bangalore districts, Mandyadistrict enjoys a salubrious climate. Four seasons have been identified in thedistrict. From December to February there will be chill with clear sky and dryair. Summer season which starts from March to May and rainy season fromJune to September and winter from October to November being post rainydays.

Rainfall

Records of rainfall in the district are available for seven stations forperiods ranging from 23 to 82 years. The details of the rainfall at these stationsand for the district as a whole for the years 1901 to 1950 are given in Table 1.9The average rainfall in the district is 691.2 mm. The rainfall is generallyuniform in the district except in the region of the western border where therainfall is a little higher. The rainfall varies from 742 mm at Krishnarajpet to670.6 mm at Shrirangapattana. The rainfall is mostly confined to the periodfrom April to November. The district receives rainfall both in the south-westmonsoon and the retreating monsoon seasons. The heaviest rainfall is in thepost-monsoon month of October. Rainfall, mostly in thunder showers, is alsoreceived in the latter half of the hot season. The rainfall in the hot, south-westmonsoon and the retreating monsoon seasons constitutes 25 per cent, 40 percent and 33 percent respectively of the annual rainfall.

General 27

There are variations in the annual rainfall from year to year. During thefifty year period from 1901 to 1950, the highest rainfall amounting to 166percent of the normal occurred in 1903. The lowest annual rainfall was in1927 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 thembeing consecutive. However at individual stations, two and three consecutiveyears of such low rainfall have during this fifty year period. Nagamangala hadtwo 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. Theheaviest rainfall in 24 hours recorded at any station in the district was 200.7mm at Nagamangala on 12th November 1925. The talukwise rainfall statisticsfor the district from 1901 to 1999 has been detailed in table 1.10 Rainguagewiserainfall statistics is given in table 1.11.Temperature

There is no meteorological observatory in the district. But as conditionsin the district are very similar to those in the neighbouring district of Mysore,which has a meterological observatory, the account of temperature, whichfollows is based on the climatological records available for Mysore. The periodfrom March to May is one of continuous rise in temperature. April is usuallythe hottest month with the mean daily maximum temperature at about 35’cand the mean daily minimum temperature in the hot season may go above37’c. The heat is relieved by frequent thunder storms in April and May. Withthe advance of the monsoon into the district by about the beginning of June,the temperatures drop appreciably and throughout the south west monsoonperiod. The weather is pleasant. In the post monsoon season, the temperaturesdecrease progressively, the drop in the night temperatures being morepronounced. December is usually the coldest month with the mean dailyminimum at about 16’c on some days the minimum temperature may dropdown to about 10’c. The highest maximum temperature recorded at Mysorewas 38.6’c on 25th April 1931. The lowest minimum temperature was 10.6’con 13th December 1945.Relative humidity

Relative humidities are high during the south west monsoon season andmoderate in the post monsoon season. The period from December to May isthe driest part of the year, with humidities, especially in the afternoon beingless than 50 per cent.

CloudinessSkies are heavily clouded or overcast during the south west monsoon

period and to a lesser extent in the post monsoon period. During the rest ofthe year, skies are mainly clear or lightly clouded. During the summerafternoons, there is some increase in cloudiness.Winds

Winds are generally moderate, with a little strengthening during thesouthwest monsoon period. Winds are south westerly or westerly in the periodfrom May to September. North easterlies and easterlies appear in October andthese predominate in the next four months. In March and April, the winds aremainly south westerly or westerly in the mornings and north easterly toeasterly in the afternoons.Special climatic phenomena

During October and November, some of the depressions and cyclonicstorms originating in the Bay of Bengal cross the east coast and movewestwards across the peninsula occasionally. Such depressions and stormspass through the neighbourhood of the district causing widespread heavy rainand gusty winds. Thunder storms are common in the hot season and the postmonsoon season. Rainfall during the monsoon period is often associated withthunder.

Table : 1.9 Talukwise Average rainfall in mm from 1901 to 1970.

Taluk Jan. Feb. Mar Apr. May June July Aug Sept. Mandya 50A 4.8 7.4 10.7 40.4 121.2 47.2 36.6 75.7 110.0 B 0.4 0.4 0.7 3.0 7.1 3.4 3.5 4.7 6.8 Sriranga Patna 50 A 4.1 5.6 10.7 49.0 133.1 43.4 38.3 64.3 90.2 B 0.3 0.3 0.8 3.7 7.5 4.0 3.8 4.7 6.1 Malavalli 50 A 2.3 7.9 7.6 7.6 120.1 43.9 3.8 79.5 110.7 B 0.3 0.4 0.7 3.4 7.4 3.8 3.9 5.1 6.2 Krishna- Rajapet 50 A 3.6 5.8 8.1 47.0 140.5 61.0 64.3 64.8 100.3 B 0.3 0.5 0.7 3.7 8.0 4.5 6.0 5.2 6.2 Naga- Mangala 50 A 4.3 5.1 7.4 43.7 112.3 39.1 31.5 61.2 122.2 B 0.3 0.4 0.5 3.2 7.1 3.1 2.7 4.1 6.4

ShrirangaPattana

28Mandya District Gazetteer

Maddur 50 A 1.88 4.8 2.5 49.5 91.9 35.8 44.2 98.5 107.9 B 0.3 0.4 0.3 3.7 6.6 3.4 4.7 6.1 5.8 Panda- Vapura 13 A 3.3 6.6 4.8 56.4 110.2 31.2 28.2 77.0 82.0 B 0.3 0.4 0.7 4.7 6.5 2.8 3.0 5.5 6.2 Total of A 3.5 6.2 7.4 47.9 118.5 43.1 40.8 74.4 103.3 District B 0.3 0.4 0.6 3.6 7.2 3.6 3.9 5.1 6.2

Mandya 50 A 154.7 67.6 12.2 688.5 179 (1909) 60(1923)177.8 1956 Oct.2 B 7.9 4.0 1.1 43.0 Srirangaparna 50 A 152.4 67.6 11.9 670.6 201 (1903) 65(1912)167.6 1957 May 22 B 8.5 4.0 1.0 44.7 Malavalli 50 A 146.8 67.1 14.0 691.9 176(1903) 54(1927)160.5 1957 May 23 B 8.0 4.1 1.0 44.3 Krishna- 50 A 160.8 74.4 11.4 742.0 164(1933) 53(1914) 155.5 1940 Oct. 8 Rajpet B 8.8 4.3 0.7 48.7 Naga- 50 A 158.2 79.0 11.9 675.9 170(1903) 54(1913) 200.7 1925 Nov.11 Mangala B 8.0 4.7 0.9 41.4 Maddur 18 A 177.5 52.3 14.2 680.9 152(1946) 61(1940) 117.3 1958 Sep.21 B 9.1 3.8 1.1 45.3 Pandava 13 A 205.5 64.3 19.1 688.6 139(1949) 66(1938) 112.5 1951 Sep.28 Pura B 9.3 4.3 1.1 44.8 Total of A 165.1 67.5 13.5 691.2 166(1903) 63 (1927) District B 8.5 4.2 1.0 44.6

A- General rainfall mm. B- Daily average rainfall (more than 2.2 mm. rainfall daily)

**Years shown in bracket

TalukOct.Nov.Dec.Yearly Percent of TotalMax.max.min.rainfall

rainfallrainfallduring 24& Year**&Year**hours &

Year

General29


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 Districtmangala 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 1191.561904 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 660.1 743.561907 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 845.3 941.3 935 982.411910 1013.9 699.2 779.2 770.5 848.6 731.4 807.4 800.031911 752.1 592.1 677 659.8 546.9 N.A 600 629.651912 845 N.A 502.1 501.6 795.7 N.A 435.9 616.061913 741.7 N.A 590.7 720.6 362.6 N.A 637.1 610.541914 395.1 572.7 848.8 616.5 492.3 507.5 545.3 568.311915 662.6 669.9 685.2 782 911.3 1120.4 796.1 803.931916 1104 926.5 1059.1 1169 968.2 1287.1 1074 081.131917 976.5 N.A 899.1 749.2 831.2 N.A 698 840.801918 664.3 N.A 584.3 548.6 723.3 N.A 517.6 607.621919 812.8 709.7 783.9 738.4 763.4 774 694.1 752.331920 466.6 623.5 607 672.4 541.8 516.5 583 572.611921 467.6 633 672.8 616.3 723.6 N.A 651.7 537.861922 674.7 776.6 590.3 832.3 703.5 671.7 576.6 689.391923 569.5 529.8 440.8 413.1 442.4 511.5 460.2 481.041924 893.5 N.A 462.8 614.6 748.6 N.A. 762.1 696.321925 771.4 N.A 546.3 604.4 787.9 636.7 496.3 640.501926 644 N.A 496.6 682.7 722.7 N.A 635.6 636.321927 501.5 393.1 373.4 446.2 413.9 414.7 440.5 424.761928 857.6 N.A. 614.7 609.6 681.6 N.A 762.2 661.421929 732.3 578.8 778.1 746.7 806.2 489.4 657 676.931930 857.6 762.3 877.6 790 887.6 731.3 779.3 813.671931 821.6 856.8 567.3 630.6 652.8 660.8 549.7 677.09

General 31

1932 968.2 1045 777.7 854.2 868.2 869.8 823.6 885.901933 1216.4 522.2 816.4 950.4 791.2 860.9 921.9 868.491934 618.1 690.2 510.8 548 461 499.4 535.3 551.831935 679.2 713.6 586.7 606 474.1 492.3 484.9 576.691936 411.2 581.4 487.4 411.8 622.2 465.1 556.4 505.071937 591 596.6 687.5 683.6 535.9 674.6 968.5 676.811938 578.2 796.1 521.8 526 575.9 502.1 548.6 578.391939 584.3 826.2 625.5 689.7 669.5 862.6 737.6 713.631940 1010. 645.7 886.6 718.3 855.9 849.3 861.4 832.561941 594.3 801.2 644.8 609.8 590.5 669.8 672.7 654.731942 763.7 803.7 670.4 697.5 557.7 633.3 534.5 665.831943 690.4 769.5 685.9 727 722.4 640.6 784.6 717.201944 955.5 483.8 696.1 957.3 611.1 683 754.7 734.501945 612.2 1027.5 784.2 618.8 454.1 397.8 620.1 644.671946 777.8 849 1050.1 796.4 873.8 765.2 611.7 817.711947 680.3 581 648.5 775 620.2 551.1 705.7 651.691948 707.6 661.8 692.9 695.7 713.4 684.2 522.3 668.271949 643.2 536.3 774.2 560 530.8 726.7 569.8 620.141950 771.7 841.8 622.3 612.2 427.5 415.6 526 603.161951 830.3 755.8 957.9 643.5 788.7 855 995.3 830.931952 539.3 1007.9 584.5 906.5 758.9 516.9 793.5 729.641953 997 964.4 946.9 946.3 1217.3 745.6 606.1 917.661954 826.1 693.5 829.7 1189 972.5 880.3 612.2 857.671955 675.4 769.1 635.4 991.6 853.1 467.7 581.6 710.561956 618.6 660.6 849.6 1118 742.1 603 690.2 754.601957 696.7 831.5 788.1 1244 672.1 664 718 802.061958 811.2 789.9 989.5 1338 754 909.9 646 891.241959 622.7 760.2 572.9 864.5 703.9 646.4 608.1 656.671960 586.9 662.8 583 687.7 857.4 690.6 609.9 668.331961 755.8 550.4 704.1 1189 467.9 492.9 420.6 654.401962 827.6 650.4 830.6 1153 515.4 716.8 570.5 752.071963 728.7 884.6 385.7 950.5 532.9 537.3 525 649.241964 1069.7 430.6 637.8 1541 548.7 860.5 765.6 836.311965 344.9 882.6 434.3 353.8 284.3 286.4 260.3 406.661966 755.2 562.8 862.9 759.1 751.7 754.1 641.3 726.73

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9


1967 410 697.8 553.9 380.4 443.6 481.6 461.5 489.831968 726.4 462.3 664.1 688 711.3 738 629.1 659.891969 591.2 614.1 710.1 681.8 617.6 502.7 513.7 604.461970 668.6 956.2 692 769 627.8 662.9 550.1 703.801971 559 1070.3 1026 825.9 529 773.5 760.8 792.071972 939.9 697.5 941 801.6 766 827.6 717.8 813.061973 527.9 596.3 702.5 565.9 764.3 896.6 363.9 631.061974 418.7 944.2 526.8 687.7 863.7 537.7 624.6 657.631975 856.6 387.2 1119.4 748.8 917.3 762.3 625.4 773.861976 467.9 772.3 399.7 380.8 495.5 371.4 382.3 467.131977 1187.1 996.8 912.9 929.5 1324.5 1069.8 766.8 1026.771978 757.5 893.5 899 817.3 844.5 820.6 602.6 805.001979 742 646.9 827.7 820.5 984.5 601.1 999.2 803.131980 749.5 846.9 554.3 677.2 564.8 408.1 658.6 637.061981 949.7 409.7 776 777.5 722.8 884.1 812.9 761.831982 600.6 737 473.5 555 478 358.6 329 504.531983 726.2 630.5 839.4 711.7 938.4 730.7 666.5 749.061984 961.8 581.3 418 450.7 987.6 501.2 707.3 658.271985 466.8 941.6 558.7 382.1 659.6 353.7 422.5 540.711986 971.3 770.2 1199.8 624.8 801.9 702.2 757.3 832.501987 870.1 762 1216.2 826.5 1006 862.4 640.7 883.411988 844.1 786.9 716 755.5 973.1 790.9 675.5 791.711989 684.5 388.9 733 645.6 911.7 471.1 661.1 642.261990 438.1 1073.8 363.4 302.3 521.2 346 349 484.811991 1027.7 795 793.6 874 924.4 972.4 841.8 889.811992 708.7 811.9 578.8 629.9 627.4 604.3 498 636.571993 602.2 666.7 670.3 639.2 N.A 1170.7 751 750.021994 754.9 749.8 552.5 671.3 631 792 764 702.211995 785.4 942.5 518.9 652.5 699.2 584.6 826.8 715.701996 914.9 796.8 752.7 937.9 1038.7 788 859.2 869.741997 508.1 888.5 576.2 902.9 820.5 690.6 582.9 709.961998 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.

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9

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 AnnualNo. Centre monsoon monsoon

Jan-Feb. Mar-May June-Sept. Oct-Dec. Jan.-Dec.

1 2 3 4 5 6 7

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

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

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

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

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


6. Pandavapura Taluka. Chinakuruli 0 0 352 179 531b Melukote 0 204 528 197 929c. Pandavapura 0 139 209 264 312

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

Table 1.12 Taluk-wise actual rainfall (m.m.) – 2001Krishnaraj 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 0February 0 0 0 0 0 0 3 0March 0 7 0 1 0 0 0 1April 104 99 66 99 66 78 126 92May 36 24 21 36 11 37 103 38June 17 1 5 1 21 10 15 11July 49 41 72 45 28 64 24 44August 97 96 46 56 61 79 47 70Sept. 237 224 215 105 189 210 155 191Oct. 94 290 178 218 96 116 148 159Nov. 100 53 67 77 67 95 104 81Dec. 2 2 5 5 2 2 8 4Annual 336 837 675 643 541 691 733 698Winter 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 315westmonsoon(June-Sept.)

1 2 3 4 5 6 7

General 35

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

ECOLOGY AND ENVIRONMENTAs per the directives of forest policy, every district should have a

minimum of 33 per cent of forest in its total geographical area. In Mandyadistrict, including the reserve forest, it accounts for only 8 per cent . In orderto a maintain natural balance and for the barest minimal environmentalconsiderations, it is necessary to grow more greenery. Faunal resources, likewise,are also very vital. Animal husbandry has become an important industry in thedistrict. Gobar gas derived from cowdung is used for cooking as well andlighting. Livestock constitutes the backbone of the farmers’ economy. Thereforeits conservation is the prime duty of every farmer. In earlier times, vastmeadows were reserved for fodder, but of late, due to a variety of reasons thereis substantial decrease in such meadows. Farmers have also encroached forestland. In addition, widespread occurrence of parthenium has stifled the growthof fodder resulting in an acute problem of livestock fodder shortage in thevillages. Drinking water too is problem during summer season. There are 173major and minor industries in the district. In addition, many small industrieshave sprung up and have engulfed cultivable land. Mandya town boasts of asugar factory and an acetate factory. Noxious and toxic effluents from theseindustries are polluting both air and water. Airborne particles get depositedboth inside and outside buildings in the surrounding areas. Their inhalationcauses acute bronchitis and asthma. Methane vapours released from acetatefactories have a strong odour and is deleterious to health. Dark coloured liquideffluents from the sugar and acetate factory which is poisonous enters intoHebballa which ultimately joins Sulekere. Since this source is extensively usedfor drinking, bathing and even for irrigation, it appears that the people aroundthis place have developed acute intestinal problems and other skin problems.Particularly at peril are the people who consume fish from this tank. Thepollutants ultimately enter the fodder that livestock consume and find way intotheir milk. The fertilizer and paper factory of Belagola also releases liquideffluents into the river. People using these water sources have serious healthproblems. Of late, the paper factory treats its effluents which have reduced the

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9


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 theMandya district and they are a major cause of atmospheric pollution. Increasedurbanization, the resulting development of slums and ghettoes, absence of aproper drainage system and water treatment plants and lack of prudence inenvironmental matters is leading to an environmental disaster.

Tourist places like Melkote, Keretonnur, Muttatti, Shivasamudra,Paschimavahini, Nimishamba temple, Daria Daulat, Balamuri, Ranganathittuand other places are facing threat from callous tourists who indiscriminatelythrow plastic bags and other non-biodegradable used materials which iscontributing to the problem. These places that are visually stunning haveattracted film makers. It is necessary that such teams should have knowledgeof the historical and religious importance of these places and their conservationshould be initiated. It is equally important that though there is ban for sandmining along the river courses of Shimsha and Cauvery, there is large scaleunauthorized sand mining activity without the notice of the government. It istime that strict actions is taken to curb this menace in the interest of conservingthese places of both historical and human importance.

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chapter 1

Documents

mysore representative

provide irrigational

reserve forest

cauvery catchment

post monsoon

mandya district

water spread

fifty year