Bhadra River

The Bhadra is a river that originates at Gangamoola along the Western Ghats and flows to the southern branch of Deccan Plateau. It is then united by its tributaries namely the Somavahini. The river flows across the towns of Kalasa then towards Hornadu, reaches Balehonnur and Balehole and finally at NR Pura.

A dam is built across the river near the place called Lakkavalli which forms the major part of the Bhadra reservoir. It is from here that the river continues its journey all the way through to the city of Bhadravathi. The Bhadra meets the Tunga River at a place called as Koodli. This is a small town near Shivamogga. The joint river continues east as the Tungabhadra. This River is a major tributary of the River Krishna, which empties into the Bay of Bengal at its final course.

The Bhadra Dam, which has shaped the Bhadra Reservoir, is situated on the Bhadra River which is a tributary of Tungabhadra River in the Chikkamagaluru district of Tarikere Taluk which is in the western part of Karnataka in South India. It has gross irrigation potential of 162,818 hectares and generates hydro electricity of 39.2 MW and also gives drinking water and water for industrial use.

The Bhadra Dam is built transversely the Bhadra River, 1.5 kilometres (0.93 mi) from the Lakkavalli village and it is 50 kilometres (31 mi) upstream of the convergence of the Bhadra River and Tungabhadra River. Another city called Shimoga is located 28 kilometres (17 mi) north of the dam. The Bhadra Dam gives out a catchments area of 1,969 sqkm (761 sq mi), the forest area in the catchment is about 717.48 hectares (1,773.1 acres), and the cultivable land is around 3,274.64 hectares (8,091.9 acres) and the fallow land is around 7,258.73 hectares (17,936.7 acres).

The catchment and command areas of the project primarily situated in the Chikamagalur, Shimoga and as well as Davanagere districts. A number of industries, both types of urban and rural settlements are very reliant on assured water supply, are situated on the banks of the river and as well as in the project authority area; Vishweshvarayya Iron and Steel Industries is one such company. Other companies such as the Mysore Paper Mills and Kudremukh Iron Ore Company are the major business activities famous in the authority area of the project. Fishing related activities have also amplified on the bank of the river; there are 81 fish species from 8 orders with 14 families are recorded as common to the Bhadra River.

Course:

The Bhadra River which originates rises at Samse along the Western Ghats Aroli hill range of Kudremukh range flows east along the Deccan Plateau. The river is then joined by its tributaries, the Somavahini. This is a drain from a crater and it joins the Bhadra River at Hebbe. The river flows through the city of Bhadravathi and also passes through the Bhadra Wildlife Sanctuary situated near by the Bhadra River then meets the Tunga River at Koodli. This is a small town near Shivamogga.

Tributaries:

The major tributary of the Bhadra River is the Somavahini. This river joins the main one at the Hebbe. Bhadra later joins with Tunga river to become the more popular and vast Tungabhadra river. The nearby cities along the Somavahini Rivers are namely Chikmagalur, Honnatti Hosur and Bhandigadi. The Tungabhadra River is created by the convergence of the Tunga River and the Bhadra River which flow across the eastern slopes of the Western Ghats in the state of Karnataka. The river then joins with Netravathi which is a westwards flowing river from the districts of Mangalore.

There are a lot of holy places all next to the rivers: primarily temples of Shiva cult on the banks of the Bhadra River and all the cults on the banks of the Tunga River. Renowned Adi Shankaracharya established the great Sringeri Sarada Petham. It is one of the most famous temples on the left bank of the Tunga River. It is about 50 km (31 mi) downstream of its source.

Photo Gallery