The Kumaradhara River is a west-flowing river in the state of

Karnataka Karnataka ( ) is a States and union territories of India, state in the southwestern region of India. It was Unification of Karnataka, formed as Mysore State on 1 November 1956, with the passage of the States Reorganisation Act, 1956, States Re ...

India India, officially the Republic of India, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, seventh-largest country by area; the List of countries by population (United Nations), most populous country since ...

. One of the two major rivers of

Sullia Sullia (also known as Sulya) is a town in the Dakshina Kannada district of the state of Karnataka, India. It is the headquarters of the Sullia taluk. Sullia is located 300 kilometres west of the state capital Bengaluru. History A historical ...

, it merges with the

Netravati River The Netravati River or Netravathi Nadi has its origins at Bangrabalige valley, Yelaneeru Ghat in Kudremukha in Chikkamagaluru district of Karnataka, India. This river flows through the famous pilgrimage place Dharmasthala and is considered o ...

at Uppinangadi before flowing to the

Arabian Sea The Arabian Sea () is a region of sea in the northern Indian Ocean, bounded on the west by the Arabian Peninsula, Gulf of Aden and Guardafui Channel, on the northwest by Gulf of Oman and Iran, on the north by Pakistan, on the east by India, and ...

. The merging of the rivers is a major event for the local villagers, as they crowd the river banks to watch what they call the "Sangama", which is a Sanskrit word for

confluence In geography, a confluence (also ''conflux'') occurs where two or more watercourses join to form a single channel (geography), channel. A confluence can occur in several configurations: at the point where a tributary joins a larger river (main ...

. This river is the chief tributary of

Netravathi The Netravati River or Netravathi Nadi has its origins at Bangrabalige valley, Yelaneeru Ghat in Kudremukha in Chikkamagaluru district of Karnataka, India. This river flows through the famous pilgrimage place Dharmasthala and is considered on ...

. Kumaradhara originates in Pushpagiri Wildlife Sanctuary in

Kodagu district Kodagu district () (also known by its former name Coorg) is an administrative List of districts of Karnataka, district in the Karnataka state of India. Before 1956, it was an administratively separate Coorg State at which point it was merged ...

, at an elevation of above mean sea level. Along its course it creates the beautiful Mallalli falls. It passes through lush evergreen forest of Bisle Valley, fed by numerous smaller streams. It merges into Netravati at Uppinangadi in

Dakshin Kannada Dakshina Kannada district is located in the states and territories of India, state of Karnataka in India, with its headquarters in the coastal city of Mangaluru. The district covers an area nestled in between the Western Ghats to its east and the ...

at an elevation of 40 metres above the MSL. The total length of river is about 80 kilometres. The river passes through two major towns; Kukke Subrahmanya and Uppinangadi.

Practise

It is believed that pilgrims visiting the Kukke Subrahmanya Temple in Subrahmanya, must cross the Kumaradhara River, taking a holy bath in it before they go on to the temple to have

Darśana In Indian religions, a ''darshan'' (Sanskrit: दर्शन, ; 'showing, appearance, view, sight') or ''darshanam'' is the auspicious sight of a deity or a holy person. The term also refers to any one of the six traditional schools of Hind ...

Hydel Project/s

A 3 mega-watt Beedalli mini Hydel project has been built in the upstream of Mallalli waterfall. This causes safety concern about the tourists visiting the waterfalls.

References

Rivers of Karnataka Geography of Dakshina Kannada district {{India-river-stub