Charmadi Ghat (Charmady) is a
ghatti beginning from
Belthangady taluk of
Dakshina Kannada and ending in
Mudigere taluk of
Chikmagalur. It is one of the points in
Western ghats through which motorable road passes connecting Dakshina Kannada with
Chikmagalur district. The section of ghat is known by the name of Charmadi Ghat. It lies on
National Highway 73 which connects
Mangalore
Mangaluru (), formerly called Mangalore ( ), is a major industrial port city in the Indian state of Karnataka and on the west coast of India. It is located between the Laccadive Sea and the Western Ghats about west of Bengaluru, the st ...
to
Tumkur. The nearest places are Charmadi village,
Ujire,
Belthangady,
Puttur,
Kottigehara
Kottigehara is a village located atop the Charmadi ghat in Mudigere taluk of Chikkamagaluru district of Karnataka state, India
India, officially the Republic of India, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dep ...
, Balur and
Kalasa and
Banakal.
Charmadi Ghat starts from Charmadi village ('' above the
MSL'') (11 km from
Ujire) and ends near
Kottigehara
Kottigehara is a village located atop the Charmadi ghat in Mudigere taluk of Chikkamagaluru district of Karnataka state, India
India, officially the Republic of India, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dep ...
('' above MSL'')(16 km from
Mudigere). Charmadi Ghat connects the north eastern part of Dakshina Kannada to Chikmagalur district and the prominent highway is connecting Ujire (9 km from
Dharmasthala) to Kottigehara (about 50 km from Chikmagalur). Ballarayanadurga is a fort atop a hill located about 10 km from Sunkasale, on the Kottigehara - Kalasa route.
Ballarayanadurga fort can be accessed from 2 sides - the shorter route from Sunkasale, located on the way from
Horanadu or the longer route from Bandaje. In the Charmadi ghat, there is a waterfall named Bandaje Arbi (''arbi'' in Tulu means 'waterfall') which falls from a height of 200 feet. Gadaikallu peak has an elevation of 1700 feet.
National Highway 73
The
National Highway 73 (previously national highway 234) climbs the Western ghats from Charmadi. This ghat section has 12 Hairpin curves and receives very heavy rainfall of over 7000 mm during the monsoon. Some of the prominent peaks in this region include Jenukallu Gudda, Baalekallu Gudda and Kodekallu Gudda. In
Kannada
Kannada () is a Dravidian language spoken predominantly in the state of Karnataka in southwestern India, and spoken by a minority of the population in all neighbouring states. It has 44 million native speakers, and is additionally a ...
and
Tulu, ''kode'' means 'umbrella', ''kallu'' means 'rock' and ''gudda'' means 'hill'. The roads in this ghat section are very narrow. Baalekallu Gudda is located at the 11th hairpin curve. On a clear day, the
Mangalore
Mangaluru (), formerly called Mangalore ( ), is a major industrial port city in the Indian state of Karnataka and on the west coast of India. It is located between the Laccadive Sea and the Western Ghats about west of Bengaluru, the st ...
coastline is visible from the top of Charmadi ghat. This ghat section is very deep compared to the other Ghat sections of Karnataka. Compared to other places in Dakshina Kannada, the winter is quite chilly in Charmadi because of the elevation.
Image gallery
File:Kodekallu gudda - Charmadi ghat.jpg, Waterfall in Kodekallu Gudda of the Charmadi ghat
Sign showing the 8th Hairpin curve of Charmadi ghat.jpg, Sign by Charmadi ghat
Charmadi Ghat.jpg, Charmadi Ghat
File:Charmadi near Ujire.jpg,
File:Annappa Temple at Charmadi Ghat.png, Annappa Temple at Charmadi Ghat
References
External links
A Drive Through Charmadi
Villages in Dakshina Kannada district
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