Kavathar is a small village in the northernmost part of

Dakshina Kannada Dakshina Kannada district is a district of Karnataka state in India, with its headquarters in the coastal city of Mangalore. It is part of the larger Tulu Nadu region. The district covers an area nestled in between the Western Ghats to its east ...

, close to the small town of Balkunje. Its postal code is 574154. Batta Benny muji kere is a pond located at kavathar that attracts migrated birds.

History

Butta Benny is an area of Bhuts populated by the

Goud Saraswat Brahmin Gaud Saraswat Brahmins (GSB) (also Goud or Gawd) are a Hindu Brahmin community of the north. The Konkani speaking Gaud Saraswat of Goa and southern India claim to be descendents of these Gaud Saraswat Brahmins of the north that migrated to ...

community, who migrated from southern areas such as Kateel. They included Kamaths, Nayaks, Pai and other groups who were converted to

Roman Catholic Roman or Romans most often refers to: *Rome, the capital city of Italy *Ancient Rome, Roman civilization from 8th century BC to 5th century AD *Roman people, the people of ancient Rome *''Epistle to the Romans'', shortened to ''Romans'', a letter ...

ism by Portuguese missionaries and were offered lands in remote areas such as Butta Benny. This area now has Christians with surnames such as

D'Souza Sousa, Souza, de Sousa (literally 'from Sousa'), de Souza or D'Souza ( , ) is a common Portuguese-language surname, especially in Portugal, Brazil, East Timor, India (among Catholics in Goa, Mumbai, and Mangalore), and Galicia. In Africa, the na ...

and Aroza. The place is known by the name Girijana Colony, since the northern half has been distributed among the

Scheduled Castes The Scheduled Castes (SCs) and Scheduled Tribes (STs) are officially designated groups of people and among the most disadvantaged socio-economic groups in India. The terms are recognized in the Constitution of India and the groups are designa ...

and

Scheduled Tribes The Scheduled Castes (SCs) and Scheduled Tribes (STs) are officially designated groups of people and among the most disadvantaged socio-economic groups in India. The terms are recognized in the Constitution of India and the groups are designa ...

by the government.

Religion

The D'Souza family of Kavathar made significant contributions towards St.Paul's Church, Balkunje. A temple named Siri Abbagha Dharagha Mahalingeshwar Temple was built under the aegis of Neena Nithyanand Ajila. It is known for its annual Siri Jatra during the Pagu Purnima.

Description

People residing in the northern half visit markets of Palimar and Padubidri of

Udupi Udupi (alternate spelling Udipi; also known as Odipu) is a city in the Indian state of Karnataka. Udupi is situated about north of the educational, commercial and industrial hub of Mangalore and about west of state capital Bangalore by road. ...

District, while those who live in the southern half visit Kinnigoli and Mulki. Nearby villages include Kirem, Damarskatte,

Pompei Pompei (; nap, Pumpeje, ) or Pompeii (, as in the name of the ancient city) is a city and commune in the Metropolitan City of Naples, Italy, home of the ancient Roman ruins of Pompeii that are part of the UNESCO World Heritage Sites. Histo ...

(India-a village)

Aikala Aikala is a village near the town of Kinnigoli. It is situated in Mangalore taluk of Dakshina Kannada district. It is commonly known as Pompei in the Konkani language. Education There is a college called Pompei College Aikala which offers cour ...

, Panjinadka and

Karnad Karnad is an Indian name that may refer to the following notable people: *Karnad Sadashiva Rao (1881–1937), Indian freedom fighter *Bharat Karnad, Indian national security expert *Girish Karnad (1938–2019), Indian actor, film director and writer ...

. It has no shops, and hardly a few houses The place is partially famous for its Kavatharu Temple, where Bhuta Kola is held annually.

Demographics

Kavathar has an average literacy rate.

Education

The primary school in Kavathur celebrated its 100th anniversary in 2012.

Economy

Kavathar has no concrete roads. Farming was abandoned, as newer generations left the area and migrated to

Mangalore Mangalore (), officially known as Mangaluru, is a major port city of the Indian state of Karnataka. It is located between the Arabian Sea and the Western Ghats about west of Bangalore, the state capital, 20 km north of Karnataka– ...

Mumbai Mumbai (, ; also known as Bombay — the official name until 1995) is the capital city of the Indian state of Maharashtra and the ''de facto'' financial centre of India. According to the United Nations, as of 2018, Mumbai is the secon ...

Pune Pune (; ; also known as Poona, ( the official name from 1818 until 1978) is one of the most important industrial and educational hubs of India, with an estimated population of 7.4 million As of 2021, Pune Metropolitan Region is the largest i ...

or immigrated. Transport facilities are almost absent. The village has no bus service, because without a bridge between Balkunje and Kavathar, service was not economically feasible. The bridge was opposed by temple authorities who claimed that it would disturb the pilgrimage. The bridge was later constructed.

Nature

It has forest area with diverse species of birds and mammals.

Peacock Peafowl is a common name for three bird species in the genera ''Pavo (genus), Pavo'' and ''Afropavo'' within the tribe Pavonini of the family Phasianidae, the pheasants and their allies. Male peafowl are referred to as peacocks, and female pea ...

s are found in abundance, while

tigers The tiger (''Panthera tigris'') is the largest living cat species and a member of the genus ''Panthera''. It is most recognisable for its dark vertical stripes on orange fur with a white underside. An apex predator, it primarily preys on un ...

, who once inhabited its forests have vanished. It has a wide range of snakes, and a number of

coconut The coconut tree (''Cocos nucifera'') is a member of the palm tree family (Arecaceae) and the only living species of the genus ''Cocos''. The term "coconut" (or the archaic "cocoanut") can refer to the whole coconut palm, the seed, or ...

and

cashew The cashew tree (''Anacardium occidentale'') is a tropical evergreen tree native to South America in the genus '' Anacardium'' that produces the cashew seed and the cashew apple accessory fruit. The tree can grow as tall as , but the dwarf c ...

trees. {{coord, 8, 56, 48.74, N, 77, 46, 16.96, E, type:city_region:IN, display=title Villages in Dakshina Kannada district