Kemmannugundi (Red Soil Pit) is a

hill station A hill station is a touristic town located at a higher elevation than the nearby plain or valley. The English term was originally used mostly in Western imperialism in Asia, colonial Asia, but also in Africa (albeit rarely), for towns founded by ...

Tarikere Tarikere is a town, a taluk and is one of the two Subdivisional headquarter in the Chikmagalur district of Karnataka state, India. It is popularly known as gateway of Malnad because the Malnad area starts from here. The town's name is derived f ...

taluk A tehsil (, also known as tahsil, taluk, or taluka () is a local unit of administrative division in India and Pakistan. It is a subdistrict of the area within a district including the designated populated place that serves as its administrative ...

Chikkamagaluru Chikmagalur (officially Chikkamagaluru, ), previously known as ''Kiriya-Muguli'' is a city and the headquarters of Chikmagalur district in the Indian state of Karnataka. Located on the foothills of the Mullayanagiri, Mullayanagiri peak of the We ...

district 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 ...

. It is at the elevation of 1434m above sea level, with its peak at 1863m. This was the summer retreat of Krishnaraja Wodeyar IV, and as a mark of respect to the king, it is also known as ''Sri Krishnarajendra Hill Station''. The station is ringed by the Baba Budan Giri Range, with cascades, mountain streams, and lush vegetation. Kemmangundi has ornamental gardens and mountains and valleys views.

History

Kemmannugundi (or Kemmannagundi) derives its name from three Kannada words - Kempu (red), mannu (soil) and gundi (pit). Kemmannugundi was established as the summer retreat of

Krishnaraja Wodeyar IV Krishnaraja Wadiyar IV (4 June 1884 – 3 August 1940) was the twenty-fourth Maharaja of Mysore, reigning from 1902 until his death in 1940. Krishnaraja Wadiyar IV is popularly deemed a ''rajarshi'', or 'saintly king', a moniker with which Maha ...

. He later donated this resort to the Government of Karnataka. The Horticultural Department of Karnataka now develops and maintains the resort and its surroundings.

Landmarks

*Z point is a vantage point at Kemmangundi and is reached by a steep uphill trek of about 45 minutes from Raj Bhavan. Shanthi Falls is on the way. 2005-kemmangundi

*Krishnarajendra botanical park is maintained by the Horticultural Department of Karnataka. Many varieties of roses are cultivated there. Raj Bhavan guesthouse is located within the Krishnarajendra park. *Hebbe Falls: A downhill trek or SUV ride of about 8 km from Raj Bhavan lies

Hebbe Falls Hebbe Falls is situated at about 10 km away from the famous hill station Kemmangundi in Karnataka, India. This waterfalls is inside a coffee estate and can be reached either by walk or four-wheeler. Hebbe Falls gushes down from a height o ...

where water streams down from a height of 168 meters in two stages to form ''Dodda Hebbe'' (Big Falls) and ''Chikka Hebbe'' (Small Falls). * Kallathi falls is about 10 km. from Kemmangundi. Water cascades from a height of 122 metres and the temple here is attributed to times of the

Vijayanagar The Vijayanagara Empire, also known as the Karnata Kingdom, was a late medieval Hindu empire that ruled much of southern India. It was established in 1336 by the brothers Harihara I and Bukka Raya I of the Sangama dynasty, belonging to the ...

empire. According to a local legend, this place is associated with the

Hindu Hindus (; ; also known as Sanātanīs) are people who religiously adhere to Hinduism, also known by its endonym Sanātana Dharma. Jeffery D. Long (2007), A Vision for Hinduism, IB Tauris, , pp. 35–37 Historically, the term has also be ...

sage,

Agastya Agastya was a revered Indian sage of Hinduism. In the Indian tradition, he is a noted recluse and an influential scholar in diverse languages of the Indian subcontinent. He is regarded in some traditions to be a Chiranjivi. He and his wife ...

. *

Mullayanagiri Mullayyanagiri is the highest peak in Karnataka, India. Mullayyanagiri is located in the Chandra Dhrona Hill Ranges of the Western Ghats of Chikkamagaluru Taluk. With a height of , it is the highest peak in Karnataka and also the 23rd highest p ...

is the tallest peak in Karnataka and is known for the temple perched on the peak. *

Baba Budangiri Baba Budangiri (), also known as Chandradrona (, as the range naturally forms the shape of a crescent moon), is a hill and mountain range in the Western Ghats of India, located in the Chikkamagaluru district of Karnataka. The main peaks in th ...

is second tallest peak in Karnataka. It has a

darga Darga () is a cantillation mark commonly found in the Torah, Haftarah, and other books. The symbol for the darga resembles a backwards Z. The darga is usually followed by a Tevir. It is most often found in places where a Tevir clause has two wo ...

and Datta Peetha religious places. Manikyadhara falls and Galikere lake nearby are frequented by tourists. *Honnammana Halla falls near

Attigundi Attigundi is a village in the Chikkamagalur district of Karnataka. It is governed locally by gram panchayat. It is located near the Muthodi wildlife sanctuary and the tourist destinations of Honnammana Halla waterfalls, Jhari Falls, Kavikal Gan ...

and Hirekolale lake are popular with tourists.

Climate

Kemmanagundi has a Sub-Tropical Highland climate influenced by Monsoon. It has three seasons: Winter (Nov-Feb temp 24-12) followed by Summer (Mar-May 28-16) and Monsoon (June-Oct 22-15) and has a cooler climate throughout the year than most cities in the sub-continent. December is the coldest month with mean temperature of 17, and April is the hottest with a mean of 22.2. Most precipitation falls in July, with an average of 591 mm. February is the driest month.

Transport

;Road: Kemmannugundi is 53 km from

, 17 km from

Lingadahalli Lingadahalli is a village and a hobli in Tarikere Taluk, Chikmagalur district, Karnataka, India. Lingadahalli is one of the prominent pre-historic sites in Karnataka state. The location code number of Lingadahalli as per census of India 2011 a ...

and 71 km from

Shivamogga Shimoga, officially Shivamogga, is a city and the district headquarters of Shimoga district in the Karnataka state of India. The city lies on the banks of the Tunga River. Being the gateway for the hilly region of the Western Ghats, the city ...

by road. The nearest National Highways, NH-206 or

NH-48 National Highway 48 (NH 48) is a major National Highway of India that starts at Delhi and terminates at Chennai traversing through seven states of India. It has a total length of 2807 km (1744 miles). NH 48 passes through the states o ...

, connect to

Bangalore Bengaluru, also known as Bangalore (List of renamed places in India#Karnataka, its official name until 1 November 2014), is the Capital city, capital and largest city of the southern States and union territories of India, Indian state of Kar ...

. There is another route via Mullayyanagiri and

, a scenic drive. If you are dependent only on public transport then you can catch a private bus from Lingadahalli at 9.30am and the same bus (last bus) comes at Kemmanagundi at 4.30pm goes to Birur via Lingadahalli. Kemmannugundi is 212 km from

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 ...

, and is accessible via road through National Highways, NH-73 and NH-173. ;Rail: The nearest railway station is 33 km away at Tarikere,

Birur Birur or Bīrūru is a town & a hobli, located in Kadur Taluk in Chikkamagaluru district in the state of Karnataka, India. It belongs to Mysuru Division. It is located 46 km north-east from district headquarters Chikkamagaluru. The Natio ...

Kadur Kaduru, also known as Kadur, is a town in the district and a taluk in Chikmagalur district, in Karnataka. It is located at in the rain shadow region of western ghats in the Malenadu region. Most of the taluk is dry, unlike much of the distri ...

. ;Air: The nearest airports are at

(212 km) and Bangalore (277 km).

Stay

Accommodation in

Horticulture Horticulture (from ) is the art and science of growing fruits, vegetables, flowers, trees, shrubs and ornamental plants. Horticulture is commonly associated with the more professional and technical aspects of plant cultivation on a smaller and mo ...

Department Guest House (known as Raj Bhavan), which provides a number of rooms, is availed by tourists. Also Kemmanugundi Hill Resort cottages managed by Jungle Lodges and Resorts are availed. There is also a Horticulture Department Guest House in Kallathi village, where the Kallathi waterfalls are located.

References