The Tunga River (alternatively spelled Thunga) is a
river
A river is a natural stream of fresh water that flows on land or inside Subterranean river, caves towards another body of water at a lower elevation, such as an ocean, lake, or another river. A river may run dry before reaching the end of ...
in
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 ...
state, southern
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 ...
. The river is born in the
Western Ghats (Sahyadri mountains) on a hill known as ''Varaha Parvata'' at a place called ''
Gangamoola''. From here, the river flows through two districts in
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 ...
-
Chikmagalur District
Chikmagalur, officially Chikkamagaluru () is an administrative district in the Malnad subregion of Karnataka, India. It was called Kadur (''Cuddoor'') district till 1947. Coffee was first cultivated in India in Chikmagalur. The hills of Chikm ...
and
Shimoga District
Shimoga district, officially known as Shivamogga district, is a Districts of India, district in the Karnataka state of India. A major part of Shimoga district lies in the Malnad region or the Western Ghats, Sahyadri. Shimoga city is its adminis ...
.
It is 147 km long and merges with the
Bhadra River at
Koodli, a small town near
Shimoga City, Karnataka. The confluence of the two rivers continues as
Tungabhadra from this point on. The Tungabhadra flows eastwards and merges with the
Krishna River
The Krishna River in the Deccan Plateau, Deccan plateau is the third-longest in India, after the Ganga, Ganga and Godavari. It is also the fourth-largest in terms of water inflows and river basin area in India, after the Ganga, Indus and Godav ...
in
Andhra Pradesh
Andhra Pradesh (ISO 15919, ISO: , , AP) is a States and union territories of India, state on the East Coast of India, east coast of southern India. It is the List of states and union territories of India by area, seventh-largest state and th ...
.
It has a dam built across it at
Gajanur, and a larger dam has been built across the compound
Tungabhadra river at
Hospet.
Religious centres
Sringeri
Sringeri (IAST: Śṛṅgerī; ) also called Shringeri is a hill town and Taluk headquarters located in Chikkamagaluru district in the Indian state of Karnataka.
Sringeri is the site of Sri Sharadamba temple, a part of the Sringeri Sharada Pe ...
, on the banks of the Tunga, has several temples, the most important being the Śhāradā temple and the Vidyāśhankara temple. Hariharapura is another religious centre on the bank of the Tunga River in the Chikkamagalur district.
River front project
Karnataka took up a river front project in January 2024 at a cost of Rs.103 crore as part of ''Shivamogga Smart City''.
Pollution
Like many other rivers in India, Tunga too suffers from pollution. In March 2025, the Karnataka State Pollution Control Board (KSPCB) revealed that seven sources are polluting the Tunga river. The study submitted to the district administration and the KSPCB, said approximately 47.79 million litres per day (MLD) of sewage, with most of it allegedly generated by Shivamogga city, is being released into the river's catchment area as of December 2024.
Harakere, Uragadur, the stretch near Purle, Holebenavalli, Goravinakatte, SPM Road, and Thevarchatnahalli, all in Shivamogga district, are the seven identified sources of pollution.
See also
*
Netravati river
*
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 ...
*
Sharavati river
*
Linganamakki Dam
References
External links
*
Rivers of Karnataka
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