Agumbe | |
|---|---|
village | |
 Clouds at Sunset point, Agumbe | |
| Nicknames: | |
  Agumbe Location of Agumbe | |
| Coordinates:13°30′31″N75°05′45″E / 13.5087°N 75.0959°E /13.5087; 75.0959 | |
| Country |  India |
| State | Karnataka |
| District | Shimoga district |
| Region | Malenadu |
| Area | |
• Total | 3 km2 (1.2 sq mi) |
| Elevation | 660 m (2,170 ft) |
| Population | |
• Total | 600 |
| • Density | 200/km2 (520/sq mi) |
| Languages | |
| • Official | Kannada |
| Time zone | UTC+5:30 (IST) |
| PIN | 577411 |
| Telephone code | 08181 |
| Vehicle registration | KA-14 |
Agumbe is a village situated in theThirthahallitaluka ofShivamogga district,Karnataka,India.[3] It is nestled in the thickly forestedMalenadu region of theWestern Ghats mountain range.[1] Owing to its high rainfall, it has received the epithet of "The Cherrapunji ofSouth India", afterCherrapunji, one of the rainiest places in India.[4]
Agumbe is associated with rainforest conservation efforts, documentation of medicinal plants, tourism (trekking and photography), and the promotion of cottage industry.[5][2] TheAgumbe Rainforest Research Station was established as a sanctuary for theKing Cobra, Agumbe's flagship species.[6][7]
Agumbe inShivamogga district lies on the south-western coast of India, approximately 98 km (61 mi) north-east ofMangaluru and 357 km (222 mi) north-west ofBengaluru, the state capital ofKarnataka in Southern India. It is approximately 24 km (15 mi) fromShringeri and 55 km (34 mi) from theArabian Sea. The coastal town ofUdupi hosts the nearest major railway station approximately 50 km (31 mi). The nearest airport is atBajpe nearMangaluru which lies at a distance of approximately 94 km (58 mi).[8] The elevation of Agumbe is 660 m (2,165 ft) above mean sea level.[1] As part of the Western Ghats mountain range, Agumbe lies in aUNESCOWorld Heritage Site.[9] Agumbe is near theSomeshwara Wildlife Sanctuary and theKudremukh National Park.
Agumbe is a small hill village with very limited visitor accommodation. The population is approximately 500 people. The village covers an area of 3 square kilometres (1.2 sq mi).[10]
The villagers of Agumbe are subsistence farmers. Rice and areca are grown. The Raksha Kavacha Weavers' Cooperative Society represents the beginnings of cottage industry in the village.[11]
Places in the vicinity of Agumbe that tourists visit include theKundadri andKodachadri Hills,Udupi,Malpe, Mangalore (for the airport and seaport),Karkala,Kolluru,Sringeri,Chickmagaluru, Shivamogga,Bhadravathi, N.R. Pura,Sagar,Hosanagar, Koppa and Thirthahalli. In the summer, a truck can be used to reach Narasimha parvata
Sunset View Point rests on one of the highest peaks of the Western Ghats on the Udupi-Agumbe Road. It is ten minutes walk from Agumbe.[12] On a fine evening, the sunset can be seen over theArabian Sea.[13]
Agumbe lies in a hilly, wet region of the Western Ghat mountains. This geography contributes to its scenery, and suitability for trekking. In addition, there are a number ofwaterfalls in the locality.
Barkana Falls (Latitude 13.449315, Longitude 75.136015), Northeast of Agumbe, is 850 ft (259 m) in height.[14] It is the tenth highest falls in India.[15]
Onake Abbi Falls (latitude 13°30'44"N, longitude 75°4'25"E) at 400 feet, is smaller than Barkana Falls.[16] In theKannada language, "onake" means 'pounding stick', an instrument used by villagers to pound grains to flour. Trekking for 5 km through rainforest is needed in order to reach a view of the falls.[citation needed]
Jogigundi is a small water fall near Agumbe. This is about 800m deep. It is usually filled with water.
Koodlu Theerthra waterfall is located 25 km from Agumbe.
Srimane falls is located at about 40 km from Agumbe.
Agumbe hosts India's first automaticweather station, founded byRomulus Whitaker b. 1943, New York, NY.[17] Agumbe lies in arainforest region with atropical climate, warm and humid. Under theKöppen system of climate classification Agumbe is an 'Am' climate, that is, atropical monsoon climate.[18] A dense silvery fog forms over the Western Ghats at Agumbe.[19]
The driest month in Agumbe is February with an average rainfall of 1 mm. The wettest month is July with an average rainfall of 2,647 mm. The mean annual rainfall is 7,620 millimetres (300 in).[20] The highest recorded rainfall in a single month was 4,508 millimetres (177.5 in) in August 1946.[21]
The table below is comparison of rainfalls for between Agumbe in Thirthahalli taluk in Shimoga district,Hulikal in Hosanagara taluk in Shimoga district,Amagaon in Khanapur Taluk in Belgaum district andTalacauvery in Madikeri taluk in Kodagu district, Kokalli of Sirsi Taluk, Nilkund of Siddapur Taluk, CastleRock of Supa (Joida) Taluk in Uttara Kannada District to show which one can be called the "Cherrapunji of South India".[22]
| Year | Hulikal Rainfall (mm) | Agumbe Rainfall (mm) | Amagaon Rainfall (mm) | Talacauvery Rainfall (mm)[23] | Kokalli(Sirsi) Rainfall (mm) | Nilkund Rainfall (mm) | Castle Rock Rainfall (mm) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | 8606 | 8639 | |||||
| 2023 | 5208 | 5353 | 4389 | 4892 | 4891 | ||
| 2022 | 7733 | 8122 | 6825 | 8763 | 5864 | ||
| 2021 | 7937 | 7544 | 6462 | 7879 | 5637 | 6536 | |
| 2020 | 8401 | 7560 | 7496 | 8856 | 5909 | 7152 | |
| 2019 | 8541 | 7398 | 9804 | 7593 | 6705 | 8069 | |
| 2018 | 7577 | 8422 | 6570 | 9098 | 3944 | 6204 | 6501 |
| 2017 | 5,700 | 6,311 | 4,733 | 5,859 | 3130 | 4981 | 5560 |
| 2016 | 5,721 | 6,449 | 4,705 | 5,430 | 2682 | 4655 | 4968 |
| 2015 | 6,035 | 5,518 | 4,013 | 5,319 | 2730 | 4367 | 3667 |
| 2014 | 7,907 | 7,917 | 5,580 | 7,844 | 8746 | 6710 | 5956 |
| 2013 | 9,383 | 8,770 | 8,440 | 8,628 | 4464 | 7082 | 6165 |
| 2012 | 8,409 | 6,933 | 5,987 | 5,722 | 5036 | 5398 | 4930 |
| 2011 | 8,523 | 7,921 | 9,368 | 6,855 | 4437 | 6593 | 7083 |
| 2010 | 7,717 | 6,929 | 10,068 | 6,794 | 4002 | - | 4079 |
| 2009 | 8,357 | 7,982 | - | - | - | - | - |
| 2008 | 7,115 | 7,199 | - | - | - | - | - |
| 2007 | 8295 | 8,255 | - | - | - | - | - |
| 2006 | 8,656 | 8691 | - | - | -[24][25] | - | - |
| 2005 | 7095 | ||||||
| 2004 | 7113 | ||||||
| 2003 | 6059 | ||||||
| 2002 | 6115 | ||||||
| 2001 | 7089 | ||||||
| 2000 | 7233 |
Maximum temperatures in Agumbe vary between 24.4 and 31.5 °C. Minimum temperatures vary between 16.2 °C and 21.4 °C. Average temperatures vary between 22.2 °C and 23.6 °C with an annual average temperature of 23.5 °C. April is the hottest month of the year and December the coolest. The average annual variation in temperature is 4.1 °C.[18] The lowest recorded temperature was 3.2 °C in 1975 and the highest, 37 °C in 2008–2009.[19]
| Climate data for Agumbe (1981–2010, extremes 1951–2012) | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Record high °C (°F) | 34.5 (94.1) | 36.5 (97.7) | 38.0 (100.4) | 36.5 (97.7) | 35.0 (95.0) | 33.0 (91.4) | 30.5 (86.9) | 31.2 (88.2) | 34.0 (93.2) | 32.0 (89.6) | 32.5 (90.5) | 33.0 (91.4) | 38.0 (100.4) |
| Mean daily maximum °C (°F) | 29.4 (84.9) | 30.3 (86.5) | 31.3 (88.3) | 31.4 (88.5) | 30.0 (86.0) | 25.6 (78.1) | 23.7 (74.7) | 23.7 (74.7) | 25.5 (77.9) | 27.4 (81.3) | 28.5 (83.3) | 29.0 (84.2) | 28.0 (82.4) |
| Mean daily minimum °C (°F) | 11.4 (52.5) | 12.3 (54.1) | 14.8 (58.6) | 17.6 (63.7) | 18.7 (65.7) | 18.0 (64.4) | 17.6 (63.7) | 17.7 (63.9) | 17.4 (63.3) | 17.1 (62.8) | 14.9 (58.8) | 12.1 (53.8) | 15.8 (60.4) |
| Record low °C (°F) | 3.2 (37.8) | 4.0 (39.2) | 4.7 (40.5) | 8.2 (46.8) | 10.2 (50.4) | 10.7 (51.3) | 10.0 (50.0) | 10.0 (50.0) | 10.0 (50.0) | 8.7 (47.7) | 6.5 (43.7) | 3.7 (38.7) | 3.2 (37.8) |
| Average rainfall mm (inches) | 3.8 (0.15) | 2.2 (0.09) | 10.6 (0.42) | 34.8 (1.37) | 181.0 (7.13) | 1,617.3 (63.67) | 2,432.2 (95.76) | 2,145.8 (84.48) | 672.0 (26.46) | 289.2 (11.39) | 78.5 (3.09) | 15.1 (0.59) | 7,482.3 (294.58) |
| Average rainy days | 0.4 | 0.1 | 0.8 | 2.4 | 7.7 | 25.2 | 30.0 | 29.1 | 20.2 | 12.3 | 4.2 | 0.8 | 133.1 |
| Averagerelative humidity (%)(at 17:30IST) | 67 | 68 | 74 | 78 | 81 | 92 | 95 | 95 | 92 | 88 | 79 | 70 | 82 |
| Source:India Meteorological Department[26][27] | |||||||||||||
Rainforest is a dense, wet, tropical evergreen ecosystem, high in its level of biodiversity. According to the'Champion and Seth' classification, Agumbe is an area of "Southern tropical wet evergreen forests" (1A/C4). R.S. Troup, an eminent forester of his day, said,
TheAgumbe Rainforest Research Station was founded in 2005 byRomulus Whitaker, aherpetologist. Whitaker had been familiar with Agumbe since the 1970s when he began studying theKing Cobra.[29] Its purpose is to create a local biodiversitydatabase, encourage individual scientific research, collaborate with India's Department of Forestry and conserve the rainforest of the Western Ghats as well as to educate the residents of the region in the importance of forestry conservation. The King Cobra, anendangered species is the station's "flagship species".[10] The station occupies an area of 8 acres (32,000 m2). Funding for the station came from Whitaker's mother, Doris Norden and from theWhitley Award received by Whitaker in 2005.
TheAgumbe Medicinal Plants Conservation Area was established in 1999 to protect the importantmedicinal plants of the region. The "Foundation for Revitalisation of Local Health Traditions" recorded 371 plant species at Agumbe, of which 182 were medicinal.[28][30]
Endangered plant species in the area include[31]
Agumbe provides an environment for large and small mammals such as the endangeredlion-tailed macaque,[38][39]tiger,[40]leopard,sambar,giant squirrel,dhole, a wild dog of India,gaur, the Indian bison andbarking deer.
In creating funds for conservation of the Agumbe rainforest, theOphiophagus hannah,king cobra is a 'flagship' species.[41] An Agumbe-based scientific project to radio-locate rescued king cobras aims to determine whether relocation is helpful to their survival.[42] other reptiles and amphibians of the area include thecane turtle and aflying lizard.
Agumbe is a popular destination for bird watchers and photographers. Among the endemic birds are the Malabar trogon, the yellow-browed bulbul and Sri Lankan frogmouths.[43]
Agumbe's many insect species include theAtlas moth,Cyclotoma alleni (a beetle discovered in Agumbe),[44]Selenops agumbensis, a spider andDrosophila agumbensis a small fly species.Cremnoconchus agumbensis is a local small fresh water snail.[45]
The Agumbe VenugopalakrishnaHindu temple is an old structure known for beautiful architecture and peacefulness. The temple deity is Sri VenugopalaKrishna. An annual fair is conducted each year in February during Ratha Saptami in honour of the deity.
Another local temple is the Sringeri Sharadamba temple.
Malgudi Days (1985) is a television serial directed byShankar Nag. It was based on novels written byR. K. Narayan. Many episodes were filmed in Agumbe.[46] In 2004, a new set of episodes ofMalgudi Days was filmed at Agumbe byKavitha Lankesh (director).[46][47]
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