Karnataka: The ridge that divides rainwater!

HASSAN: Find this surprising? A ridge on Bisile Ghat in Sakleshpur in Hassan district divides the rain water flowing in the region between the Arabian Sea and Bay of Bengal.

Rainfall on the ridge flow to various streams in the Ghat which than link up with rivers before ending their journey either in the Arabian Sea in the west or Bay of Bengal Bengal in the east.

On the way to Bisile Ghat at Mankanahalli, one can’t fail to notice the stone slab on a platform where it is engraved ‘Arabian Sea’ and ‘Bay of Bengal’ indicating the direction of flow of water between the two seas. British officers had decided that it was the ridge point at Mankanahalli on Bisile Ghat which would separate the flow of water between Arabian Sea and Bay of Bengal.  From this ridge, rain water flowing to the west joins River Kumaradhara, flowing through the pilgrim centre of Kukke Subramanaya and then  unites with River Netravathy before making it to Arabian Sea. Water flowing to the east links up with River Hemavathy, a tributary of River Cauvery, to culminate its journey in the Bay of Bengal after flowing through TN. Such ridge points are seen in the hilly regions of Western Ghats and determine water flow to rivers either flowing west or east. One such ridge point is at Kalasa in Mudigere where water flows separately to Sringeri and Mudigere. Similarly, water flowing from Pushpagiri Hills of Madikeri gets ‘split’ into two-one reaches River Cauvery and the other River Kumaradhara, said a Cauvery Neeravari Nigam official.  

Tourists to Bisile Ghat, Arun and Krishna Urs were unaware of the natural distribution of rain water between the Arabian Sea and Bay of Bengal taking place at Mankanahalli, until they came across the platform on their way to the scenic spot at the tri-junction of Hassan, Madikeri and DK. From this spot, one can have a panoramic view of mountains.