Joga
Falls
Jog
Falls is the second-highest plunge waterfall in India, Located near Sagara,
Shimoga District of Karnataka state, these segmented falls are a major tourist
attraction. It is also called by alternative names of Gerusoppe falls, Gersoppa
Falls and Jogada Gundi.
Jog Falls is created by the Sharavathi
River falling from a height of 253 m (830 ft), making it the second-highest
plunge waterfall in India.
Sharavati, a river which rises at Ambutirtha,
near Nonabar, in the Thirthahalli taluk and takes the north-westerly course by
Fatte petta, receives the Haridravati on the right below Pattaguppe and the
Yenne Hole on the left above Barangi. On arriving at the frontier it bends to
the west, and precipitating itself down the Falls of Gersoppa and passing that
village (properly Geru-Sappe), which is really some 29 kilometres distant,
discharges into the sea at Honnavar in North Kanara.
The Sharavati, flowing over a very rocky
bed about 250 yards wide, here reaches a tremendous chasm, 290 m (960 ft) in
depth, and the water comes down in four distinct falls. The Raja Fall pours in
one unbroken column sheer to the depth of 830 ft (250 m). Half-way down it is
encountered by the Roarer, another fall, which precipitates itself into a vast
cup and then rushes violently downwards at an angle of forty-five degrees to
meet the Raja. A third fall, the Rocket, shoots downwards in a series of jets;
while the fourth, the Rani, moves quietly over the mountain side in a sheet of
foam. The Tourism Department has built steps from the view point till the
bottom of the hill where the waterfall can be seen at the opposite side. There
are approximately 1500 steps built to reach the bottom of the hill.
Associated with the waterfall is the nearby
Linganmakki Dam across river Sharavathi. The power station has been operational
since 1948, and is of 120 MW capacity, one of the largest hydroelectric
stations in India at that time and a small source of electric power for Karnataka
now. The power station was previously named Krishna Rajendra hydro-electric
project, after the King of Mysore at that time. The name was later changed to
Mahatma Gandhi hydro-electric Project. It was served by Hirebhaskara dam until
1960. After 1960, due to the ideas of Sir M. Visvesvarayya, Linganmakki Dam is
being used for power generation.
Before the onset of monsoon season, when
there is not much water in the Linganmakki dam, the Jog Falls are only a pair
of thin streams of water trickling down the cliff, as the water collected in
the dam is exclusively for generation of electricity; during monsoons local
rain-water is the source of water to the falls.
Nearest
Citites: Sagar,Sirsi,Siddapur,Shimoga,Gersoppa,Hosanagara
Distance
from Joga Jalapatha:
Sagara:30km
Sirsi:60 km
Siddapur:20 km
Shimoga:100km
Hosanagara:70km
Gersoppa:40km
Images:
Image
Courtesy :
http://sateesh-mane.blogspot.in/
www.jogfalls.in