Chamarajanagar district

Chamarajanagar ಚಾಮರಾಜನಗರ is the southern-most district in the state of,. It was carved out of the original larger in the year 1998. town is the headquarters of this district.

History
Chamarajanagar was earlier known as Arikottara. Chamaraja Wodeyar, the king of  was born here and hence this place was renamed after him. The Vijaya Parsvanath Basadi, a holy shrine was constructed by Punisadandanayaka, the commander of the  king Gangaraja in the year 1117 A.D.

Geography
Being the southernmost district of, Chamarajanagar district borders the state of and. Specifically, it borders district of  to the west and north,  and  districts of Karnataka to the north-east,  district of Tamil Nadu to the east,  and  districts of Tamil Nadu to the south-east,  district of Tamil Nadu to the south and  district of Kerala to the south-west.

Most of the district lies in the leeward region of the and consists of mainly semi-arid rain-dependent flatlands along with forested hills.

Demographics
According to the census conducted in 2001, Chamarajanagar district has a population of 965462 of which 489940 are males and 475522 are females. Having a large percentage of forest cover, the district also has a high population of forest-dwelling tribals; prominent among them are the s, s, s and s. These tribals have their own dialect and their total population is said to be around 82000. The literacy level of Chamarajanagar district is 51%, unfortunately one of the lowest in the state.

Religious sites

 * : The biggest temple in Chamarajanagar, which was built during end of 19th Century. Temple resembles Nanjanagudu Srikanteswara temple and has a very big gopura.


 * : Malai Mahadeshwara Hills (short form: ), is an important pilgrimage centre in the  Taluk. The yearly chariot festival (locally called '') at the MM Hills brings many devotees. The temple is situated within the MM Hills Reserve Forest, not very far from where the river  flows into.


 * : Biligiri Rangana Betta (short form: ), refers to a cliff in the BR Hills range which is a North-South range in the Taluk. It is famous for the Ranganathaswamy temple.


 * : Kanakagiri in Taluk is a famous  pilgrim centre. It is described as Hemanga Desha in ancient works and is said that Bhagwan Sri  visited this place during his visit to South.


 * : (short form:  is a hill near the  Wildlife Sanctuary in the  Taluk. It is famous for the Gopalaswamy temple which is atop the hill. Gopalaswamy is an incarnation of the  God.


 * Dodda Sampige Mara: Located 4 km from, Dodda Sampige Mara is the location where a large tree, 34 mts in height and 20 mts of girth is present. Near its trunk, there are many s (around 100) which are worshipped by the pilgrims who come here. Near the tree flows the stream Bhargavi which is a tributary of . This stream is supposed to be an incarnation of , the wife of the revered  sage,.

Wildlife Sanctuaries

 * : Bandipur is a well known National Park in the Taluk straddling the state's border with . It is also a tiger reserve and part of the  initiative. Apart from tiger, the other animals found here include gaur, elephant, leopard and wild dogs. It is contiguous with the  wildlife sanctuary which is across the state border in.


 * : Apart from being a religious centre, BR Hills is also the location of the BR Hills Wildlife Sanctuary. It is spread over an area of 539.52 sq. km. Some of the important animals found here are tigers, sloth bears, elephants and gaurs.

Waterfalls

 * : Hogenakal is a famous waterfall where the river cascades down a gorge to give a breathtaking view. It is in the  Taluk and right on the border between the states of  and.

Trekking
The Forest Department of has come up with an initiative called Mystery Trails to promte eco-tourism by organising treks through the rich forests of Chamarajanagar district. Some of the trekking routes are:


 * Bedaguli to Jodigere to Bylore
 * to Chenni Halla
 * to Naaga Male
 * to Chellure Hill
 * Elephant Camp to Muthathi
 * Yerekem Halla to Gopinatham

Further Information
Since much of the southern area of the district is dense forest, it provided good refuge to the notorious bandit, responsible for the death of over a hundred policemen. He was shot dead in an encounter with the specially formed Special Task Force (STF) in mid 2004, in district, Tamil Nadu. He had been on the run for over two decades.

The presence of illegal quarrying for black stone imposes a great threat to the forests in the region.