Bhadravati or Bhadravathi is an industrial city and taluk in the Shivamogga District of Karnataka state, India. It is situated at a distance of about from the state capital Bengaluru and at about from the district headquarters, Shivamogga. The town is spread over an area of and has a population of 151,102 as per the census held in 2011.
History
Bhadravati derives its name from the Bhadra River which flows through the city. It was earlier known as Benkipura, which in English means "city of fire", and earlier ''Benki Pattana'. Hoysalas ruled the city. The Goddess "Haladammadevi & Antaragattammadevi" guard the city from past time. The sacred temples are still present in the city. Iron ore from the hill station of Kemmannugundi and water from the Bhadra River helped the establishment of an iron mill in 1918 Known as Mysore Iron and Steel Limited. Bhadravathi's reputation as an industrial town was further enhanced with the establishment of a paper manufacturing firm, the Mysore Paper Mills Limited in 1936.
Demographics
Based on the 2011 Indian census, Bhadravati has a population of 160,392, of which males constitute 51% and females 49%. Bhadravati has an average literacy rate of 86.36%, higher than the national average of 59.5%; with 91.39% of the males and 81.46% of the females literate. 10% of the population is under 6 years of age. Kannada is the main language spoken in this city.
Geography
Location
Bhadravati lies in the central part of the Karnataka State, in the south-east corner of the Shivamogga district. The latitude and longitude coordinates of Bhadravati town are. Bhadravati is at an altitude of above sea level. The Bhadra River flows through the city, then flows into the Bhadra Wildlife Sanctuary south of the city. Bhadravati lies between Western Ghats and AreMalenad region. The Bhadravati Taluk has a total area of, a population of 338,611, and a population density of. The taluk borders five other taluks, the Shimoga Taluk to the west, the Honnali Taluk to the north, the Channagiri Taluk to the east, the Tarikere Taluk to the south-east, and the Narasimharajapura Taluk to the south-west.
Climate
The average temperature in the summer is between and. The average winter temperature is between and. The annual precipitation in the city is around.
The Shivamogga–Bangalore train, the Birur–Shivamogga train, and the Mysuru–Shivamogga train all go through Bhadravati. It is well connected by rail to the Bengaluru city.
Air
The nearest airport is in Hubli, around from Bhadravati and the next nearest airport is at Mangalore, around from Bhadravati. Bengaluru International Airport is at a distance of. Another airport is under construction in Shivamogga near Sogane.
Bhadravati lies in the boarder of two Malnad districts Shimoga and Chickmagalur. Major Tourist attractions around the city includes; 1. Lakshmi Narasimha Temple : The temple built in 13th century in Hoysala architecture situated in the heart of the city. 2. Bhadra Dam : The Bhadra Dam is situated in Bhadra river project 20 KMS from the city. 3. Bhadra Wildlife Sanctuary : BWS is a protected area and a tiger reserve as part of Project Tiger, located 23 km south of Bhadravathi 4. Gondi : Gondi is situated in the foothills of western ghats, Check dam is the major tourist attraction of the place. 5. Kenchammanna Gudda and Gangur : situated in the amidst of western ghats is the major tourist attraction in Mansoon.
Sports
Vishveshwarayya Iron & Steel Plant Ground is located in Bhadravati. The stadium was built in 1960 and can hold 25,000 spectators. The ground has played host to Ranji Trophycricket matches on two occasions for home team Karnataka.
