Agumbe Hill Station


Agumbe Hill Station is one of the beautiful hill stations in karnataka.and is famous for its sunsets, waterfalls and for its research unit on King Cobra in India. The hill station is accessible from Srinegri, Manipal, Kollur, Shimoga and bangaloreby road. The nearest railway stations are Udupi and Shimoga.


Agumbe Hill Station is a beautiful hillside perched in the shimoga_district.Shimoga district and is located in the backdrop of Nishani Gudda. This is the perfect spot for people who need to unwind amidst a serene environment. For adventurous travellers there are trekking trails but one needs permission from the forest department before setting out on journey. In Karnataka Agumbe Hill Station is also known as the place that receives highest rainfall.

Agumbe Hill Station is popular for its Rainforest Research Station set up by Romulus Whitaker, a renowned herpetologist. Agumbe Hill Station is seen as an important dwelling place for King Cobra. The main aim of this reserve is to conserve the cobras. For this purpose, a huge area has been turned into the reserve. Apart from the serpents, and other animals are kept in the adjoining land of the research unit.Ayurveda is also an important part of Indian history. All necessary measures have been taken to protect and grow the medicinal plants here

Agumbe, a small village at a height of 826 meters in the Shimoga district, offers the visitor a wonderful sunset view and trekking paths. An ideal setting for R.K Narayan’s Malgudi Days, The hill station of Agumbe in Karnataka attracts tourists for its serenity and enchanting scenic beauty. It has verdant valleys; picturesque mountain terrains, sparkling streams and a rustic charm that draws tourists to it, almost throughout the year.

Agumbe is one of the highest peaks of Western Ghats and to reach the Agumbe peak you have to maneuver along the steep hairpin turns. On your trekking you may encounter the Lion Tailed Black Macaque (Monkey)or the endangered Yellow Ringed Kraite(snake).

The Agumbe hill station attracts many because of its 14th century temple, dedicated to Lord Gopalakrishna, which exhibits Hoysala art.

Sightseeing
Agumbe’s scenic beauty has always left the visitors speechless. There are several waterfalls, streams and rivers hidden in the rain forest which always thrill the tourists visiting here.

Waterfalls

Barkana Falls (Latitude 13.449315, Longitude 75.136015), Northeast of Agumbe, is 850 ft/259 mts in height. It is the tenth highest falls in India. It is a fall in the Seeta River which powers a hydroelectric system. The viewing point for the Barkana Falls is about 4 km from the end of the approaching vehicle track.

Onake Abbi Falls
Onake Abbi Falls (latitude 13°30'44"N, longitude 75°4'25"E) at 400 feet, is smaller than Barkana Falls. In the Kannada 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.

Jogigundi Falls
Jogigundi is a small water fall near Agumbe.This is about 800m deep. It is usually filled with water.

Koodlu Theertha Falls
Koodlu Theerthra waterfall is located 20 km from Agumbe.

Sunset Point
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. On a fine evening, the sunset can be seen over the Arabian Sea.

Climate
Agumbe hosts India's first automatic weather station, founded by Romulus Whitaker b. 1943, New York, NY. Agumbe lies in a rainforest region with a tropical climate, warm and humid. Under the Köppen system of climate classification Agumbe is an 'Am' climate, that is, a tropical monsoon climate. A dense silvery fog forms over the Western Ghats contributing to the natural beauty of Agumbe.

Rainfall
The driest month in Agumbe is August. The wettest month is July with an average of 2,647 mm. The mean annual rainfall is 7,620 millimetres (300 in). The highest recorded rainfall in a single month was 4,508 millimetres (177.5 in) in August 1946.

Temperature
Maximum temperatures in Agumbe vary between 24.4 and 31.5 degrees Celsius. Minimum temperatures vary between 16.2 and 21.4 degrees Celsius. Average temperatures vary between 22.2 degrees Celsius and 23.6 degrees Celsius with an annual average temperature of 23.5 degrees Celsius. April is the hottest month of the year and December the coolest. The average annual variation in temperature is 4.1 degrees Celsius. The lowest recorded temperature was 3.2 degrees Celsius in 1975 and the highest, 37 degrees Celsius in 2008-9

Climate
Agumbe hosts India's first automatic weather station, founded by Romulus Whitaker b. 1943, New York, NY. Agumbe lies in a rainforest region with a tropical climate, warm and humid. Under the Köppen system of climate classification Agumbe is an 'Am' climate, that is, a tropical monsoon climate. A dense silvery fog forms over the Western Ghats contributing to the natural beauty of Agumbe.

Rainfall
The driest month in Agumbe is August. The wettest month is July with an average of 2,647 mm. The mean annual rainfall is 7,620 millimetres (300 in). The highest recorded rainfall in a single month was 4,508 millimetres (177.5 in) in August 1946.

Medicinal plants conservation area
The Agumbe Medicinal Plants Conservation Area (MPCA) was established in 1999 to protect the important medicinal plants of the region. The "Foundation for Revitalisation of Local Health Traditions" (FRLHT) recorded 371 plant species in the MPCA at Agumbe, of which 182 were medicinal.

Flora                                                                                                                                           
Endangered plant species
Endangered plant species in the area include
Dipterocarpus indicus
Dysoxylum malabaricum
Calophyllum apetalum
Garcinia indica
Garcinia gummi-gutta
Myristica dactyloides
Vateria indica
Aristolochia tagala
Tarenna agumbensis
Adenia hondala
Celastrus paniculatus
Persea macrantha
Plant species named for Agumbe
Meliola agumbensis - fungus
Tarenna agumbensis - shrub
Hygroaster agumbensis - mushroom
Dactylaria agumbensis- fungus
Other plant species discovered at Agumbe
Caudalejeunea pluriplicata - liverwort
Notothylas dissecta - Hornwort

Fauna                                                                                                                                           
Mammals
Agumbe provides an environment for large and small mammals such as the endangered lion-tailed macaque, tiger,leopard, sambar, giant squirrel, Dhole, a wild dog of India, Gaur, the Indian bison and barking deer.

Reptiles and amphibians
In creating funds for conservation of the Agumbe rainforest, the Ophiophagus hannah, King Cobra is a 'flagship' species. An Agumbe based scientific project to radio-locate rescued King Cobras aims to determine whether relocation is helpful to their survival.other reptiles and amphibians of the area include the Cane Turtle and a flying lizard.

Birds
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.

Insects and marine species
Agumbe's many insect species include the Atlas moth, Cyclotoma alleni (a beetle discovered in Agumbe), Selenops agumbensis, a spider and Drosophila agumbensis a small fly species. Cremnoconchus agumbensis is a local small fresh water snail.

Malgudi Days
Malgudi Days (1985) is a television serial directed by Shankar Nag. It was based on novels written by R. K. Narayan. Many episodes were filmed in Agumbe.[37] In 2004, a new set of episodes of Malgudi Days was filmed at Agumbe by Kavitha Lankesh (director)

Agumbe is easily accessible from Bengaluru (formerly Bangalore), which is about 230 km from Agumbe. Udupi Railway Station on the Konkan railway route is the nearest railway station and Mangalore International Airport is the nearest airport. 




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