General

CHAPTER I

GENERAL
andya district, located in the southern plain of Karnataka State is mostly covered by greenery. Till the beginning of the 20th Century, this district was a dry area. After the construction of Krishnarajasagar dam, it got extensive irrigational facilities leading to the economic progress of the district. Since sugarcane and paddy are extensively cultivated in this district, it has been given the epithet Sugar and paddy bowl of Karnataka. The hydroelectric power project of Shivasamudram which was commenced in 1902 in this district has the distinction of being the second Electric Power Station in Asia. All the seven taluks of the districts are covered by the Command Area Development Authority, Cauvery Basin. Sericulture being a profitable occupation has resulted in wide spread mulberry cultivation throughout this district and is widespread in all the taluks. All the towns, villages and hamlets of the district have been electrified. The district has a good network of transport and communication. The Bangalore - Mysore rail line and highway passes through the district. The educational progress of the district has been impressive. Since the last two decades, many educational centres including a Post Graduation centre of the Mysore University and a College of Agriculture under the jurisdiction of the University of Agricultural Sciences, Bangalore have been established here. The district has also distinguished itself in the field of literature and culture.

Mandya District Gazetteer

The district has many tourist spots and places of historical importance in its vicinity. Shrirangapattana which enjoyed the status of the capital of Mysore Province between 1610 and 1799, Shivasamudram with its Gaganachukki and Barachukki waterfalls of Cauvery, Shimsha falls near Dhanagur, the charming Brindavan gardens of Krishnarajasagar are renowned tourist places. Bird Sanctuary at Ranganathittu near Shrirangapattana is very popular. Melukote, Tonnur, Shrirangapattana, Adichunchanagiri are other important pilgrim centres. Kambadahalli of Nagamangala taluk is known for beautiful basadi of Ganga period and is a holy place for Jains. The temples of Hoysala period are found in Govindanahalli, Hosa Holalu, Kikkeri, Aghalaya, Agrahara Bachahalli, Madapura and Tenginaghatta of Krishnarajpet taluk, Nagamangala, Bellur and Lalanakere of Nagamangala taluk, Basaralu, Hosobudanuru and in other places of Mandya taluk. The River Cauvery forms three small islands popularly called Adiranga, Madyaranga and Antyaranga, of which Adiranga is located in Shrirangapatna, Madya ranga in Shivasamudra (Kollegal taluk), and Antyaranga being Sri Ranga in Tamil Nadu. One more Shrirangappattana in the Dubare forest of Kodagu district has been recently discovered by Dr.M.G. Nagaraj.

Origin of name
Mandya district, like most of the districts of Karnataka, takes its name from the headquarters. According to a mythological account of Mandya, the place, before it was called Mandya, seems to have been known as vedaranya and later as Vishnupura. In the Krita Yuga it is said, this part of the country was covered with thick jungles and a rishi was doing tapas (penance) here. He is said to have installed the God Janardhana or Varadaraja Swami and was said to be teaching the wild beasts to pronounce the sacred word veda. On this account, the place came to be known as vedaranya. Several years later, during the same yuga, another rishi, who was residing here, set up an image of the god, Sakaleshwara Swami, and Lord Vishnu, it is said, appeared to him. The place was thereafter renamed as Vishnupura. Another account says that towards the age of Dwapara Yuga, a king by name Indravarma, who had no issues, came to this place in the hope of getting a son. His prayers were granted, and his son, Somavarma , built a fort and an agrahara at this place and gave it the name mandevemu, which it is believed, has been corrupted into Mandya. It is also said that in the ancient days, a great and popular sage called Mandavya, lived in the area doing tapas and the place came to be called Mandya after his name.

General

The name Mandya has been entrenched in the inscription of 1276 AD found at Ananthapadmanabha temple near Hosabudanuru which belongs to Mummadi Narasimha (Narasimha III) as Anadi Agrahara Mandya. The first Brahmin families which settled down here, named the place Mandya after their native place near Tirupati. Mandya continued to remain a sarvamanya village till the time of Tipu Sultan, who withdraw the concession. He also shifted the taluk office from Mandya to Keregode but later, Dewan Purnaniah retransferred it to Mandya. In the copper plate of Krishnadevaraya of Vijayanagar Kingdom of 1516 AD, there is a reference of Agrahara Mandaya and Chikka Manteya given to Govinda Raja, twelth in descent from Ananthacharya a disciple of Saint Ramanujacharya and the first Brahmin family said to have settled down here, having migrated from Mandevamu near Tirupathi. It can be inferred that the present name Mandya was derived from Mandeya, which further changed to Mantheya and earlier was a centre of learning.

Location and Boundaries

To the north west of the district lies Holenarasipur and Channarayapatna taluks of Hassan district and to its north and north-east are Kunigal and Turuvekere taluks of Tumkur district and to its east lie Kanakapura and Channapatna taluks of Bangalore Rural district and to its south and south west are Mysore, Tirumakudal Narasipur, Krishnarajanagar taluks of Mysore district and Kollegal taluk of Chamarajanagar district. The district extends from 76 1977 07 East latitude and 12 11 N 13 00 North longitude. It is unique in that the district has no common boundary with any other state and is encircled on all sides by five districts of Karnataka state.

Area and population

Mandya district has a total area of 4,961 sq. km. which forms 2.59 per cent of the total geographical area of the State. It ranks 20th among 27 districts of Karnataka in terms of area. The total population of the district is 16,44,374, which forms 3.66 per cent of the total population of the state and ranks 9th among the 27 districts in terms of population. According to the provisional statistics available in the 2001 census, the total population of the district amounts 17,61,718 which includes 8,87,307 males and 8,74,411 females. Out of the total population, 14,79,534 people live in rural areas and the remaining 2,82,184 people live in urban areas. While Nagamangala taluk with 21 per cent of the total area of the district occupies the first place in respect of area among

Mandya District Gazetteer

the taluks, Shrirangapattana taluk which comprises of three per cent of the area of the district figures is in the last place. Mandya taluk which has a population 23 per cent of the district has the highest population among the taluks of this district. Shrirangapattana taluk has only has nine per cent of the total population of the district. The district has seven taluks, 31 hoblies , 1,365 inhabited and 13 uninhabited villages and seven towns (as on 2002). The district has two revenue divisions with Mandya, Maddur and Malavalli taluks under Mandya Sub-division and Krishnarajpet, Nagamangala, Pandavapura and Shrirangapattana taluks under Pandavapura sub-division. The geographical and the general information of Mandya district is given in table 1.1 and 1.2 and details of population census of 1991 is given in table 1.3 and provisional census statistics of of 2001 is given in table 1.4 and hobli-wise details of revenue villages in table 1.5.
Table 1.1 Geographical details of Mandya District
[Link]. Taluk Area in [Link] East Longitude From To 76o19` 76o 42` 76o53 ` 76o42` 76o34` 76o28` 76034` 76o19` 76o37` 77o06` 77 o07` 76o39` 76o54` 76o40` 76o53` 77o07` North Latitude From To 12o28` 12o24 12o11` 12o22` 12o38` 12o21` 12o15` 12o11` 12o53` 12o47` 12o29` 12o44` 13o00` 12o41` 12o29` 13o00`

Krishnarajpet 905 Maddur 618 Malavalli 810 Mandya 716 Nagamangala 1,045 Pandavapura 540 Shrirangapattana 357 District 4,961 Source : Mandya district At a Glance - 2000-01
Sl. No. Taluk Villages ( As per 1991 Census)

1 2 3 4 5 6 7

Table 1.2 General particulars of Mandya District

Village Panchayats City/Urban agglomeration/ Municipality/Corporation/ Notified areas As per 1991 Census 2000-01 1 1 1 1 2 1 1 1 2 1 2 1 2 1 11 7

inhabited 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Krishnarajpet Maddur Malavalli Mandya Nagamangala Pandavapura Shrirangapattana Total 296 153 172 174 343 140 87 1,365

Uninhabited 20 7 14 9 23 31 9 113

2000-01 34 42 39 45 27 24 21 232

Source : 1. Mandya District At A Glance-2000-01, Zilla Panchayat 2000-01

General Table 1.3 Talukwise Area and Population of Mandya District (As per 1991 Census)
[Link] Taluk Area km Sq.k.m 3 Total Rural Urban Urban Total Rural Urban Urban Total Rural Urban Urban Urban Total Rural Urban Urban Total Rural Urban Urban Urban Total Rural Urban Urban Urban Total Rural Urban 4 904.42 900.16 4.26 4.26 618.43 612.73 5.70 5.70 810.11 807.54 2.57 0.57 2.00 715.90 699.06 16.84 16.84 1044.70 1039.49 5.21 2.69 2.52 539.43 530.81 8.62 4.28 4.34 353.81 342.19 11.62 Total 5 221,103 203,104 17,999 17,999 282,726 260,611 22,115 22,115 264,075 226,971 37,104 7,282 29,822 383,030 262,765 120,265 120,265 178,663 158,380 20,283 6,187 14,096 160,155 140,903 19,252 3,254 15,998 146,741 124,836 21,905 Population Male 6 110,291 100,870 9,421 9,421 144,572 133.243 11,329 11,329 136,511 117,519 18,992 3,656 15,336 197,759 135,215 62,544 62,544 88,139 77,569 10,570 3,239 7,331 80,993 71,152 9,841 1,655 8,186 75,270 64,151 11,119

1 1

2 Krishnarajpet

Krishnarajpet town panchayat Maddur Taluk

Female 7 110,812 102,234 8,578 8,578 138,154 127,368 10.786 10,786 127,564 109,452 18,112 3,626 14,486 185,271 127,550 57,721 57,721 90.524 80,811 9,713 2,948 6,765 79,162 69,751 9,411 1,599 7,812 71,471 60,685 10.786

Maddur Town Municipal Council Malavalli Taluk

Belakavadi Mandal Panchayat Malavalli Town Municipal Council Mandya Taluk

Mandya City Corporation Nagamangala

Bellur Mandal Panchayat Nagamangala Town Panchayat Pandavapur

Melukote Mandal Panchayat Pandavapura Town Panchayat Shrirangapattana

Krishnarajpet

6
Shrirangapattan a T own C ou ncil M andya District

Mandya District Gazetteer

Urban Total Ru ral Urban K rishnaraja- Sagara N otifie d Krishnarajasagara Notified Area Urban 11. 62 4961. 00 4901. 80 1388,570 54. 84 4. 36 266,804 7,881 137,878 4,062 128,926 3,819 21,905 1644,374 11,119 837,597 699,719 10,786 806,777 677,851

* *

Since the area of the three villages of Pandavapura and Shrirangapattana taluks are included under the Krishnarajasagara Notified Area, it has been shown separately. Source : Census of India 1991, Part 12-B, Mandya District Census, Series-11, Karnataka

Table 1.4 Details of provisional population as per 2001 Census

[Link] 1 Taluk Krishnarajpet
Krishnarajpet Krishna- Rajpet town Panchayat Maddur Taluk

Area Sq.k.m Total Rural Urban Urban Total Rural Urban Urban Total Rural Urban Urban Total Rural Urban Urban Total Rural Urban Urban 904.42 900.16 4.26 4.26 618.43 612.73 5.70 5.70 810.11 807.54 2.57 2.57 715.90 699.06 16.84 16.84 1044.70 1039.49 5.21 5.21 Total 247,757 225,284 22,473 22,473 289,704 263,248 26,456 26,456 281,345 245,545 35,800 35,800 405,898 274,687 131,211 131,211 190,814 174,764 16,050 16,050

Population Male 123,271 111,705 11,566 11,566 146,110 132.723 13,387 13,387 143,124 124,837 18,287 18,287 206,199 139,569 66,630 66,630 94,282 86,076 8,206 8,206

Female 124,468 113,579 10,907 10,907 143,594 130,525 13.069 13,069 138,221 120,708 17,513 17,513 199,699 135,118 64,581 64,581 96.532 87,688 7,844 7,844

Maddur Town Municipal Council Malavalli Taluk Malavalli Town

Municipal Council Municiple

Mandya Taluk Mandya Corporation Nagamangala Taluk Nagamangala Town Panchayat

General
6 Pandavapur Taluk Pandavapura town Panchayat Shrirangapattana Taluk Shrirangapattana Town Municipal Council 8 Mandya District Krishnaraja- Sagara Notified Area Total Rural Urban Urban Total Rural Urban Urban 539.43 530.81 8.62 8.62 353.81 342.19 11.62 11.62 175,008 156,772 18,236 18,236 162,682 139,234 23,448 23,448 82,520 78,309 9,211 9,211 82,472 70,528 11,944 11,944 87,488 78,463 9,025 9,025 80,210 68,706 11.504 11,504

Total Rural Urban Urban

4961.00 4897.44 59.20 4.36

17,61,718 14,79,534 282,184 8,510

887,307 743,747 143,560 4,329

874,411 735,787 138,624 4.181

Note: 1. The Talukwise area figures are for the reporting area for land utilisation purposes as worked out by State Survey Department. The Geographical area of the district is computed by the Survey of India. areas. 2. Krishnarajasagar Notified area has been converted into Grama Panchayat in March, 2002 by the Government. Still as per the census of 2001, Krishnarajasagar has been considered as Notified area. Of the present seven urban areas of the district, there is one Corporation (Mandya), three Municipalities (Maddur, Malavalli and Shrirangapattana) and three Town Panchayats (Krishnarajpet, Pandavapura and Nagamangala). So the total figures of the taluk do not tally with the total figures for

Table 1.5 The details of Hobli-wise Revenue villages, of the district (Inclusive of un-inhabited villages ) 2001

Taluk 1 1. Mandya

Hobli 2 Mandya Sub-Division 1. Mandya 2. Kottatti 3. Dudda 4. Basaralu 5. Keragodu Total

Villages 3 17 35 54 50 27 183

Mandya District Gazetteer

1 2. Maddur

3. Malavalli

4. Pandavapura

5. Krishnarajapet

2 1. Maddur 2. Chikkarasinakere 3. Koppa 4. Atakooru Total 1. Malavalli 2. Halaguru 3. Boppagowdanapura 4 Kirugavalu Total Pandavapura-Sub-Division 1. Pandavapura 2. Chinakuruli 3. Melukote Total 1. Krishnarajapet 2. Santhebachahalli 3. Shilanere 4. Bhookinakere 5. Akkihebbal 6. Kikkeri 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 1. 2. 3. 4. Total Nagamangala Devalapura Honakere Bindiganavile Bellur Total Shrirangapattana Belagola Kurubara Shettyhalli Arakere Total

3 43 42 44 33 162 51 45 45 45 186 57 65 49 171 51 59 52 48 49 57 316 64 63 82 75 82 366 17 20 27 31 95

6. Nagamangala

7. Shrirangapattana

Administrative History
The district was inhabited from very ancient times. Archaeological sites of Paleolithic, Neolithic and Iron age and pre-historic sites are to be found in Hangarahalli, Belakavadi, Muttatti, Pandavapura and other places of the district. Around the fourth century A.D. most part of the district was under

General

the rule of Gangas of Talakad and Shimsha valley was known as Chikkagangavadi. In the beginning of Ninth century A.D. the Rashtrakutas of Malked defeated the second Shivamara of Ganga and appointed an officer to look after the administration of Gangavadi province, but the kingdom was returned to the Ganga kings later. Again, in the 10th century A.D. Gangas established their rule in the district, Gangavadi came under the administration of Cholas during the rule of Rakkasaganga, the last ruler of Gangas. Then this province belonged to Mudigonda Chola Mandala of Chola kingdom. Shivasamudra and Malavalli parts were called Rajendra Chola olanadu. After Hoysala Vishnuvardhana won Talakad, Mandya district area was annexed with the Hoysala kingdom. It appears that Tonnur near Melkote was the secondary capital of Hoysala Vishnuvardhana. After Hoysalas this region belonged to the kings of Vijayanagara. It is understood that a major part of the district was under the rule of the Feudatories of Nagamangala and Channapatna who were subordinate rulers under Vijayanagara. In 1454 A.D. Thimma Vodeya of Nagamangala built the fort of Shrirangapattana with the permission of the King of Vijayanagar. Then onwards from 16th century to the beginning of 17 th century, the representatives of Vijayanagar Kings stayed in Shrirangapattana. Later, the Mysore Raja Wadeyar invaded Shrirangapattana and not only made it their capital but also included most part of the Mandya district under the Mysore Province. Shrirangapattana became famous during the rule of Chikkadevaraya. Shrirangapattana, which is now only headquarters of a taluk, was once the headquarters of a Vijayanagar viceroy. About 1610 AD Raja Wodeyar of Mysore gained possession of Shrirangapattana and made it his capital. After the fall of Tipu, the capital was shifted from Shrirangapattana to Mysore in 1799. During the reign of Krishnaraja Wodeyar III from 1811 to 1831, the entire kingdom was divided into six Foujdaris and the present Mandya district formed part of the Ashtagram Foujdari. Hyder Ali ruled this region for about 21 years from 1761. The areas under his rule were divided into two parts. The first part also called Baramahals in Payanghat area - below the ghat comprised of Salem and Erode. The second part consisted the areas above the ghat called Balghat which included Mysore, Shrirangapattana, Bangalore, Kolar, Bidanur/ Hydernagar and Chitradurga. During the administration of Dewan Poornaiah the above two divisions were regrouped under Astagrama Foujudari, Bangalore, Madhugiri, Chitradurga, Nagar and Manjarabad. During the regime of Tippu Sultan, the state was divided into three main divisions: a) Subhayam (sea) - coastal area, b) Subhataram (cities/town surrounded by hilly and forest areas) and

c) Subhagubra (land open/plain area). Tippu ruled between 1782 and 1799 and after his death in1799, as per the agreement between Marathas, Nizams and the British ( 22.6.1799) Canara, Coimbatore and Wynad district areas came under the rule of British East India Company. Gooty area was given to Nizam, Harappanahalli, Harihara and Sunda (Sandoor) areas came under the rule of Marathas and the remaining Mysore area were ruled by the royal families of Mysore Wadeyars. Mummadi Krishnaraja Wadeyar was declared the King of Mysore on 30.6.1799 and Mysore was made the administrative centre for Mysore Province. When Shrirangapattana came under the rule of the British East India Company in 1795, the fort of Srirangapata was handed over to the British Force and it was made the headquarters of the defence forces (subsidiary regiment and supporting defence regiment). Colonel Arthur Wellesly was in charge till 1805 and Dariya Daulat of Shrirangapattana was his residence. As per the estimates of the traveller Buchanan, the population of Shrirangapattana which was around 1,50,000 earlier was reduced to 32,000 in 1801. Since British soldiers were unhappy to stay in Shrirangapattana due to adverse climatic conditions, the defence center was shifted to Bangalore during the period 1809 to 1811. In addition, some units of defence were posted at Shrirangapattana, Erode and French Rocks (Pandavapura). The defence units of Shrirangapattana together with the bullet manufacturing unit were shifted to Fort Saint George of Madras in 1830. As a result of these changes Shrirangapattanas importance had politically weakened. When the British Commission was formed in 1834, these six foujdaris were reconstituted in to four divisions, namely Bangalore, Nugur, Chitradurga (Chituldroog) and Ashtagram, each under a European Superintendent with revenue and judicial powers. One Superintendent was posted to the province of coorg. The Superintendents were allowed to exercise great authority and had rarely been interfered with in district administrative arrangements and consequently there was no uniformity of practice in the different divisions, which were so large that the superintendents could not do their work efficiently. Later on Bowring, who was the then Commissioner, introduced in 186263, a general scheme of reorganization and divided the State into three divisions, Ashtagram, Nandidroog (Nandidurg) and Nugur (Nagar), each under a Superintendent and these again into eight districts such as Mysore, Bangalore, Kolar, Tumkur, Chitradurga, Shimoga, Chikmagalur (kadur) and Hassan each under a Deputy Superintendent. In 1869 when the office of the Chief Commissioner of Mysore was created, the Superintendents of Divisions

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lareneG

fo egrahc ni stnednetnirepuS ytupeD dna srenoissimmoc sa delyts eb ot emac .srenoissimmoC ytupeD dellac erew stcirtsid eht ,noitartsinimda fo esoprup eht rof ,dedivid saw tcirtsid erosyM eht ,9681 nI .ereh nevig era hcihw fo tnetxe dna seman eht ,siradlima ro skulat 41 otni
noitalupoP 985,99 226,67 771,76 aerA ).m .qS( mk 634 243 002 kulaT erosyM raganajaramahC amaaggassAaantaP m rr at tA na gnidulcni( )dnalsI anattapagnarirhS anattapayiriP erotadaY etokanavedadaggeH etepuldnuG duganajnaN amargatsA erosyM daklaT aydnaM ruddaM illavalaM )rigahaJ( roodnalaY latoT .[Link] 1 2 3

785,78 280,93 003,04 966,64 658,24 014,43 059,85 991,54 391,23 018,25 421,32 865,64,7

435 642 445 856 813 171 762 842 291 482 59 545,4

4 5 6 7 8 9 01 11 21 31 41

ruof eht ylno ,tcirtsid erosyM eht demrof taht skulat neetruof eht fo tuO eht fo trap demrof illavalaM dna ruddaM ,aydnaM ,margathsA antaP fo skulat 5781 ni kulat bus a otni demrof saw kulat ruddaM .tcirtsiD aydnaM tneserp eht nehw ,9781 nI .kulat aydnaM yb debrosba saw ti ,6881 ni ,retal dna snoisivid fo srenoissimmoC fo stsop eht ,dezinagroer niaga ecno saw noissimmoc erew ereht ,renoissimmoC feihC eht rednu taht tluser eht htiw dehsiloba erew tnatsissA eht erew meht rednu ,stcirtsid eht fo srenoissimmoC ytupeD eht ylno segnahc evitartsinimda lareveS .sradlimA eht meht rednu dna srenoissimmoC owt ehT .erosyM fo noitidneR eht fo tluser a sa 2881 raey eht ni ecalp koot nrehtruos fo skulat ruof eht dehsiloba erew nassaH dna agrudartihC fo stcirtsid dna alagnamagaN ,antapayarannahC ,duglakrA ,.ziv tcirtsid nassaH fo flah eht ni tcirtsiD erosyM ot no dedda erew )tepjaranhsirK tneserp( eppugittA deniatnoc hcihw kulat duglakrA ,egnahc siht htiw ylsuoenatlumiS .raey emas eht gnoma detubirtsid erew seilboh eht dna 2881 ni dehsiloba saw silboh net ot degnahc saw kulat margathsA antaP fo eman ehT .skulat gniniojda

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Mandya District Gazetteer

Shrirangapattana taluk in the same year. A number of villages from Channarayapatna and Holenarasipur taluks were added to Kikkeri hobli in 1882, while the Melkote hobli was transferred to Shrirangapattana taluk and some villages of Santhebachahalli hobli to Nagamangala Taluk. Later, four subdivisions, namely Sagar, French Rocks, Closepet (Ramangaram) and Chikkballapur were constituted. The French Rocks (Hirode) subdivision was formed in 1882 and was placed under an Assistant Commissioner with his headquarters at French Rocks. In 1886, when the Hassan district was reconstituted, Arkalgud taluk was again revived with six hoblies comprising of Arkalgud, Basavapatna, Konanur, Krishnarajakatte, Mallipatna and Marur. Arakalgud and channarayapatna taluk were transferred to Hassan district. The other two taluks of Nagamangala and Attiguppe continue to remain in Mysore district. When allocations of members to the Mysore Representative Assembly were made in 1889, the taluks in Mysore district were (1) Mysore, (2) Yedatore (Krishnarajangar) (3) Hunsur (4) Heggadadevanakote, (5) Gundlupet (6) Chamarajanagar, (7) Nanjungud, (8) [Link], (9) Shrirangapattana (10) Attiguppe (11) Nagamangala (12) Mandya and (13) Malvalli. Though French Rocks was a sub division, yet there was neither a sub-taluk nor taluk of that name and it was only a hobli. However, a sub-taluk known as French Rocks was formed later. But it was abolished in 1923 and the three hobli of Kyathanahalli, Pandavapura Kasaba and Melkote constituting the sub taluk were included in Shrirangapattana taluk. The name of Attiguppe was changed to Krishnarajpet in1891. Mysore district was composed of thirteen taluks and one jahgir in 1930. There were three sub-divisions; Nanjangud, Chamarajanagar, Gundlupet and Tirumakudal Narasipur taluks formed the Nanjangud sub-division and Mysore, Hunsur, Heggadadevanakote and Yadatore taluks formed the Mysore sub-division, the remaining five taluks namely Seringapatna, Mandya, Malvalli, Nagamangala and Krishnarajpet formed the French Rocks sub division. After the construction of Krishnarajasagar dam, the important of the area now comprising the Mandya district grew and in order to facilitate the acquisition of lands in connection with the Irwin (Visvesvaraya) canal and the resettlement of the farmers and the disposal of questions connected with the cultivation of the newly irrigated tracts, a new revenue sub-division was constituted in 1928 with Mandya as its headquarters. Maddur Taluk was revived and once again it was made into a separate taluk on 1st May 1931. It included Maddur hobli ( 43 villages), Koppa hobli ( 44 villages) and

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13

Athakur hobli (33 villages) from Mandya taluk and Chikka Arasinakere hobli (40 villages) from Malavalli taluk. This taluk had 160 villages with a total area of 1,07,959 acres. Dodda Arasinakere was divided into three villages. They are Dodda Arasikere, Matanahalli and Devarahalli. As a result, this the total number of villages increased to 162. The Hirode, Melkote and Chinkurli hoblies which were included in Shrirangapattana taluk, were separated and constituted into a separate taluk called French Rocks (Pandavapur) taluk with effect from Ist July 1937. After these changes, the Mysore district became and exceptionally unwieldy comprising 15 taluks and one sub taluk besides the jahagir taluk of Yelandur and the normal work in the district office was nearly twice as much as that in some of the other districts. With the development of irrigation under the Irwin (Visvesvaraya) canal there was a great increase in the volume of work in all departments and the special and intricate problems connected with irrigation in the canal area occupied a good deal of the Deputy Commissioners time and attentions. The question of bifurcation of the district which had become very large was under the consideration of Government for sometime. A proposal to this effect was placed in the before the budget session of the Mysore Representative Assembly in 1937, but there was not much support from the members for this proposal. Sir Mirza M. Ismail the then Dewan, referring to this in his speech to the Mysore Representative Assembly on 20th June 1937, said; The question of the bifurcation of the Mysore district, I regret to note, has not met with the support of many of the members of this house. The opposition is due, I am afraid, to an incorrect and imperfect appreciation of the real position. As you know, the district is by far the biggest in the state, in area, population and in revenue. It presents special irrigational and other problems requiring close and continuous attention. Experience has shown that it is essential, in public interest, that the district should be split up into two, if its problems are to receive sufficient attention. It is not merely the development of irrigation under the Irwin Canal that has suggested and necessitated this course. The Malnad taluks of Heggadadevanakote and Piriyapatna require a more concentrated effort than it has been possible for the administration to bestow upon them. Government was convinced the time will wholly justify their decision. They are confident that the results will more than repay the recurring expenditure involved, it is only a matter of Rs.35,000/- and that the people of, what at present is, an un wieldy district will derive considerable benefit from its bifurcation.

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Mandya District Gazetteer

The Governmental finally decided to bifurcate the Mysore district in 1939 and to constitute, with effect from 1st July 1939, a new district to be known as Mandya district, with its headquarters at Mandya. The two revenue sub divisions of French Rocks and Mandya comprising seven taluks of Seringapatna, French Rocks, Nagamangala, Krishnarajpet, Maddur, Malvalli and Mandya formed the Mandya district while the Mysore district was left with the remaining eight taluks one sub-taluks and one jahagir taluk. Thus, the present Mandya district came into being as a separate administrative district with effect from 1st July 1939 and was the ninth district in the old Mysore State.
Tablel 1.6 Details of Taluks in Mysore (1939)

[Link]. 1 1

Sub-Division 2 Mysore

Taluk 3 Mysore Hunasur Heggadadevanakote Krishnarajanagara(Yedatore) and Piriyapatna sub-taluk Nanjangud Gundlupet Chamarajanagar Tirumakudalu Narasipur and Yelandur Jahagir

Nanjangud

3.

Frenchrocks(Pandavapura) Shrirangapattana Frenchrocks Nagamangala Krishnarajapet Mandya Mandya Malavalli Maddur

No change of considerable importance has taken place since the formation of the district except some transfers of villages from one taluk to another purely on account of administrative convenience. The name of French Rocks was changed to Pandavapura and the aglicised form of Seringapatam to Srirangapatna/Shrirangapattana. Six hoblies of Shrirangapattana taluk were

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15

reduced to four and that of Krishnarajpet taluk from six to five. Hirode, Melkote and Chinakurali hoblies were merged with French Rocks taluk with effect from 1-7-1937. After reconstitution in addition to the earlier 51 villages, 10 villages from Kyathanahalli hobli of Shrirangapattana were included in the new Hirode hobli. Similarly, in addition to 54 villages, 21 villages from Kannambadi hobli of Krishnarajpet taluk and one village from Kasaba hobli were transferred to Chinakurali hobli. Melkote hobli had 49 villages and altogether there were 186 villages in French Rocks taluk. Shrirangapattana hobli was reconstituted to include a newly formed hobli with Kurubarashetty halli as its headquarters on 22nd September, 1939. The Asali Inam Gaudagere village was separated from the Kebbahalli Dhakale village on 10th May, 1940. Mandya Kasaba hobli (43 villages) was divided into Mandya Kasaba (17 villages) and Keregodu (26 villages) hoblies on 25th September, 1943. Kuragahalli and Mydanahalli villages of Srirangaptana taluk were transferred to Mysore taluk on 7th May, 1957. The details of the administrative divisons which existed as on 2001-02 are given in table 1.7.
Table 1.7 Details of Sub-divisions and taluks of the District 2002

Sub-Division

Area Sq.k.m.

No. of Hoblies

Villages as per 1991 Census

inhabited villages Villages un inhabited ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------1. Mandya Sub-Division 1. Mandya 716 4 174 9 2. Maddur 618 5 153 7 3. Malavalli 810 4 172 14 Total 2,144 13 499 30 2. Pandavapura Sub-Division 1. Krishnarajpet 905 6 296 20 2. Nagamangala 1,045 5 343 23 3. Pandavapura 540 3 140 31 4. Shrirangapattana 357 4 87 9 Total 2,847 18 866 83 Total of district 4,961 31 1,365 113
Note : Latest Statistics as per Mandya District At A Glance 2007-08 is given in Appendix.

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Mandya District Gazetteer

GEOLOGY
The district for the most part, is made up of gneisses which are generally gray in colour with well developed gneissosity. Such rock structures are seen predominantly near Chinkuruli, but gneisses exposed near Melkote, Siddaghatta and other places are varied and complex. The Dharwar Schists occur as narrow linear bands in many parts of the district. They are seen prominently between Bellibetta, Hadanur, Krishnarajpet and Chinakurali. The Bellibetta band extends southwards for about 25 km from a point six kilometres west of Krishnarajpet, near Bellibetta up to the river Cauvery. It has a width of about five km but narrows down as it approaches the river Cauvery. The Hadanur band which is well developed near Hadanur extends between Krishnarajpet and Chinakurali. This forms the extension of the Nuggehalli belt According to the auther recent geological surveys have indicated that Hadanur band is a separate band forming part of Krishnarajpet schist belt and not the extension of Nuggehalli belt Another band extends from Yediyur to Karighatta with dark hornblende schist as its main component. Banded iron formations with lenses of quartz is exposed between Maddur and Channapattana. Occurrence of minor amount of gold is reported from such bands near Vittalapur and Karighatta. Some villages of this district like Talagavadi, Siddalingapur, Kanaghatti, Naranakere, Turaganur are known for good quality porphyries which are used as ornamental stones.

Geological Evolution
Mandya district forms part of Peninsular India and its physical feature essentially resemble the geological history of the main land. The major rock types of the district belong to Archaean era. They have been subjected to deformation and have undergone metamorphism. They have varied chemical compositions and are most complex and aptly designated as Archaean complex and consist of a wide variety of granite, gneisses and schist with associated quartzite and limestone. The Dharwar Group belonging to the same Archaen complex consist of an assemblage of metasedimentary rocks intimately associated with metavolcanics and occurs as various belts within an expanse of granites, and gneisses which have been grouped under the term Peninsular Gneiss as it covers a vast portion of Peninsular India. Generally these igneous rocks crop up from lower surface of the earths crust and these gneisses have yielded differing radiometric ages and the term originally included a wide range of

General

17

compositions. Younger intrusive granites and pegmatites are also seen in the surrounding areas. Towards the southern end of the Closepet Granite and adjoining it are a group of igneous rocks called porphyries which are considered to be a part of the Closepet Granites. Protrusions of these rocks are seen near Shrirangapattana. The whole area has been subjected to intense deformation and upliftment. Karnataka has remained a stable landmass since the end of Proterozoic era. Protracted erosion over millions of years has left only remnants of rocks in a varied topography. And the present areas of this district also belong to the Archaean Complex of Karnataka which is known for its rich metallic and non metallic minerals as well as ornamental stones. Only the important ones are described here.

Felsite and Porphyry dykes

Felsite and porphyry dykes of more than 40 varieties with varied colour and texture occur in Shrirangapattana and Mandya taluks. These variants include ash green, light green, grass green, gray, brown, chocolate brown and snuff colour dykes. They occur as dykes cutting across granite and gneisses. Because they are highly fractured and exhibit conchoidal weathering, they do not lend themselves for separation as slabs. They are extensively used as pillars, panels and tiles and as ornamental stones and have been used to erect monuments, and for carving flower vases. Green quartzite with chromium mica (fuchsite quartzite) occurs around Mallenahalli in Krishnarajpet taluk. Like felsite and porphyry these rocks too cannot be heaved into slabs, but are extensively used in sculpture as ornamental stones.

Beryl
Yellowish green beryl crystals have been reported from the pegmatites of Melkote and its southern part. Of these, those occurring around Katteri and Chikkayarahalli deposits are considered to be of good quality. They occur in a variety of colours ranging from white, green, blue and deep blue. Beryl is also reported from Babygrama and Linganakoppa of Pandavapura taluk. Light green coloured beryl crystals are known to occur around Kurubara manchenahalli and Ragi muddanahalli areas of Krishnarajpet taluk.

Mica
Mica is mainly made up of potassium and aluminium silicate and occurs in many rocks. Normally it occurs as veins and layers and is generally seen as

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Mandya District Gazetteer

books in pegmatite. Minor deposits of mica have been reported from Undavadi near Krishnarajpet and Wadesamudra of Pandavapura taluk. Vermiculite Vermiculite which is a type of mica has been reported from Melkote and Krishnarajpet areas. This mineral normally occurs in hornblende biotite schist as lenses and pods and in highly weathered biotite gneiss and also along the contacts of both these rocks. Rock Crystal Pure, transparent variety of rock crystal is reported from Melkote area, where they occur in the cavities of granite in clusters. These when cut and polished shine like diamond and are used as medium quality gemstones. Gold Exploration for gold in this part was carried out between 1882 and 1913, particularly in Volagere area which lies near Bellibetta to the west of Krishnarajpet. It appears that a shaft was sunk for a depth of 40 metres and five grams per ton of ore was reported from this mining. The total reserves have not been estimated. Similar explorations were carried out near Hunjanekere near Shrirangapattana, on the southern part of Nagamangala and near Boothaganahalli north of Bannur. Gold occurrences seem to be sporadic. Iron Ore Iron ore was smelted in local furnaces to produce cast iron and steel. Parts of Maddur and Malavalli bear testimony to iron smelting as witnessed by the presence of slag heaps. Since good quality iron and steel was imported at a cheaper rate from foreign countries, the local industry gradually withered away. Magnatite Banded magnetite quartzite occurs extensively near Maddur , Hunsur, Hullahalli, Karalakatte, Chattanahalli, Bommanayakana halli, Aralapura villages of Malavalli taluk. Such bands have pockets of magnetite which on powdering to 60 mesh size have shown 66.35 percent iron and 8.36 percent solid residue. The reserves are estimated to be around 41.47 million tones. Corundum Reddish Corundum crystals occur in a north-south trending linear tract of 30 km length extending from Kupya of [Link] taluk of Mysore district

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19

to Mandya. Important deposits are reported from Satanur near Mandya, Erehalli, Kirangur and Ramanahalli areas. Another tract with corundum deposits extends from about 60 km. from near Ramanagaram to Malavalli.

China clay
Deposits of China clay are reported in weathered granites near Melkote where they occur as pure white clay pockets of limited extension. These clay pockets are used by local people for religious purpose.

Earthquake
Mandya district is relatively free from earthquakes. There have, however, been reports of minor earthquakes in some areas. Mention may be made about earthquakes which occurred in March, 1967, November and December, 1968, August, 1969, January, 1970, September 1970, January, 1971, March, 1971, May, 1971 and May, 1972. The earthquake which struck Doddegowdana koppalu on 16th may, 1972 measured 4.2 to 4.5 magnitude on Richter scale and by far is considered to be the biggest quake in the district.

Physical Features
The landmass of Mandya district is a part of the southern plateau and largely forms a plain area. There are a few hills dotting the district and are sporadic in nature. On an average, the area is 760 to 920 metres above mean sea level. The hill range extending from Biligiri Rangana hill occurs as isolated hills on the eastern margin of Malavalli and is the only important physical feature. Near Shivanasamudram, the River Cauvery cuts across this hill range and descend as Gaganachukki and Barachukki falls. Hills are also found around Pandavapura, Tonnur, Melkote, Narayanadurga and Basavanakallu. Prominent among these are the ones occurring on the southern border of Hoolikere and Kharighatta. Hills are also noticed in some parts of Krishnarajpet and Nagamangala taluks. Adichunchanagiri is an important hill from the religious point of view. Kabbaladurga hill, is another important hill located in the border in the neighbouring Kanakapura taluk. It is 1,063 metre or 3,570 feet above the sea level. One side of the hill is very steep and the other has a gentle slope and can be negotiated. Karighatta hill (726 m/ 2,697 feet from above sea level) is located near Shrirangapattana. The granite hill of Melkote (1081 m/ 3,589 feet above the sea level) also known as Yadugiri is one of the important tourist places. Narayanadurga hill near Sindhaghatta is 1,088 m/ 3,589 feet above the sea level. Other areas have isolated granite tors. The River Cauvery has carved a smooth, gently undulating landscape in the plains.

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Mandya District Gazetteer

Water Resources
There are three major catchment areas in the district: 1. Cauvery 2. Shimsha and 3. Lokapavani. Many streams join these rivers. Cauvery, Hemavathi, Lokapavani, Shimsha and Veera Vaishnavi are the important rivers of the district. Bindenahalli tore, Amruthuru Tore, Nidasale Tore, Handi halla, Hebballa and Bhima are some of the important streams. A total of 1.43 lakh hectares of cultivated land have been brought under irrigation by making use of these sources. The district has a total of 14,735 hectares water spread area, out of which 12,924 hectares is occupied by Krishnarajsagar (submerged area). There are 224 large tanks with water spread area of 9779 hectares. Similarly, there are 596 small tanks with water spread area of 1733 hectares. The topography of the area shows gradual slope towards east and the stream flowing in this area mainly join the Bay of Bengal.

The Cauvery
The Cauvery is an important river of the district and originates in Brahmagiri range at a place called Talacauvery in Madakeri taluk of Kodagu district. It flows through Hassan and Mysore district and at Krishnarajasagar the river Hemavathi joins the Cauvery. It then enters Shrirangapattana and flows easterly along the edge of Pandavapura and Shrirangapattana taluk as if defining the border of these two taluks. The river, in its next stage encircles the river islets of Shrirangapattana and near Mahadevapura it follows north easterly direction and enters Thirumakudalu Narasipur taluk. From there onwards, it flows at the border of Malavalli and Kollegal taluks. On the south eastern margin of the Malavalli taluk, the river bifurcates into two parts at Belakavadi creating the island of Shivasamudra. Here it follows a narrow gorge and descends from 92 metres to form spectacular Gaganachukki and Barachukki falls. After flowing for some distance, the branches take easterly course at the north eastern corner of Kollegal taluk in the Chamarajanagar District. It forms another falls called Hogenakal falls in the neighbouring state of Tamil Nadu. The river Cauvery reaches the boundary of Karnataka at Bodmalai range which lies on the south eastern edge of Mahadeshwara hill range. It then enters Tamil Nadu creating a vast expanse of greenery and then joins Bay of Bengal. Since it rains heavily in the Western Ghats from June to September, the river Cauvery flows full during this season. Dams have been constructed at many places on the river Cauvery to provide irrigational facilities. Since there is large delta on the either side of the

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21

river with irrigational facilities there is rich harvest in this part. Krishnarajasagar dam is the largest of these. Just three kilometres down stream of Krishnarajasagar dam, is a dam called Madadakatte that has been constructed near Seethapura. Chikkadevaraya nala on the left bank of this small dam provides irrigational facilities to Mysore and Mandya districts. Further down lies the Bangarada doddi dam which has been constructed across one of the branches of Cauvery called Paschimavahini. After crossing the left bank of the dam, the River Cauvery reaches Shrirangapattana where it branches into three parts. From the Shrirangapattana island, at a small distance in the down stream direction lies Ramaswamy katte. Ramaswamy canal on the left bank of this dam runs for about 50 km. and Rajaparameshwari canal on the right bank runs about 30 km. and they provide irrigational facilities to Mysore and Mandya districts. In order to provide water to the Shivasamudram Power Generation Unit, a small dam has been constructed just above the waterfalls. The Hemavathi The Hemavathi is an important tributary of the river Cauvery and is also known as the Yennehole. It originates at a place called Javali near Melabangadi in Mudigere taluk of Chikkamagalur district and flows in a southerly direction. For some distance it flows along the western border of the district and takes a south course which also marks the boundary of Hassan and Mandya districts. It enters into Mandya district near Guddehosahalli in Krishnarajpet taluk and takes a north south direction and north west of Krishnarajasagar dam it joins the river Cauvery. A dam has been constructed to this river at Mandagere and Hemagiri (Bandihole in Krishnarajpet taluk). The Lokapavani The Lokapavani is another tributary of the river Cauvery. This river takes its birth at Honakere in Nagamangala taluk and takes a southerly course flowing through Nagamangala, Pandavapura and Shrirangapattana taluk and joins Cauvery at Sangama near Shrirangapattana. It is a perennial river and is about 150 feet wide. Before Lokapavani joins Cauvery a stream from Motitalab joins this river. Two dams have been constructed across this river, one near Uyyanahalli of Nagamangala taluk and the other at Bolenahalli of Melkote hobli. The Shimsha The river Cauvery has another tributary called the Shimsha which is also known as the Kadamba and the Kadabakolla. It originates on the southern

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Mandya District Gazetteer

part of Devarayanadurga in Tumkur District. Following a south westerly course it enters the Turuvekere taluk. From there it takes south easterly course and flows through the western part of Kunigal taluk. It then takes southerly course and enters Mandya district near Kirangur, on the north western part of Maddur taluk. Since it flows in the vicinity of Maddur, the river is also called Maddurhole. It crosses Maddur taluk and takes south easterly course and enters Malavalli and descends as Shimsha falls near Dhanagur and joins the Cauvery river. The river flows in full splendour only during the rainy season (length of the flow: 130 km). A power generating station called the Shimsha Power Station was established in 1940. A dam has been constructed across this river at Tagahalli (Maddur taluk).

The Veeravaishnavi
This is a tributary to the Shimsha river and enters Mandya district at Bellur hobli in Nagamangala taluk where it takes easterly course and joins Shimsha river at Dummasandra in Nagamangala taluk. A dam has been constructed across this river. Mandya district is situated in Cauvery catchment area. Cauvery of Cauvery catchment area, Lokapavani and Handihalla sub valleys and Veeravaishnavi sub valley of Shimsha catchment areas forms part of Mandya district drainage basin. Cauvery catchment area has been divided into: 1) Upper Cauvery basin, 2) Middle Cauvery bain 3) Kabini sub basin 4) Shimsha basin, 5) Arkavathi sub basin. The catchment areas of Mandya district are given here:
Taluk Maddur Malavalli Mandya Krishnarajpet Nagamangala Pandavapura Shrirangapattana Totalarea km Sq.k.m. 618 810 716 604 1,045 539 354 Shimsha sub-basin 618 567 659 920 Upper Cauvery sub-basin 604 42 54 21 MiddleCauvery sub-basin 243 57 83 485 333

As per the irrigational Census of 1986-87, there were 7,759 dug wells in the district, out of which 6,131 dug wells were provided with electrical pumps.

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A total of 9,720 hectares could be brought under irrigation. There are 112 shallow wells and 11 deep irrigational bore wells from which about 300 hectares can be irrigated.

FLORA AND FAUNA

Mandya district is almost a plain land and though bereft of dense natural jungles like those in the Western Ghats, there are at many places reserved and protected forest areas. It is the main aim of forest science to conserve and protect both fauna and flora of forest areas to use them for the benefit of mankind. During the regime of Tippu Sultan, teak wood was declared a royal tree in Mysore state. Later, sandalwood also became the state property. There was no proper forest administration in the state till 1864. When Mysore Province was under British rule from 1831 to 1881, the forest areas were divided into reserve forest and protected forest areas. Forest maps were prepared as per the forest regulation enacted in 1865. When stringent forest laws came into being in 1894, since suitable protective measures were taken and the uncontrolled rights of the local people on forest areas was docked, the growth of forests prospered. Later, due to large scale cutting down of trees, forest areas were reduced in the plains and in such places teak and plantation trees were planted. The increased population growth together with a large demand for livestock grazing areas, forest areas came under great stress. As a result of this existing forest laws were amended and in 1952 a new forest law was enforced. Based on the climatic condition, botanists - Champion and Seth have classified the forests of India into 16 divisions. As per that classification, the forests of Mandya are grouped under tropical, deciduous forests. The fauna of the district belongs to the genus, Hardwickia binata, Pterocarpus marsupium, Albizzia, Terminalia paniculata, Termin Alia chebula, Santalum album (Sandalwood), Azadiracta indica etc. The district has 8.15per cent i.e. 404.6 sq km forest area out of the total geographical area. Reserve forest area accounts 20.69 sq km, while the protected and other unclassified forest areas are part of common forest areas. The details of reserve forest areas of the district is given in table 1.8

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Mandya District Gazetteer Table 1.8 Details of the Districts Reserve forest

Reserve Forest Narayanadurga

Hasuvina Kaval Konanakallu H.N. Kaval Basavanakallu Moodibetta Bittehalli Karighatta Basavanabetta Danagur Bevukallu Hulikere(upper area) forest Hulikere (Lower area) forest Total

Region/Taluk Nagamangala, Krishrajpet, Pandavapura Nagamangala Nagamangala Nagamangala Nagamangala Nagamangala Srirangapattana Srirangapattana Malavalli Malavalli Mandya Mandya Mandya

s) Area (in hectare) 4,402

339 953 312 1,176 470 720 163 10,035 2,623 1,285 318 1267 24,063

Trees that are found in the district are : Shorea talura, Terminalia chebula, Anogeisses latifolia, Erythroxylom monogynum Albizzia amara, Lagerstromia parviflora, Vitex altrissina, Bombax malabaricum, Terminalia tomentosa, Feronia elephantum, Dodonia viscosa, Tamarindus indica, Pongamia pinnata, Dendrocalamus strictu, Phyllanthus emblica, Artocarpus heterophyllus and Mangifera indica. Since there are no dense forests in this district, wild animals are scarce and the plain land is not suitable for wild life. Earlier it was reported that around Purigali (Malavalli taluk) area tigers were common and around Hulikere and Karighatta areas panthers were known to exist. Elephants, wolfs, wild dogs, porcupine, rabbit, deer etc. are occasionally found in the reserve forest areas even today.

Ranganathittu Bird Sanctuary

Ranganathittu Bird Sanctuary is about three km. from Shrirangapattana in Shrirangapattana taluk, Mandya district. There are six small islands in the backwaters of reservoir built across Cauvery river. Different birds from different parts of the country both inland and from abroad migrate to this place

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following a particular season. This was declared as Sanctuary in 1941. The soft clay occurring on both the sides of the sanctuary has housed a variety of insects. It is to these insects that the migratory birds are attracted. In addition, the rocky knobs plants and a variety of trees have sheltered these birds. In summer, this area experiences a maximum temperature of 36C and in winter the minimum temperature is 14C. Some important birds of this sanctuary are as follows Little Cormorant - Phalacrocorax niger, Large Cromorant -Phalacrocorax corbo, Night heron - nicticorax Nicticorax, Darter or snakebird Anhinga rufa, White ibis - Threskiornis aethiopica, Great stone flover - Esacus magnirostris, Spoon bill -Platalea lucorodia, Open billed stork - Anastomus oscitans, Indian cliff swallow - Hirunds fluvicola, Lesser Whistling teal - Dendrosygna javanica, River tern - Sterna aurantia, Cattle egret - Bubulcus ibis, Little egret - Egretta garzetta, Large egret - Egretta alba, Medium egret - Egretta intermedia, Pond heron or Paddy bird - Ardeola gravii Gendehosahalli in Shrirangapattana taluk is being developed as a new bird sanctuary (for details see chapter 17).

Melkote Wild Life Sanctuary

This Park is within the premises of Sanskrit Research Academy and is spread over an area of 50 sq km. Under the supervision of the Director of the above academy and the park boasts many types of ornamental and fruit bearing plants, 27 varieties of Champaka tree, a wide variety of hibiscus plants are grown. Aromatic plants are imported from different countries. The forest adjoining this park has supported wild life among which wolf, wild bear, wild dog, black buck, spotted deer, mongoose, peacocks, wild fowl, partridge, snakes, monitor, frog, rare catla fish, rahu fish, butterfly, bees, other animals and insects are important.

Adichunchanagiri Peacock Sanctuary

At Adichunchanagiri in Nagamangala taluk, the peacocks dwelling in shrubby forest have been conserved and importance has been given to their breeding. Sloth bear, black buck, wild bear, jackal, bonnet monkey, mongoose, partridge, hoopoe, drongo, Rhesus, wood pecker, parakeet, cobra, wild lizard and other animals take shelter in this park. Indavalu Nature Park and Garden Indavalu Nature park is located about six kilometers from Mandya town.

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Mandya District Gazetteer

Measures have been taken to conserve deer, rabbit, guinea pigs, duck and other animals and birds. This is also being developed as a tourist place.

Kokkare Belluru
Kokkare Belluru is a village located about 12 km from Maddur. Since hordes of pelican migrate to this part, the village has been aptly named Kokkare Belluru. Painted storks and pelican migrate to this place every year in the month of March to breed. It is interesting to note that care is taken by the birds to protect their young ones. As the chick grows and their feathers become sturdy and get enough strength in their pinions to fly, the birds go back to their original habitat. The villagers too have protected these birds which take shelter in the nearby trees without being disturbed. The owners of the trees where the birds seek refuge are paid from Rs. 50 to 250 per tree by the Forest Department and it has proved to be a good measure to encourage the conservation of these birds.

CLIMATE
Compared to the neighbouring Mysore and Bangalore districts, Mandya district enjoys a salubrious climate. Four seasons have been identified in the district. From December to February there will be chill with clear sky and dry air. Summer season which starts from March to May and rainy season from June to September and winter from October to November being post rainy days.

Rainfall
Records of rainfall in the district are available for seven stations for periods ranging from 23 to 82 years. The details of the rainfall at these stations and for the district as a whole for the years 1901 to 1950 are given in Table 1.9 The average rainfall in the district is 691.2 mm. The rainfall is generally uniform in the district except in the region of the western border where the rainfall is a little higher. The rainfall varies from 742 mm at Krishnarajpet to 670.6 mm at Shrirangapattana. The rainfall is mostly confined to the period from April to November. The district receives rainfall both in the south-west monsoon and the retreating monsoon seasons. The heaviest rainfall is in the post-monsoon month of October. Rainfall, mostly in thunder showers, is also received in the latter half of the hot season. The rainfall in the hot, south-west monsoon and the retreating monsoon seasons constitutes 25 per cent, 40 per cent and 33 percent respectively of the annual rainfall.

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There are variations in the annual rainfall from year to year. During the fifty year period from 1901 to 1950, the highest rainfall amounting to 166 percent of the normal occurred in 1903. The lowest annual rainfall was in 1927 when it was only 63 per cent of the normal. During this fifty year period, the rainfall was less than 80 percent of the normal in six years, none of them being consecutive. However at individual stations, two and three consecutive years of such low rainfall have during this fifty year period. Nagamangala had two consecutive years of such low rainfall in four oceasions. On an average, there are 45 rainy days (i.e. day with rainfall of 2.5 mm or more) in a year. This number varies from 41 at Nagamangala to 49 at Krishnarajpet. The heaviest rainfall in 24 hours recorded at any station in the district was 200.7 mm at Nagamangala on 12th November 1925. The talukwise rainfall statistics for the district from 1901 to 1999 has been detailed in table 1.10 Rainguagewise rainfall statistics is given in table 1.11. Temperature There is no meteorological observatory in the district. But as conditions in the district are very similar to those in the neighbouring district of Mysore, which has a meterological observatory, the account of temperature, which follows is based on the climatological records available for Mysore. The period from March to May is one of continuous rise in temperature. April is usually the hottest month with the mean daily maximum temperature at about 35c and the mean daily minimum temperature in the hot season may go above 37c. The heat is relieved by frequent thunder storms in April and May. With the advance of the monsoon into the district by about the beginning of June, the temperatures drop appreciably and throughout the south west monsoon period. The weather is pleasant. In the post monsoon season, the temperatures decrease progressively, the drop in the night temperatures being more pronounced. December is usually the coldest month with the mean daily minimum at about 16c on some days the minimum temperature may drop down to about 10c. The highest maximum temperature recorded at Mysore was 38.6c on 25th April 1931. The lowest minimum temperature was 10.6c on 13th December 1945. Relative humidity Relative humidities are high during the south west monsoon season and moderate in the post monsoon season. The period from December to May is the driest part of the year, with humidities, especially in the afternoon being less than 50 per cent.

reettezaG tcirtsiD aydnaM

82

sseniduolC noosnom tsew htuos eht gnirud tsacrevo ro deduolc ylivaeh era seikS fo tser eht gniruD .doirep noosnom tsop eht ni tnetxe ressel a ot dna doirep remmus eht gniruD .deduolc ylthgil ro raelc ylniam era seiks ,raey eht .sseniduolc ni esaercni emos si ereht ,snoonretfa sdniW eht gnirud gninehtgnerts elttil a htiw ,etaredom yllareneg era sdniW doirep eht ni ylretsew ro ylretsew htuos era sdniW .doirep noosnom tsewhtuos dna rebotcO ni raeppa seilretsae dna seilretsae htroN .rebmetpeS ot yaM morf era sdniw eht ,lirpA dna hcraM nI .shtnom ruof txen eht ni etanimoderp eseht ot ylretsae htron dna sgninrom eht ni ylretsew ro ylretsew htuos ylniam .snoonretfa eht ni ylretsae anemonehp citamilc laicepS cinolcyc dna snoisserped eht fo emos ,rebmevoN dna rebotcO gniruD evom dna tsaoc tsae eht ssorc lagneB fo yaB eht ni gnitanigiro smrots smrots dna snoisserped hcuS .yllanoisacco alusninep eht ssorca sdrawtsew niar yvaeh daerpsediw gnisuac tcirtsid eht fo doohruobhgien eht hguorht ssap tsop eht dna nosaes toh eht ni nommoc era smrots rednuhT .sdniw ytsug dna htiw detaicossa netfo si doirep noosnom eht gnirud llafniaR .nosaes noosnom .rednuht
.0791 ot 1091 morf mm ni llafniar egarevA esiwkulaT 9.1 : elbaT
.tp eS 0. 01 1 8 .6 2. 09 1. 6 7.0 11 2. 6 3. 00 1 2. 6 2. 22 1 4. 6 guA 7. 57 7.4 3.4 6 7.4 5.9 7 1.5 8.4 6 2.5 2.1 6 1. 4 y luJ 6.6 3 5 .3 3.8 3 8.3 8.3 9.3 3.4 6 0.6 en uJ 2.7 4 4.3 4 .34 0 .4 9 .34 8 .3 0 .16 5 .4 y aM 2. 12 1 1. 7 1. 33 1 5. 7 1. 02 1 4. 7 5. 04 1 0 .8 3. 21 1 1.7 . rpA 4. 04 0. 3 0. 94 7. 3 6. 7 4. 3 0. 74 7. 3 7. 34 2. 3 raM 7.0 1 7.0 7.0 1 8.0 6.7 7.0 1.8 7.0 4.7 5.0 .beF 4.7 4.0 6.5 3.0 9.7 4.0 8.5 5.0 1.5 4.0 .naJ 8. 4 4 .0 1 .4 3 .0 3 .2 3.0 6 .3 3 .0 3. 4 3. 0 A 05 B A 05 B A 05 B A 05 B A 05 B k ul aT aydn aM agn ar ir S agnarita P an rhS anattaP il lav al aM - anhsi rK tep ajaR -ag aN a lagn aM

5. 13 1 .93 7.2 1. 3

92
9. 70 1 8. 5 0. 28 2.6 3.3 01 2.6 5.8 9 1 .6 0.7 7 5.5 4. 47 1. 5 2.4 4 7.4 2.8 2 0.3 8 .04 9.3 8 .53 4 .3 2. 13 8. 2 1. 34 6. 3 9. 19 6. 6 2. 01 1 5. 6 5. 81 1 2. 7

lareneG
5. 94 7. 3 4. 65 7. 4 9. 74 6. 3 5.2 3.0 8.4 7.0 4.7 6.0 8.4 4.0 6.6 4.0 2.6 4.0 88. 1 3. 0 3.3 3.0 5. 3 3. 0 A 05 B A 31 B A B ru dd aM - adn aP a rup aV fo latoT tc irtsiD

.xaM latoT fo tnecreP llafniar .nim .xam 42 gnirud llafniar llafniar & sruoh **raeY& **raeY & raeY
[Link] 65 91 8.7 71)3 29 1(06 )90 91( 97 1 22 y aM 75 91 6.7 61)2 19 1(56 )30 91( 10 2 32 y aM 75 91 5.0 61) 729 1(4 5 )3 091( 67 1 8 .tcO 04 91 5.5 51 ) 419 1(3 5 )3 391( 46 1 1 [Link] 529 1 7 .00 2 )3 19 1(45 )3 091( 07 1 12 .peS 8 59 1 3. 71 1 )0 49 1(16 )6 491( 25 1 82 .peS 1 59 1 5. 21 1 )8 39 1(66 )9 491( 93 1 ) 72 91( 36 ) 30 91(6 61

ylraeY

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.voN

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5.8 86 0.3 4 6.0 76 7.4 4 9.1 96 3.4 4 0.2 47 7.8 4 9.5 76 4.1 4 9.0 86 3.5 4 6.8 86 8.4 4 2.1 96 6.4 4

2. 21 1. 1 9. 11 0. 1 0. 41 0. 1 4. 11 7. 0 9. 11 9. 0 2. 41 1. 1 1. 91 1.1 5. 31 0. 1

6.7 6 0.4 6.7 6 0.4 1.7 6 1.4 4.4 7 3.4 0.9 7 7.4 3.2 5 8.3 3.4 6 3.4 5.7 6 2.4

7. 45 1 9. 7 4. 25 1 5. 8 8. 64 1 0. 8 8. 06 1 8. 8 2. 85 1 0 .8 5. 77 1 1. 9 5. 50 2 3. 9 1. 56 1 5. 8

A 05 B

aydn aM

A 05 anr apagn ar irS B A 05 B A 05 B A 05 B A 81 B A 31 B A B il lav al aM - anhsi rK te pjaR -ag aN a lagn aM ru dd aM av adn aP ar uP fo latoT tc irtsiD

)yliad llafniar .mm 2.2 naht erom( llafniar egareva yliaD -B .mm llafniar lareneG -A tekcarb ni nwohs sraeY**

30

Mandya District Gazetteer Table 1.10 Taluk-wise rainfall from 1901 to 1999 of the District ( in m.m.)

Year 1 1901 1902 1903 1904 1905 1906 1907 1908 1909 1910 1911 1912 1913 1914 1915 1916 1917 1918 1919 1920 1921 1922 1923 1924 1925 1926 1927 1928 1929 1930 1931

[Link] 2 873.6 746.8 953.7 795.4 632.9 789.5 649 534.1 862.6 1013.9 752.1 845 741.7 395.1 662.6 1104 976.5 664.3 812.8 466.6 467.6 674.7 569.5 893.5 771.4 644 501.5 857.6 732.3 857.6 821.6

Maddur 3 706.5 662.6 1314.8 517.8 602.2 N.A 548.1 110.9 944.5 699.2 592.1 N.A N.A 572.7 669.9 926.5 N.A N.A 709.7 623.5 633 776.6 529.8 N.A N.A N.A 393.1 N.A. 578.8 762.3 856.8

Malavalli 4 887 566.2 1296.4 592.1 516.8 780.9 635.8 719.5 1060.2 779.2 677 502.1 590.7 848.8 685.2 1059.1 899.1 584.3 783.9 607 672.8 590.3 440.8 462.8 546.3 496.6 373.4 614.7 778.1 877.6 567.3

Mandya 5 761.6 600.2 1296.4 602.8 504.4 716.2 609.8 509.8 1388 770.5 659.8 501.6 720.6 616.5 782 1169 749.2 548.6 738.4 672.4 616.3 832.3 413.1 614.6 604.4 682.7 446.2 609.6 746.7 790 630.6

Naga mangala 6 829 649.7 1089 399.4 599.7 771.1 458.4 410.7 845.3 848.6 546.9 795.7 362.6 492.3 911.3 968.2 831.2 723.3 763.4 541.8 723.6 703.5 442.4 748.6 787.9 722.7 413.9 681.6 806.2 887.6 652.8

Pandava pura 7 701.3 504.7 1148.4 472.5 521.6 N.A 497.2 N.A 941.3 731.4 N.A N.A N.A 507.5 1120.4 1287.1 N.A N.A 774 516.5 N.A 671.7 511.5 N.A. 636.7 N.A 414.7 N.A 489.4 731.3 660.8

Shriranga District pattana Average 8 779.3 546.9 1223 445 601.5 660.1 621.1 546.8 935 807.4 600 435.9 637.1 545.3 796.1 1074 698 517.6 694.1 583 651.7 576.6 460.2 762.1 496.3 635.6 440.5 762.2 657 779.3 549.7 9 791.19 611.01 1191.56 546.43 562.73 743.56 574.20 471.87 982.41 800.03 629.65 616.06 610.54 568.31 803.93 081.13 840.80 607.62 752.33 572.61 537.86 689.39 481.04 696.32 640.50 636.32 424.76 661.42 676.93 813.67 677.09

General 1 1932 1933 1934 1935 1936 1937 1938 1939 1940 1941 1942 1943 1944 1945 1946 1947 1948 1949 1950 1951 1952 1953 1954 1955 1956 1957 1958 1959 1960 1961 1962 1963 1964 1965 1966 2 968.2 1216.4 618.1 679.2 411.2 591 578.2 584.3 1010. 594.3 763.7 690.4 955.5 612.2 777.8 680.3 707.6 643.2 771.7 830.3 539.3 997 826.1 675.4 618.6 696.7 811.2 622.7 586.9 755.8 827.6 728.7 1069.7 344.9 755.2 3 1045 522.2 690.2 713.6 581.4 596.6 796.1 826.2 645.7 801.2 803.7 769.5 483.8 1027.5 849 581 661.8 536.3 841.8 755.8 1007.9 964.4 693.5 769.1 660.6 831.5 789.9 760.2 662.8 550.4 650.4 884.6 430.6 882.6 562.8 4 777.7 816.4 510.8 586.7 487.4 687.5 521.8 625.5 886.6 644.8 670.4 685.9 696.1 784.2 1050.1 648.5 692.9 774.2 622.3 957.9 584.5 946.9 829.7 635.4 849.6 788.1 989.5 572.9 583 704.1 830.6 385.7 637.8 434.3 862.9 5 854.2 950.4 548 606 411.8 683.6 526 689.7 718.3 609.8 697.5 727 957.3 618.8 796.4 775 695.7 560 612.2 643.5 906.5 946.3 1189 991.6 1118 1244 1338 864.5 687.7 1189 1153 950.5 1541 353.8 759.1 6 868.2 791.2 461 474.1 622.2 535.9 575.9 669.5 855.9 590.5 557.7 722.4 611.1 454.1 873.8 620.2 713.4 530.8 427.5 788.7 758.9 1217.3 972.5 853.1 742.1 672.1 754 703.9 857.4 467.9 515.4 532.9 548.7 284.3 751.7 7 869.8 860.9 499.4 492.3 465.1 674.6 502.1 862.6 849.3 669.8 633.3 640.6 683 397.8 765.2 551.1 684.2 726.7 415.6 855 516.9 745.6 880.3 467.7 603 664 909.9 646.4 690.6 492.9 716.8 537.3 860.5 286.4 754.1 8 823.6 921.9 535.3 484.9 556.4 968.5 548.6 737.6 861.4 672.7 534.5 784.6 754.7 620.1 611.7 705.7 522.3 569.8 526 995.3 793.5 606.1 612.2 581.6 690.2 718 646 608.1 609.9 420.6 570.5 525 765.6 260.3 641.3 9

31

885.90 868.49 551.83 576.69 505.07 676.81 578.39 713.63 832.56 654.73 665.83 717.20 734.50 644.67 817.71 651.69 668.27 620.14 603.16 830.93 729.64 917.66 857.67 710.56 754.60 802.06 891.24 656.67 668.33 654.40 752.07 649.24 836.31 406.66 726.73

32 1 1967 1968 1969 1970 1971 1972 1973 1974 1975 1976 1977 1978 1979 1980 1981 1982 1983 1984 1985 1986 1987 1988 1989 1990 1991 1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2 410 726.4 591.2 668.6 559 939.9 527.9 418.7 856.6 467.9 1187.1 757.5 742 749.5 949.7 600.6 726.2 961.8 466.8 971.3 870.1 844.1 684.5 438.1 1027.7 708.7 602.2 754.9 785.4 914.9 508.1 864 1021.61 3 697.8 462.3 614.1 956.2 1070.3 697.5 596.3 944.2 387.2 772.3 996.8 893.5 646.9 846.9 409.7 737 630.5 581.3 941.6 770.2 762 786.9 388.9 1073.8 795 811.9 666.7 749.8 942.5 796.8 888.5 817.8 1067.4

Mandya District Gazetteer 4 553.9 664.1 710.1 692 1026 941 702.5 526.8 1119.4 399.7 912.9 899 827.7 554.3 776 473.5 839.4 418 558.7 1199.8 1216.2 716 733 363.4 793.6 578.8 670.3 552.5 518.9 752.7 576.2 625.8 541.6 5 380.4 688 681.8 769 825.9 801.6 565.9 687.7 748.8 380.8 929.5 817.3 820.5 677.2 777.5 555 711.7 450.7 382.1 624.8 826.5 755.5 645.6 302.3 874 629.9 639.2 671.3 652.5 937.9 902.9 688.8 838.1 6 443.6 711.3 617.6 627.8 529 766 764.3 863.7 917.3 495.5 1324.5 844.5 984.5 564.8 722.8 478 938.4 987.6 659.6 801.9 1006 973.1 911.7 521.2 924.4 627.4 N.A 631 699.2 1038.7 820.5 950 1017 7 481.6 738 502.7 662.9 773.5 827.6 896.6 537.7 762.3 371.4 1069.8 820.6 601.1 408.1 884.1 358.6 730.7 501.2 353.7 702.2 862.4 790.9 471.1 346 972.4 604.3 1170.7 792 584.6 788 690.6 692 1020 8 461.5 629.1 513.7 550.1 760.8 717.8 363.9 624.6 625.4 382.3 766.8 602.6 999.2 658.6 812.9 329 666.5 707.3 422.5 757.3 640.7 675.5 661.1 349 841.8 498 751 764 826.8 859.2 582.9 496.3 818.6 9 489.83 659.89 604.46 703.80 792.07 813.06 631.06 657.63 773.86 467.13 1026.77 805.00 803.13 637.06 761.83 504.53 749.06 658.27 540.71 832.50 883.41 791.71 642.26 484.81 889.81 636.57 750.02 702.21 715.70 869.74 709.96 733.53 903.47

Source : Drought Monitoring Cell, Bangalore.

General Table 1.11 Details of Rain gauge centre-wise annual rainfall in mm. - 2001 Sl. No. 1 a. b. c. d. e. Rain gauge Centre 2 Winter Jan-Feb. 3 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 Summer Mar-May 4 South-west June-Sept. 5 North-east monsoon Oct-Dec. 6 185 192 253 176 169 487 423 253 215 269 164 285 192 368 396 244 176 129 187 140 195 Annual monsoon Jan.-Dec. 7 707 741 716 766 744 907 989 824 619 722 567 731 623 798 733 413 487 550 354 516 802

33

Akkihebbal Krishnarajpet Kikkeri Santhebachahalli Sheelunere

1. Krishnarajpet Taluk 175 347 110 439 131 332 124 466 161 414 2. Maddur Taluk 81 339 217 349 159 412 60 344 3. Malavalli Taluk 0 453 131 242 130 316

a. Koppa b. Kodlu c. Maddur d Kesturu a. Halaguru b. Malavalli c. [Link] [Link]. Centre a. b. c. d. a. b. c. d. e. Basaralu Lingaraja Chatra Madya Kottatti Bellur Bindiganavile Devalapura Honakere Nagamangala

4. Mandya Taluk 152 279 221 209 164 172 5 164 5. Nagamangala Taluk 0 311 53 368 22 145 128 248 182 425

34 1 2 3 0 0 0

Mandya District Gazetteer 4 5 6 179 197 264 191 220 295 330 7 531 929 312 655 713 732 827

a. Chinakuruli b Melukote c. Pandavapura

6. Pandavapura Taluk 0 352 204 528 139 209 7. Shrirangapattana Taluk 187 277 195 298 243 193 288 198

a. Krishnarajasagar Dam 0 b. K.R.E.S 0 c. Shrirangapattana 0 d. Arakere 0

Table 1.12 Taluk-wise actual rainfall (m.m.) 2001 Krishnaraj Maddur Malavalli Mandya Naga- Pandava Sriranga District Pet mangala pura patna (Average) 1 January February March April May June July August Sept. Oct. Nov. Dec. Annual Winter (Jan-Feb) Summer (Mar-May) Southwest monsoon (June-Sept.) 2 0 0 0 104 36 17 49 97 237 94 100 2 336 0 140 400 3 0 0 7 99 24 1 41 96 224 290 53 2 837 0 129 361 4 0 0 0 66 21 5 72 46 215 178 67 5 675 0 87 337 5 0 0 1 99 36 1 45 56 105 218 77 5 643 0 136 206 6 0 0 0 66 11 21 28 61 189 96 67 2 541 0 77 299 7 0 0 0 78 37 10 64 79 210 116 95 2 691 0 114 363 8 0 3 0 126 103 15 24 47 155 148 104 8 733 3 228 242 9 0 0 1 92 38 11 44 70 191 159 81 4 698 0 131 315

General 1 North-east monsoon (Oct.- Dec) Annual 2 195 3 345 4 249 5 300 6 165 7 213 8 259 9 243

35

735

835

673

642

541

690

732

698

ECOLOGY AND ENVIRONMENT As per the directives of forest policy, every district should have a minimum of 33 per cent of forest in its total geographical area. In Mandya district, including the reserve forest, it accounts for only 8 per cent . In order to a maintain natural balance and for the barest minimal environmental considerations, it is necessary to grow more greenery. Faunal resources, likewise, are also very vital. Animal husbandry has become an important industry in the district. Gobar gas derived from cowdung is used for cooking as well and lighting. Livestock constitutes the backbone of the farmers economy. Therefore its conservation is the prime duty of every farmer. In earlier times, vast meadows were reserved for fodder, but of late, due to a variety of reasons there is substantial decrease in such meadows. Farmers have also encroached forest land. In addition, widespread occurrence of parthenium has stifled the growth of fodder resulting in an acute problem of livestock fodder shortage in the villages. Drinking water too is problem during summer season. There are 173 major and minor industries in the district. In addition, many small industries have sprung up and have engulfed cultivable land. Mandya town boasts of a sugar factory and an acetate factory. Noxious and toxic effluents from these industries are polluting both air and water. Airborne particles get deposited both inside and outside buildings in the surrounding areas. Their inhalation causes acute bronchitis and asthma. Methane vapours released from acetate factories have a strong odour and is deleterious to health. Dark coloured liquid effluents from the sugar and acetate factory which is poisonous enters into Hebballa which ultimately joins Sulekere. Since this source is extensively used for drinking, bathing and even for irrigation, it appears that the people around this place have developed acute intestinal problems and other skin problems. Particularly at peril are the people who consume fish from this tank. The pollutants ultimately enter the fodder that livestock consume and find way into their milk. The fertilizer and paper factory of Belagola also releases liquid effluents into the river. People using these water sources have serious health problems. Of late, the paper factory treats its effluents which have reduced the

36

Mandya District Gazetteer

pollution to a certain extent. The sugar factories of Kalamuddanadoddi (Bharatinagar) and Pandavapur have also contributed to such pollution. There has been a substantial increase in the number of vehicle in the Mandya district and they are a major cause of atmospheric pollution. Increased urbanization, the resulting development of slums and ghettoes, absence of a proper drainage system and water treatment plants and lack of prudence in environmental matters is leading to an environmental disaster. Tourist places like Melkote, Keretonnur, Muttatti, Shivasamudra, Paschimavahini, Nimishamba temple, Daria Daulat, Balamuri, Ranganathittu and other places are facing threat from callous tourists who indiscriminately throw plastic bags and other non-biodegradable used materials which is contributing to the problem. These places that are visually stunning have attracted film makers. It is necessary that such teams should have knowledge of the historical and religious importance of these places and their conservation should be initiated. It is equally important that though there is ban for sand mining along the river courses of Shimsha and Cauvery, there is large scale unauthorized sand mining activity without the notice of the government. It is time that strict actions is taken to curb this menace in the interest of conserving these places of both historical and human importance.

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