Sakleshpur

Sakleshpur is situated in hassan district, Karnataka. The hill station is better known as the “poor man’s ooty”. The place is a biodiversity hotspot which lies on the Western Ghats, a mountain range that stretches from Kerala to Gujarat. Sakleshpur is listed as one of the 18 most diverse spots in the world in terms of flora and fauna. The climate here is temperate and the green hills is fully covered with coffee, cardamom, pepper and areca plantations and receives heavy rainfall from the southwest monsoon. The town is on NH 48 and connects with the port city of mangalore.

As per the 2001 census, sakaleshpur had a population of 23,201, in which the Males constitute 51% of the population and females 49%. The average literacy rate is 74%. There is a story behind how the place got its name, In the past a Shivalinga found in this town which was broken and thus the linga was called as Shakaleshwara which became Sakaleshwara in the tongue of the local people. A temple was also built at the entrance of the town which later came to be known as Sakaleshapura. Sakaleshwara swami’s ratha yatra is held on Purnima in February every year. In front of the Shakaleshwara temple, a newly constructed Shiva temple called as Holemalleshvara is situated right next to river Hemavathi.

The Manjarabad fort

The Manjarabad fort,which was constructed by tipu sulthan, is located outside of Sakleshpur on National Highway 48. He had also constructed a tunnel from this fort to another fort in Srirangapattana. The main source of revenue in this region is agriculture. Crops like coffee, pepper, cardamom,ginger and tea are cultivated here, among them Coffee is cultivated in large scale. Coffee growers are typically small farm owners with plantation sizes ranging from 10 acres to 10,000 acres. Big companies like Tata, IBC Group and the TI group have adopted large scale cultivation here. Large trees such as Rose wood and Jack trees provides shade for these coffee bushes. Sakleshpur Taluk accounts for around a third of Indian cardamom production. Locally found flora of Sakleshpur include the reddish-orange pagoda flower. The place is known as a trekking spot, The Green Route “Trek on the Railway Track”, is a stretch of track from Sakleshpur to the Subramanya railroad station. which was suspended in the year 1996 to convert the gauge from meter to broad gauge. Another place to trek in Sakleshpur taluk is Bisle ghat or Bisle reserve forest. The town is often covered in mist as the cool temperate surroundings are met with warm air from the coastal lowlands. The exit highway is equally picturesque with tall hedges lining both sides of the road, enclosing coffee groves within.

The nearest airport is Mangalore International Airport.