Gokak

Gokak is a town and taluk headquarters in the Belgaum District of Karnataka. It is located around 70 km from Belgaum at the confluence of two rivers, Ghataprabha and Markandeya. The population of the city is approximately 67,000 and the common language in use is Kannada. The town contains old Hindu temples with inscriptions.

Gokak town is growing rapidly in terms of industries, business, as well as the fields of education, arts, literature and folk-art. It is associated with famous Kannada writers such as Shri Krishna Murty Puranik, Anand Kanda, Basavaraj Kattimani and Kundanagar. Many popular folk-artists such as Padmashri Dr.Chandrashekar Kambar, Ningayya Swami Pujari, Ishwarappa Minachi, Yallappa Pujeri, Dr. Hatapaki and Ishwarachandra Betageri are also associated with the town. Gokak has a world famous waterfall known as Gokak Falls.

Gokak is also renowned for its sweets, which are known all over India, such as karadantu (a Kannada term, which literally means fried edible gum), a sweet richly stuffed with nuts and edible gum, and ladagi laadu.

The town also specialises in the manufacture of wooden toy fruits, flowers, etc. which are then painted, polished and encased in transparent boxes.

Gokak is a place of philosophical and historical significance. There was once was a dispute and a battle between Rani Abbakka and Gokak Kotawals. A fort can still be seen at the western side of the city.

The Mallikarjun temple, also known affectionately as the "Maliksaab Temple", stands atop a hill, also called the Malik-saab hill. The tomb of the Raja of Kittur Mallasarja is at the nearby Duradundeshwar temple in Arabhavi Math.

During the British rule in India, the Forbes Spinning Mill (now owned by Gokak Textiles Limited of the Shapoorji Pallonji Group) was started here, and is functional to this day, providing jobs for thousands of people. A small scale hydroelectric power generation plant was also set up in Gokak Falls, one of the oldest such projects in the whole of Asia. This plant is also in good working condition to this day, and is used by the Spinning Mill and the nearby area.

Gokak Falls

Gokak Falls is a waterfall located on the Ghataprabha river in Belgaum district of Karnataka. The waterfall is six kilometers away from Gokak, a nearby town.After a long winding course, Ghataprabha river takes a leap of 52 metres over the sand-stone cliff amidst a picturesque gorge of the rugged valley. Except the width and colour of the water, the general features of the fall, its height, shape, and rapidity resemble Niagara Falls on a smaller scale. The waterfall is horse shoe shaped at the crest, with a flood breadth of 177 metres. During rainy season, the thick reddish brown water sweeps far over the brink of the cliff with a dull roar that can be heard from some distance.



There is a hanging bridge across the river, measuring about 201 metres. Its height above the rock bed is 14 metres.



One of the interesting features of this place are the monuments from the Chalukya era that are present on either banks of the rocky gorge. There is an old electricity generation station which used to generate electricity during 1880s. A ropeway connects the power station to the cliff top.

July to September is the best season to visit the place. The Gokak Falls can be developed into a fine tourist attraction. Distance from Gokak Water Falls to Hidkal Dam is 19.5 km andtravelling takes around 31 min via SH 134. Distance from Gokak, Karnataka to Kanyakumari, Tamil Nadu is 1,216.3 km andtravelling takes around 18 h 26 min via NH48 and NH 44.

Ghataprabha Dam Powerhouse, Gokak

Ghataprabha is a village in Gokak taluk of Belgaum district, Karnataka.

Ghataprabha, a major tributary of the River Krishna, emerges at a height of 1020m, in the Western Ghats, near Ambi. The river then flows eastwards for a distance of 283 kms, before it joins the River Krishna at Kudalasangama, in Bijapur District. The Krishna, then drops 53m at the famous Gokak falls. The Powerhouse located at the head works of the Ghataprabha multi purpose Dam on the right bank of the river has an installed capacity of 32 MW and an annual yield of 131MU. The generation is from releases for irrigation purposes.

Ghata Prabha Project comprises of Three stages:

• Stage I: The first stage consists of a 71 km long left bank canal from the Dupdal weir constructed across Ghataprabha river in 1897 near Dupdhal in Gokak canal for providing irrigation to an extent of 0.425 lakh ha.
• Stage II: The second stage comprises of extension of left bank canal from the Dupdal weir from Km 72 to its full length of 109 Km and a reservoir across Ghataprabha river near Hidkal, upto a partial height of RL 650.14 mtr. ( RL 2133.00 feet) creating a storage of 659 Mcum for providing irrigation to a total extent of 1.396 lakh Ha inclusive of the area under stage I.
• Stage III: The third stage comprises of raising the FRL of Hidkal dam to its final level of RL 662.94 Mtr (RL 2175.00 feet) creating gross storage of 1448 Mcum and providing a 202 Km long Right Bank Canal and 86 Km long Chickkodi Branch Canal to irrigate 191386 Ha bringing the total area under the project to 3.31 lakh ha.

Ghataprabha Bird Sanctuary

Ghataprabha Bird Sanctuary is 29.78 square kilometres, and its boundaries enclose a stretch of about 28 km of the Ghataprabha River, including the reservoir resulting from the dam built near Dhupdhal. The sanctuary is known for migratory birds such as the demoiselle crane and European white stork. It is surrounded by agricultural fields. Between November and March is the best time to visit the sanctuary, when most of the migratory bird species nest there.

Ghatprabha is on the main Indian Railways grid, being part of south western division, and is well connected by rail to major destinations such as Bangalore, Mysore, Mangalore, Pune, Mumbai, Hyderabad, Goa and New Delhi. Ghataprabha's railway station is the oldest in this region.

Dams nearby Gokak

Hidkal dam is located about 25 km from Gokak. It is a water reservoir and a famous tourist spot as well. In 2010, rare and migratory birds more than 600 in number, especially the Demoiselle cranes had migrated here in large numbers. It was a never before treat as the rare migratory cranes had come to the state after a five-year hiatus. Every year a large number of migratory birds usually flock the water reservoir and is a well known bird watching spot.

Dhupdal dam is located about 18 km from Gokak near the town of Konnur. It has a hydroelectric power generating unit and is known for its lush green gardens. It was constructed in 1883 across Ghataprabha River. It is a famous spot for fishing as well.

Kittur Rani Channamma College of Horticulture

Kittur Rani Channamma College of Horticulture
Arabhavi, Gokak Thaluk,
Belagavi Dist, Karnataka - 591 218
Phone Number: 08332-293436, 225496, 284681, 9449872860 / 9448626625

Distance from Gokak, Karnataka to Ichalkaranji, Maharashtra is 87.1 km and takes around 2 h 16 min via Nipani-Mahalingpur Road/Nippani - Mudhol Road.