Jog Falls

Jog Falls
Jog Falls
	Jog Falls during Monsoon
Location	Shimoga District, Karnataka, India
Coordinates	14°13′44.36″N 74°48′43.99″E / 14.2289889°N 74.8122194°E
Type	Cataract, Segmented
Elevation	2,600 feet (790 m)
Total height	829 feet/253 meters
Number of drops	1
Longest drop	829 feet/253 meters
Average width	1550 feet/472 meters
Watercourse	Sharavathi River
Average; flow rate	5,387 cu ft/s or 153 m³/s

Jog Falls (Kannada-ಜೋಗ ಜಲಪಾತ ), created by the Sharavathi River falling from a height of 253 meters (829 ft) is the highest plunge waterfall in India^[1] Located in Shimoga District of Karnataka state, these segmented falls are a major tourist attraction. It is also called by alternative names of Gerusoppe falls, Gersoppa Falls and Jogada Gundi.^[2]

Description

River Sharavathi splits up into four different tracks which are named in accordance with their perceived trajectories^[3]. Going from left to right respectively in the picture, the names and the reasons for naming are:

Raja (King): Named so because of its apparently 'dignified' and 'serene' fall.
Roarer: This stream appears out of a mass of rocks, making a tremendous amount of noise.
Rocket: Consists of a large volume of water streaming out of a small opening at a very high speed.
Rani (Queen), also called Lady: The stream has a winding, twisting trajectory, said to resemble the movements of a female dancer.

Significance of Jog Waterfalls

Associated with the waterfall is the nearby Linganmakki Dam across river Sharavathi, and the hydro-electric power station that it serves^[4]. The power station has been operational since 1949, and is, at 1200 MW capacity, one of the largest hydro-electric stations in India and a significant source of electric power for Karnataka. The power station was previously named Krishna Rajendra hydro-electric project, after the King of Mysore at that time. The name was later changed to Mahatma Gandhi hydro-electric Project. It was served by Hirebhaskara dam until 1960. After 1960, thanks to visions of Sir M. Visvesvarayya, Linganmakki Dam, built across river Sharavathi is being used for power generation.

Change in flow

Before the onset of monsoon, when there is not much water in the Linganmakki dam, the "mighty" Jog Falls are nearly unrecognizable. Instead of the roar and the spray and the massive flow of water, there are only a pair of thin streams of water trickling down the cliff. If you happen to ask any of the local people what happened to the falls, they would tell you that the authorities open the dam only during weekends, when there are a lot of tourists to view it.
During the monsoon of 2007, due to heavy rains the authorities at the falls had to open the dam. Due to this the water falls was seen at its best. Unfortunately this also resulted in the flooding of many villages down the river, destroying crops and the fishing industry for weeks. Many of the pictures in the gallery and the picture displayed alongside show the falls during that time.

How to reach

August-December is the season of best flow and best time to visit. Jog is situated at 30 kilometers (19 mi) away from Sagara, and 379 kilometers (235 mi) away from Bangalore.

60 km (approx.) east of Honnavar, NH206 - bus from Karwar, Honnavar or Shimoga

Nearest Bus Stations - Jog, Sagara. One can reach Jog from direct buses to Jog from Bangalore. Alternative way is to take direct bus to Sagara from Bangalore and local bus from Sagara to Jog. Distance - 379 kilometers (235 mi) from Bangalore, 102 kilometers (63 mi) from Shivamogga and 30 kilometers (19 mi) from Sagara.

Nearest Train Station - Shimoga. One can take train to Shimoga from Bangalore and can travel to Jog in buses from Shimoga.

Airport - Bangalore airport is the nearest operational airport. Another convenient airport is Mangalore.

Other places of interest

Honnemaradu, an island formed with the backwater of Linganmakki Dam, is famous for watersports.
Ikkeri, Agoreshwara temple built by Keladi kings.
Kalasi, a temple built by Keladi kings.
Keladi, a temple built by Keladi kings. Keladi was the capital city of Keladi empire.
Banavasi, a temple town, the capital city of Kadamba kingdom.
Gokarna, an ancient temple town, where one of the Atmalingas is present.

Arguments about its height

There are many waterfalls in Asia - and also in India - which drop from a higher altitude. But, unlike those falls, Jog Falls is untiered, i.e., it drops directly and does not stream on to rocks. Thus, it can be described as the highest untiered waterfalls in India.