Siddapura, Uttara Kannada
Siddapur is a city and the headquarters of Siddapur taluk, located in the Uttara Kannada district of the state of Karnataka in southern India. It is nestled among the Western Ghats. The town is surrounded by forests and lush greenery, and the region is popular for its many waterfalls. Sirsi is the nearest large city. Adike (Areca nut) is the primary crop grown in the villages that surround the town.
Siddapur | |
|---|---|
 Unchalli Falls Siddapur | |
  Siddapur Location in Karnataka, India  Siddapur Siddapur (India) | |
| Coordinates: 14.347°N 74.894°E | |
| Country | India |
| State | Karnataka |
| District | Uttara Kannada |
| Region | Malenadu |
| Elevation | 564 m (1,850 ft) |
| Population (2011) | |
| • Total | 97,322 |
| Languages | |
| • Official | Kannada |
| Time zone | UTC+5:30 (IST) |
| PIN | 581 355 |
| Telephone code | +91-8389 |
| ISO 3166 code | IN-KA |
| Vehicle registration | KA 31 |
| Website | karnataka |
Demographics
As of 2001,[1] Siddapur had a population of 14,049. Males were 51% of the population and females 49%. The average literacy rate is 82% (male 88%, female 82%). 11% of the population is under 6 years of age. Kannada is the most common language.
Siddapur's primary ethnic and religious groups are Daivajna Brahmins, Vokkaligas, Lingayats, Namadhari Naiks, Gudigars, Gaud Saraswat Brahmins, Halakki Vokkaligas, Havyaks, Kurubas, Madivals, Christians, madivals, Muslims, and Marathas.
Transport
Bus service is provided by KSRTC and a few private bus operators. These buses connect Siddapur to elsewhere in Karnataka, as well as a few buses to other states. Siddapur is well connected by road to the surrounding area.
The nearest railway station is along the South Western Railway in Talaguppa (18 km/11 mi away). The nearest airport is Hubli Airport, about 120 kilometres (75 mi) from Siddapur.
Economy
The main occupation of the residents of Siddapur is agriculture, primarily areca nut cultivation. In addition to areca nut, commodities like rice, coffee, pineapple, cardamom, coconut, pepper and vanilla are also grown. Other industries include soda, ice cream, and pineapple juice factories, jackfruit and banana chip mills.
Banks with full facilities include SBI, Vijaya Bank, Syndicate Bank, and Canara Bank. Co-operative banks, including Suvarna Co-operative Bank Bhavana Co-operative Bank, and Manappuram Finance, Ltd. are also present.
Culture
Yakshagana (Kannada: ಯಕ್ಷಗಾನ) is a classical form of dance drama popular throughout the coastal districts of Karnataka.
Religion
Siddapur is home to many Hindu temples. The famous Hindu festival Marikamba Jaatre occurs every five years. This festival commemorates the goddess Marikamba, a form of Durga. Over 100,000 people attend this festival, making it one of the largest in the region. Other festivals include Basaveshwar Jaatre held annually February, and Shanishwar Jaatre held annually in March. Siddapur has the one and only temple of Karnataka Naada Devi Bhuvaneshwari at Bhuvangiri on the Kumta road. Each year during Kannada Rajyotsava, JayaKarnataka a pro-Kannada organisation visits the Kannada mother and celebrates Kannada Rajyotsava.
Two Sunni mosques are located in Siddapur, Badriya Jamia Masjid and Bedkani Jamia Masjid, and Holy Rosary Catholic Church is located in the Ravindranagar neighborhood.
Cuisine
Jackfruit, banana chips, and fresh sugarcane juice are common ingredients in the area.
- Kadubu is a steamed dessert made mostly of jackfruit pulp and jaggery. It is a local delicacy and is served hot with ghee.
- Holge are the sweet equivalents of tortillas. One variant is made with gramflour and jaggery, while the other is made with coconuts.
- Todadevu is a special kind of thin crust dosa made of sugarcane juice or fresh honey.
- Koli Kajjaya and Hosagere Kajjaya are made of rice flour and fried in oil is a famous dish often using roti. Often served with thick potato sambar or Nati chicken curry, it is a delicacy among the non-vegetarian communities in Siddapur.
- Kotte Kadabu is made of fermented rice paste steam boiled in banana leaf packets for about four hours. It tastes great with chicken and mutton curry, coconut chutney, fish curry, prawn curry and vegetarian sambar.
- Appe Huli is a kind of Raw mango curry soup served in this area.
Iswar kala sanga kadakeri
Communication
The nearest LPT-49 TV relay station airing Doordarshan National Channel is in Sagara, 38 km away. Cable TV and direct-to-home services are widely used and have replaced the conventional VHF/UHF TV antennas and satellite dish antennas. Local cable is also available with shikhara TV, which provides essential day to day information to the people of Siddapur.
Sagar AIR is the nearest radio station and can be heard on 100.1 MHz. There is little amateur radio in town.
All major mobile operators are available in Siddapur, as are most broadband facilities.
Hospitals
There are several hospitals in Siddapur, including Taluk Govt Hospital Siddapur, Omkar Nursing Home (DR. S.R.Hegde) Ravindra Nagar, Shreyas Hospital APMC, Dhanvantari Ayurvedic Medical College,Hospital Avaraguppa, and Govt Hospital Kolsirsi.
References
- "Census of India 2001: Data from the 2001 Census, including cities, villages and towns (Provisional)". Census Commission of India. Archived from the original on 16 June 2004. Retrieved 1 November 2008.
