Bhatkal

History

Bhatkal was named after Jain grammarian, Bhattakalanka, who hailed from Hadwalli village, a town on the state highway toward Jog Falls, Shimoga. It was also known as Susagadi, and Manipura in Sanskrit. Some have claimed that Marathi influence is responsible for the word's derivation. According to M. Shanker Linge Gowda, when the military leaders of the Patwardhan family under the Peshwas used to periodically invade and pillage the Manipura kingdom, they called it Vatkul, which means 'hills around the town', because the Manipura fort was located in a valley surrounded by hills. In slang, Vatkul has now evolved into Bhatkal. The Bhatkal term originated and can be found in one of the oldest manuscripts of Nawayathi from 1688 A.D. by Akhun Seedy Mohammed. The author mentions the old name for Bhatkal as Abadaqilla. But the word itself is susceptible of alteration, and it is quite likely that initially it was Abadaqilla, meaning 'inhabited fort,' and subsequently changed into badaqilla, and finally Bhatkal. Such a name can be applied only by Arabs, who have been associated with the place for a very long time. Later, when it was under the control of the Vijayanagar Empire, spices, sugar, and other masalas were traded with them. According to Ibrahim Khori, powdered sugar, brown sugar, as well as sugar itself, were produced in Bhatkal. In 1479, Bhatkal and Honnavar got once again attacked by the Vijayanagar Empire over an alleged conspiracy over the trade between the Bahmani Sultanate. At the time of Narasimha Deva Raya, he ended the tyranny of Virupaksha and re-established the friendship between the Nawayath. On 28 August 1502, Vasco de Gama-led Portuguese forces attacked and burned the port in the town that was under the control of the Kingdom of Gersoppa, a vassal state…

Geography

Bhatkal is a coastal town situated at the southernmost point of the Uttara Kannada district in the Indian state of Karnataka. It lies near the banks of the Sharabi River and is bounded by the Arabian Sea to the west and the Western Ghats to the east. The region is known for its distinctive flora, including unique varieties of Eriocaulon lanceolatum and Jasminum sambac. Its topography includes a lateritic belt, which covers 7.43% of the open land, supporting predominantly evergreen to semi-evergreen and moist deciduous forests. The area contains mineral deposits such as hematitic iron ore, bauxite, china clay (kaolin), and fine- to medium-grained white silica sand, located along the shoreline near Bengre. Venkatapur River flows through north of the town center approximately 50 km before joining the Arabian Sea at Tenginagundi. The river has a catchment area of 459.70 sq.km, spanning Bhatkal in Uttara Kannada and Sagar in Shimoga. Its two tributaries, Chitti and Katagari, join from the north. Hog Island, also known as Jallikund Gudda, is an uninhabited island located in the Arabian Sea, approximately 6.68 kilometres off the coast of Bhatkal. The island covers an area of approximately and has a shoreline of about 1.77 kilometres. Netrani Island, also referred to as Pigeon Island, is a small, heart-shaped island that lies approximately 19 kilometres (11.8 miles) from Murdeshwar and is characterised by dense evergreen vegetation, with species of Ficus being dominant. Ornithological surveys have recorded at least 300 individual birds representing 40 species, 32 genera, 27 families, and 10 orders in and around the island’s coastal waters. Other minor islands in the region include Kerekund, comprising two islets, and Hadi Madi, consisting of three islets. Both…

Most-observed species

• Brahminy Kite

  Haliastur indus (Boddaert, 1783) · Aves
  360
• House Crow

  Corvus splendens Vieillot, 1817 · Aves
  219
• Spotted Dove

  Spilopelia chinensis (Scopoli, 1786) · Aves
  193
• Red-whiskered Bulbul

  Pycnonotus jocosus (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  173
• White-throated Kingfisher

  Halcyon smyrnensis (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  168
• Indian Pond-Heron

  Ardeola grayii (Sykes, 1832) · Aves
  165
• Green Bee-eater

  Merops orientalis Latham, 1801 · Aves
  161
• Black Drongo

  Dicrurus macrocercus Vieillot, 1817 · Aves
  160