Chikmagalur

Geography

Chikmagalur is situated in the Malenadu region of Karnataka in the Deccan Plateau in the foothills of the Western Ghats. It is situated at an elevation of 1090 m above mean sea level, meaning it is the third highest city in Karnataka. The Yagachi River has its source near the town and flows in the south-easterly direction before uniting with the Hemavati river.

Chikmagalur is around 240 km from the state capital Bangalore, 183 km from Mysore and 305 km from Hubli.

Climate

Chikmagalur generally has a moderate to cool climate. The temperature of the city varies from 11 - during winter to 25 - during summer.

| Jan record high C = 32.5 | Feb record high C = 35.0 | Mar record high C = 36.7 | Apr record high C = 37.0 | May record high C = 37.0 | Jun record high C = 35.5 | Jul record high C = 31.0 | Aug record high C = 30.5 | Sep record high C = 32.0 | Oct record high C = 32.0 | Nov record high C = 32.5 | Dec record high C = 32.5 | year record high C = 37.0 | Jan record low C = 10.0 | Feb record low C = 11.1 | Mar record low C = 14.0 | Apr record low C = 15.0 | May record low C = 14.6 | Jun record low C = 15.0 | Jul record low C = 15.2 | Aug record low C = 16.0 | Sep record low C = 14.6 | Oct record low C = 12.0 | Nov record low C = 11.1 | Dec record low C = 10.9 | year record low C = 10.0 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20200205040301/http://imdpune.gov.in/library/public/1981-2010%20CLIM%20NORMALS%20%28STATWISE%29.pdf | archive-date = 5 February 2020 | access-date = 18 April 2020}} | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20200205042509/http://imdpune.gov.in/library/public/EXTREMES%20OF%20TEMPERATURE%20and%20RAINFALL%20upto%202012.pdf | archive-date = 5 February 2020 | access-date = 18 April 2020}}

Rainfall

In 2022, Chikmagalur hobli received an annual rainfall of 1590 mm.

In 2024, Chikmagalur received 1459.80 mm of annual rainfall. It was a massive turnaround of 75% excess, following a drought-like year in 2023.

Demographics

As of 2011 Indian Census, Chikmagalur city had a total population of 118,401, of which 58,702 were males and 59,699 were females. Population within the age group of 0 to 6 years was 11,633. The total number of literates in Chikmagalur was 96,359, which constituted 81.4% of the population with male literacy of 83.7% and female literacy of 79.1%. The effective literacy rate of 7+ population of Chikmagalur was 90.3%, of which male literacy rate was 93.1% and female literacy rate was 87.5%. The Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes population was 16,423 and 1,734 respectively. Chikmagalur had 28545 households in 2011.

Tourist attractions

• Mullayyana Giri and its adjacent peaks along the Chandradrona Mountain Range
• Ayyanakere Lake
• Bhadra Wildlife Sanctuary
• Kudremukha National Park
• Bhadra Dam
• Horanadu and Sringeri - Pilgrim spots
• Yagati Mallikarjuna Temple
• Belur & Halebeedu

Transport

Rail and road are the two modes of transportation that are available in the city. NH-173 (formerly KM Road) passes through the town connecting with the port city Mangalore, located 150 km away. State Highway 57 (Karnataka) connects the city to Mysore via Hassan in the south and to Shimoga, (via Lingadahalli) in the north. A part of SH-57 south of Chikmagalur has been upgraded to NH-373 upto Bilikere, but major construction project awaits.

A railway line connects Chikmagalur railway station to Kadur Junction railway station. The nearest international airport is Mangalore International Airport.

Karnataka State Road Transport Corporation provides inter-state, inter-city and intra-city bus services to the city. Chikmagalur division of KSRTC has six operational depots, including three in Hassan district. NWKRTC and KKRTC buses travelling to Dharmasthala, all pass through Charmadi Ghat, thus giving the city very good connectivity with the cities of northern Karnataka, like Hubli, Ballari, Bijapur, Kalaburagi, etc.

References

References

1. "Census Data Handbook 2011".
2. "Post Offices of Chikkamagaluru".
3. (1 November 2014). "Bangalore becomes 'Bengaluru'; 11 other cities renamed". The Economic Times.
4. "Old name of Chikkamagaluru".
5. (6 December 2010). "A bright shade of green". Deccan Herald.
6. "Annual State Report 2022".
7. "KSNDMC Annual Rainfall report 2024".
8. "Census of India: Chikmagalur".
9. "Table C-16 Population by Mother Tongue: Karnataka (Urban)". [[Registrar General and Census Commissioner of India]].
10. "C-1 Population By Religious Community - Karnataka". Census of India.