Native name	Honnavar
Type	Town
Locator position	right
State name	Karnataka
District	Uttara Kannada
Region	Kanara
Civic agency	Honnavar Town Panchayat
Altitude	2
Population as of	2001
Population total	17833
Area telephone	91-8387
Postal code	581334, 581395
Vehicle code range	KA 47
Official languages	kannada
Distance 1	185
Distance 2	430
Distance 3	195
Direction 1	south
Direction 2	northwest
Direction 3	north
Destination 1	Panaji
Destination 2	Bangalore
Destination 3	Mangalore
Footnotes	}}

Honavar or Honnavar () , is a port town in Uttara Kannada district of Karnataka, India. The town is the headquarters of Honnavar taluk.

History

The first ever historical reference about the Honnavar town appears in the works of the Greek author Periplus (AD 247) and it was called ''Naour''. It was mentioned as the first port of Limurike in Tamil country.

In the 10th century text ''Jain Ramayana'', the town is mentioned as ''Hanuruha Island''. References about the town are also available in the works of Abu al-Fida (A.D.1273-1331), an Arab Geographer as well as that of Ibn Batuta who described it as the city of Hinaur.

Honnavar or Onore, was a notable seaport of British India, in the North Kannada district of Uttara Karnataka. It is mentioned as a place of trade as early as the 16th century, and is associated with two interesting incidents in Anglo-Indian history. In 1670, the English factors here had a bull-dog which killed a sacred bull. An enraged mob killed 18 people in retaliation. In 1784 it was defended for three months by Captain Torriano and a detachment of sepoys against the army of Tippu Sultan.

Honnavar has also a history of having the name "Honnupura" (Kannada:ಹೊನ್ನುಪುರ)which might have been a major market and export hub for gold and related things.

Honavar, once was under the ruling of queen Chennabhairadevi (Kannada:ಚೆನ್ನಭೈರಾದೇವಿ) of Gerusoppa range, who is believed to have been defeated by the British.

According to Ibn Batuta, the people of Honnavar were Muslims of the Shafai or Arab sect, peaceful and religious. The men were famous sea-fighters and the women were chaste and beautiful. Most of them knew the Quran by heart. There were twenty-three schools for boys and thirteen for girls. The ruling chief was Jamal-ud-din Muhammad Ibn Hassan. He was subject to an infidel king named Hariab, that is Harihara or Haripappa of Vijayanagar (A.D. 1336-1350). The prince had an army of six thousand men. However, the people of Malabar, though a courageous and a war-like race, feared the chief for his bravery at sea and paid him tribute. Ibn Batuta went to Calicut and then returned to Honavar where he found the chief preparing an expedition against the island of Sindabur or Chitakul (present day Sadashivgad) near Karwar.

Geography

Honnavar lies on the coast of the Arabian Sea and on the banks of the river Sharavati, forming an estuary. It lies midway between Panaji and Mangalore. Some of the important places around Honavar include the towns of Murudeshwara and Idagunji, both places of religious importance and Karikanamma, a scenic mountain that has the breathtaking view of the Arabian sea.

Honnavar also has a port that was one of the most important ones on the west coast of India during the time of Marco Polo. It has got many more powerful devine places like Veeranjaneya temple Gerusoppa, Subramanya Kshetra Mugva, Rama theerta, Apsarakonda Etc.

Some 18-20 kilometres from Honavar, you find the historic Maruti Temple (Mukhyaprana Laxmi Venkatesh Temple) place called "Gundabala".This temple has a history of more than 800 years.

The Sahyadri Hill range and the astonishing waves of the Arabian Sea are always representing the life style of the coastal belt of Karnataka state. In the safe hands of the Sahyadri hills Honnavar is shining in the fields of education, literature, philosophy and socio-cultural activities with its traditional history.

Honnavar is one of the coastal talukas of Uttar Kannada District. It has a total area of 754.8 km². Honnavar was a port and fortified town with a lot of Historical antiquities. The name Honnavar might have originated from the word ‘Honnavari’ or ‘Honnavare’ which was a very popular plant in the region. Several inscriptions have mentioned Honnavar as ‘Honnavaru’ or ‘Honninavara’ which means the land of prosperity or the land of gold.

Between the 11th and 14th century AD Honnavar was under the rule of the Kadambas of Chandavar. Honnavar became a trading centre during the time of Vijayanagar Empire. Horses from Portugal were imported through this port. The well-known Vijayanagar King Krishnadevaraya gave permission to the Portuguese to construct forts at Honnavar and Bhatkal.

During the 15th and 16th centuries the Saluvas of Gersoppa were the prominent rulers of Honnavar. By the end of the 16th century Gersoppa Queen Chennabairadevi had become very popular as the ‘queen of pepper’ (Kalumenasinarani). She had a very good contact with the west. Thus, Honnavar became a flourishing centre of overseas trade.

By the middle of the 17th century the army of Hyder Ali took possession of the coastal town Honnavar and Basavarajdurga. By the end of the 18th century, the entire North Kanara district came under the control of Tippu, the son of Hyder Ali. Honnavar was the district Headquarters between 1800 and 1817. In 1862 the entire Kanara district was divided into South Kanara and North Kanara districts, and the North Kanara district was transferred to Bombay Presidency. Until then it was under Madras Presidency. After independence, in 1947 Honnavar became the taluka headquarters.

The Sharavati is one of the main attractions of Honnavar. The river joins the Arabian Sea in Honnavar. While joining the sea, the river has created some islands. Among them Mavinkurva is the largest and the most beautiful.

The Colonel Hill is another place of interest in Honnavar. It is a 30 meter tall column situated on the top of a hillock by the side of N.H-17. This column was installed in memory of Colonel Hill on 20 January 1845. It was set up by the 14th Madras Native Infantry at the instance of the East India Company in honour of Colonel Hill who died at Gersoppa while commanding the Mysore Division.

Ramathirtha is another beautiful location in Honnavar. It is situated on the Honnavar-Chandavar road at a distance of about 3 km. This pushkarini or water tank which is 50 steps below the ground level is very spacious. The water from a height falls into the tank from two different points called Ramathirtha and Laxmanthirtha. According to local traditions, Sri Rama, Sita and Laxman had a holy dip in the tank during their vanavasa.

Kasarkod beach is a tourist attraction of Honnavar. It is about 2 km from Honnavar. This beautiful sandy beach is about 5 km in length. The waves, golden sand top and the enchanting scenic beauty attract thousands of tourists everyday.

Basavaraja Durga, a fortified spot is an island in the Arabian Sea. It is 3 km away from the Sharavathi Sea Mouth. We can reach it by boat or launch. This island has a total area of 19 hectares. The fort was constructed during the Vijayanagara rule. In 1690, Keladi ruler Shivappa Nayaka captured it and named it Basavarajadurga in memory of Keladi Prince Basavaraja.

Apsarakonda, a small attractive waterfall is about 5 km from Honnavar. Apsarakonda means the pond of an Apsara or a nymph. Here the water falling from a height of 10 meters has formed a small waterfall. A high hill, a fine view of the sea and the sunset from the hill and a huge natural cave are the attractions of the place.

Gundabala, a village 15 km away from Honnavar, was a medieval trading centre. It was the centre for storing pepper for export during the time of Gersoppa rulers. There are deep well-like pits in the village in which pepper was stored. Today Gundabala has emerged as a cultural centre. There is a Hanuman temple in the village. Here is the practice of the devotees praying for the boon of Lord Hanuman and on the fulfillment of the boon they would offer the performance of a Yakshagana Play. More than 100 such yakshagana performances take place every year. Each is a whole night performance

Former capital city Gersoppa is 24 km from Honnavar. It is a place of rich antiquity. The Jaina Chaturmukha Basti, constructed in Vijayanagar style by Saluva rulers, is the most famous monument here. It has four entrances from four directions. Four separate Tirthankara images are facing the four entrances. Journey to Gersoppa through the Sharavathi in boats and launches is an enchanting journey.

The National Highway No. 17 provides a convenient road-link and Konkan Railway provides interstate connectivity. Honnavar is well known for tile-manufacturing units and cashew factories. Agriculture and fishing are the main occupations of the people of Honnavar. The Sharavathi River divides the taluk into two halves providing irrigation and navigation facilities. The Honnavar taluk is shared by two legislative constituencies. A part of it belongs to the Kumta legislative constituency and another to the Bhatkal legislative constituency.

Demographics

As of 2001 India census, Honavar had a population of 17,833. Males constitute 51% of the population and females 49%. Honavar has an average literacy rate of 78%, higher than the national average of 59.5%: male literacy is 83%, and female literacy is 74%. In Honavar, 11% of the population is under 6 years of age.Kannada and Konkani are the main languages spoken here.

Transportation

Road

There are two National Highways that pass through Honnavar:

NH-17 (Panvel - Edapally): Mumbai, Panjim, Karwar, Baindoor, Kundapura, Udupi, Mangalore and Ernakulam can be reached by this road

NH-206 (Tumakuru - Honnavar): Bengaluru, Tumakuru, Arsikere, Bhadravati, Shivamogga, Ayanur, Kumsi, Anandapuram,ShimogaSagar and Jog Falls can be reached by this road.

Rail

Honnavar has a railway station on Konkan Railway. Honnavar Railway Station is about 5 km from the centre of the town. Konkan Railway's longest bridge is located in Honnavar 2.065 km. (on Sharavati River) and also consists of a 1.75 km long tunnel.

There is also a proposal to connect Honnavar and Talguppa in Shimoga district by a new railway line, which will be a shorter alternate rail route between Mumbai and southern India. In Railway Budget 2010-11, Indian Railway Ministry suggested Public–private partnership (PPP) model to take up this project as the Government of India cannot fund this project alone due to concerns about Rate of return and the complex nature of the project.

Air

The nearest international airport, Mangalore International Airport is 180 km away or about 3 hours 40 mins by car. The next closest is Hubli Airport, a domestic only airport. Goa International Airport (Dabolim Airport) is also an airport about 150 km from Honnavar.

Hospitals

Honavar has the following medical facilities.

St. Ignatius Hospital (70 beds)

Sridevi Maternity Centre (32 beds)

Government Hospital (30 beds)

Sharada Nursing Home (30 beds)

Suvidha Hospital (25 beds)

Ramnath Child Care Centre (10 beds)

Balkur Clinic (04 beds)

Sri Durga Clinic (05 beds)

Educational institutes

S.D.M. College of Management Studies, Honnavar

S.D.M. Arts, Science and Commerce College, Honnavar

St. Ignatius School of Nursing, Honnavar

St. Anthony's College for Physical Education, Honnavar

Government Industrial Training Institute, Honnavar

The New English School, Honnavar

St.Thomas School, Honnavar

Holy Rosary Convent School, Honnavar

Higher Elementary School (Brother School), Honnavar

St. Marathoma School, Honnavar

Government Kasba Primary School, Honnavar

NMS Higher Primary School, Honnavar

References

External links

Aerial Image from Google Maps

A historical sketch of Honavar

St.Ignatius School of Nursing, Honavar

Karwar eNews

Category:Railway stations on Konkan Railway Category:Cities and towns in Uttara Kannada district saGAR-577401

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