Sirsi

What is Sirsi known for?

Sirsi is known for the Marikamba temple and its huge jatre, for areca nut and the spice gardens around it and for the falls, rocks and old capitals within an hour’s drive. It is one of the largest areca trading towns in Karnataka, so farmers from across the district come here to sell.

Sirsi Uttara Kannada is the headquarters of the taluk of the same name, in the hills above the Uttara Kannada coast. Siddapur, Yellapur and Mundgod are among its neighbouring taluks. Our list of Malenadu districts and taluks shows where each one sits.

This is a working town, not a resort. Mornings start with temple bells and the smell of areca being boiled in courtyards. The best way to see it is from a village homestay, where a family will take you round their garden before breakfast.

Sirsi Malenadu life

Sirsi Malenadu life follows the areca garden (thota). The rains decide everything from June to September, the harvest fills the cool months and the dry season brings weddings, temple fairs and the Marikamba jatre. Many families in the villages around town are Havyaka Brahmins, whose cooking and customs shape much of what you eat here.

A short history of Sirsi

This area has been settled for a very long time. Banavasi, about 22 km away, was the capital of the Kadambas, the first royal family to rule from Karnataka and use Kannada in government.

Much later, the area was ruled by the Nayakas of Sonda (also called Swadi or Sode), whose seat was a short drive away. The river carvings of Sahasralinga date to their time, around the late 17th and early 18th century. The region later passed to Hyder Ali and Tipu Sultan of Mysore and then to the British.

The Sirsi Marikamba temple was built in 1688, according to a Deccan Herald travel feature. In the 20th century the town grew as the trading centre for areca and spices from the hills.

Places to visit in Sirsi with rough distances

The places to visit in Sirsi are the Marikamba temple in town and, around it, Sahasralinga, Sonda, Banavasi, Unchalli, Shivaganga Falls and Yana. The table gives rough road distances from the town centre. Roads are narrow, so allow extra time.

Place	What it is	Rough distance from town
Marikamba temple	Temple of the town goddess	In town
Sonda (Sode)	Old seat of the Sonda Nayakas	about 15 km
Sahasralinga	Shiva lingas carved in the Shalmala river	about 15 to 17 km
Banavasi	Kadamba capital, Madhukeshwara temple	about 22 km
Unchalli Falls	Aghanashini falls 116 m into a gorge	about 35 km
Shivaganga Falls	Tall fall seen across a forest valley	about 40 km
Yana	Tall black limestone rocks and a cave shrine	about 40 to 55 km
Hubballi	Nearest airport	about 105 to 110 km

Sirsi Marikamba temple

This is the temple of the goddess Marikamba, a form of Durga, in the middle of town. The image is about seven feet tall with eight arms and shows the goddess riding a tiger. The temple is busy every day of the week.

The Sirsi Marikamba jatre is held once every two years, usually in February or March. The goddess is taken in procession through town and huge crowds of devotees come from across Karnataka. It is one of the biggest temple fairs in the state. Our guide to Malenadu festivals explains how the jatre fits into the year.

Sahasralinga on the Shalmala

Sahasralinga is a stretch of the Shalmala river near Sonda where hundreds of Shiva lingas and a Nandi are carved into the rocks of the riverbed. The carvings are linked with the Sonda rulers, around the late 17th and early 18th century. A small hanging bridge crosses the river above them.

The lingas are best seen from about October to March, when the water is low. In the monsoon most are under water. Many pilgrims come on Maha Shivaratri. The rocks are slippery, so wear sandals with grip and keep children close.

Sonda

Sonda (also called Sode or Swadi) was the seat of the Sonda Nayakas, about 15 km from town. Today it is a quiet village with old temples and ruins in the forest. Combine it with Sahasralinga on the same morning.

Banavasi

Banavasi, about 22 km away on the Varada river, was the capital of the Kadambas. The Madhukeshwara temple, dedicated to Shiva, stands at the heart of the village and shows work from many later dynasties. Banavasi holds the Kadambotsava, a yearly festival of music and literature. Our guide to Malenadu temples covers Banavasi in more detail.

Unchalli Falls

Karnataka Tourism describes Unchalli Falls as a 116 m drop of the Aghanashini, about 35 km from Sirsi and from Siddapur. It is also called Lushington Falls after J D Lushington, the British officer who recorded it in 1845. A road reaches within about 1 km and you walk the rest to a viewing deck.

Shivaganga Falls

Shivaganga Falls is a tall fall about 40 km from town, seen from a Forest Department viewpoint across a deep valley. The last part is a walk through forest. People have drowned in the pools here, so never enter the water near the falls. Our guide to Malenadu waterfalls lists more falls on the Yellapur side.

Yana

Yana is a forest site with two huge black rock outcrops, Bhairaveshwara Shikhara and Mohini Shikhara. Karnataka Tourism gives Yana as about 40 to 55 km from town, with Bhairaveshwara about 120 m tall and Mohini about 90 m, both of black crystalline limestone. A cave shrine sits at the foot of Bhairaveshwara. Thousands come on Maha Shivaratri.

From the inland side, the walk in is a forest trail of a few km. Leave footwear outside the shrine, do not climb the rocks and carry your plastic back out.

More Sirsi tourist places for a longer stay

Other Sirsi tourist places for a longer stay are the falls on the Yellapur side, such as Magod and Sathodi. The Devimane ghat road down to Kumta on the coast is another fine drive. North and east, the land flattens towards Haveri and the plains.

It is also a long half day’s drive south to Jog Falls and on to Sagara, which makes a good second base. Many travellers join the two towns in a 4 or 5 day loop.

Crops grown around Sirsi

Areca nut is the main crop around Sirsi, grown in shaded gardens with pepper, cardamom, banana, nutmeg and betel leaf in the same space. These mixed gardens are what people mean by the spice gardens here. Paddy grows in the valley floors below.

Areca and spice gardens

A garden here is built in layers. Tall areca palms form the roof, pepper vines climb their trunks, banana and cardamom grow in the shade below and nutmeg and clove trees stand at the edges. The harvest of areca runs from about November to February, when courtyards fill with nuts being boiled and dried. Our guide to areca nut farming in Malenadu explains the whole year.

Pepper is picked in winter from ladders leaned on the palms, then dried on mats until it turns black. Our Malenadu black pepper is grown and dried in gardens like these.

Spice gardens: jaykai, javitri and elakki

Nutmeg trees grow at the edges of many gardens. When the fruit splits, you see the dark seed wrapped in a red lacy cover. The seed is nutmeg and the red cover is mace. Both are dried in the shade.

Our Malenadu nutmeg is dried the slow, traditional way.

Bee boxes in the gardens and forests

Many families here keep a few bee boxes in their gardens, because the bees pollinate the crops and give a little honey. An Indian Institute of Science survey of Uttara Kannada beekeepers found Sirsi taluk had the highest honey yield per box. Our guide to beekeeping in Malenadu explains how it works.

Wild honey is also gathered from the forests around town. Our honey from the Malenadu hills comes from these forests and gardens.

Sirsi Havyaka food to try

Food here is Havyaka home food at its best: rice with mild, tangy tambulis, sour gojjus, appe midi pickle and steamed kadubu. It is simple, fresh and made from what the garden gives that day.

• Tambuli: a cool curry of curd, coconut and one green or spice. Try our menthya tambuli recipe, made with fenugreek seeds.
• Appe midi pickle: tender wild mangoes pickled whole, a Havyaka speciality.
• Kadubu: steamed rice dumplings, often with jackfruit in season.
• Gojju: sweet, sour and spicy, made with jaggery and tamarind or kokum.
• Ottu shavige: pressed rice noodles, eaten with coconut milk and jaggery or a spicy curry.
• Kashaya: a warm drink of spices and herbs, served instead of tea in many homes.

Wild mushrooms and bamboo shoots appear in the monsoon. Eat only mushrooms a local person knows well. Bamboo shoots must be soaked and boiled before cooking and never eaten raw. For more dishes, see our Malenadu food guide.

When is the best time to visit Sirsi?

The best time to visit Sirsi is October to February, when the rains have stopped, the falls are still flowing and the weather is cool and dry. The areca harvest is on and the gardens are busy.

Season	Months	What to expect
Monsoon	June to September	Heavy rain, full falls, closed trails, leeches
Post monsoon	October to November	Full falls, green gardens, clear days
Winter	December to February	Cool, dry, areca and pepper harvest
Summer	March to May	Hot afternoons, thin falls, Sahasralinga fully visible

If you want to see the Marikamba jatre, check the dates for the jatre year, usually in February or March. In the monsoon, keep away from the edges of falls and do not wade into rivers or pools.

How to get to Sirsi Uttara Kannada

The town is reached by road from Bengaluru, Hubballi, Sagara and the coast. It has no railway station.

• From Bengaluru: about 405 km by road through Haveri. Our Bangalore to Malenadu guide covers routes and drive times.
• By air: Hubballi airport is the nearest, about 105 to 110 km away.
• By train: Kumta on the coastal railway line is the nearest station on the coast, down the Devimane ghat. Hubballi is the nearest big junction.
• By bus: state buses run here from Bengaluru, Hubballi, Shivamogga, Sagara and coastal towns.

A 2 day plan for Sirsi

This 2 day plan covers the main places to visit in Sirsi at an easy pace. It works best by car or hired taxi.

Day 1: town, river and Banavasi

1. Early morning: darshan at the Marikamba temple.
2. Morning: drive to Sahasralinga and Sonda.
3. Lunch: a Havyaka meal in the town’s eateries or at your homestay.
4. Afternoon: Banavasi and the Madhukeshwara temple.
5. Evening: walk an areca and spice garden with your host.

Day 2: falls and rocks

1. Morning: Unchalli Falls, with the 1 km walk to the viewing deck.
2. Afternoon: Yana. Choose Shivaganga Falls instead if you prefer a shorter day.
3. Evening: back to town. You can also drive on towards Kumta and the coast.

Local tips for Sirsi

These local tips will make your trip easier and safer.

• Stay in a village. Homestays in the villages show you garden life that the town cannot.
• Drive in daylight. Forest roads to Unchalli, Yana and Shivaganga are narrow and dark early.
• Forest rules: some trails need Forest Department permission and no forest walks are allowed at night.
• Snakes: keep to paths. If someone is bitten, keep them still and go straight to a hospital with antivenom. No cutting, sucking or folk remedies.
• Leeches: carry salt or wear leech socks in the rains.
• Temple dress: cover shoulders and knees at Marikamba, Banavasi and Yana.
• Market days: the town is busiest when farmers come in to sell areca. Ask your host which day that is.

Where to go next

From here you can go south to Jog Falls and Sagara or west down to Kumta and Gokarna. You can also stay longer and see the falls towards Yellapur. Our Malenadu travel guide helps you join these towns into one trip. Take some of the hills home too: the spices from these gardens are all in our shop.

Frequently asked questions about Sirsi