The Hiranyakeshi river is a left-bank tributary of the

Ghataprabha River The Ghataprabha river is an important right-bank tributary of the Krishna River and flows eastward for a distance of 283 kilometers before its confluence with the Krishna River at Chikksangam. The river basin is 8,829 square kilometers wide and ...

originating in the western ghats in the

Sindhudurg Sindhudurg Fort (Marathi pronunciation: in̪d̪ʱud̪uɾɡ is a historical fort that occupies an island in the Arabian Sea, just off the coast of Maharashtra in Western India. The fort was built by Shivaji Maharaj.The fortress lies on the sh ...

district of

Maharashtra Maharashtra (; , abbr. MH or Maha) is a states and union territories of India, state in the western India, western peninsular region of India occupying a substantial portion of the Deccan Plateau. Maharashtra is the List of states and union te ...

Etymology

The river derives its name from the Shri Hiranyakeshi temple. Located inside the temple are caves from where the river originates as a fresh mountain stream. Hiranyakeshi is a

sanskrit Sanskrit (; attributively , ; nominally , , ) is a classical language belonging to the Indo-Aryan branch of the Indo-European languages. It arose in South Asia after its predecessor languages had diffused there from the northwest in the late ...

word which means "one with golden hair" with respect to the goddess

Parvati Parvati ( sa, पार्वती, ), Uma ( sa, उमा, ) or Gauri ( sa, गौरी, ) is the Hindu goddess of power, energy, nourishment, harmony, love, beauty, devotion, and motherhood. She is a physical representation of Mahadevi i ...

in the temple. The temple itself is supposed to be situated in a "Devrai" or a sacred groove as is labelled by the locals.

Course

The river begins in the Hiranyakeshwar temple, a holy shrine dedicated to the goddess

near the hill-station of Amboli. It quickly flows in a north-west direction towards Jakatwadi, a small village next to Amboli. There the river turns right almost at a right angle and begins to flow eastwards similar to most rivers flowing on the

Deccan Plateau The large Deccan Plateau in southern India is located between the Western Ghats and the Eastern Ghats, and is loosely defined as the peninsular region between these ranges that is south of the Narmada river. To the north, it is bounded by the ...

. It flows underneath a bridge supporting state highway 121, which was named by the British as ''Victoria Jubilee Bridge''. Then on, it takes a north-eastward course till it reaches the town of Ajra in the

Kolhapur Kolhapur () is a city on the banks of the Panchganga River in the southern part of the Indian state of Maharashtra. It is the administrative headquarter of the Kolhapur district. In, around 2 C.E. Kolapur's name was 'Kuntal'. Kolhapur is kn ...

district of

. 2 km before it reaches Ajra, the river plunges over a rocky ledge measuring about 5 metres in height forming the Ramteerth falls. A tourist spot, the Ramteerth temple of Lord Ram & Shiv, lies on the banks of the river near the falls. A legend says that Lord Ram had been staying here for some time during his ''

Vanvas Vanvas ( sa, वनवास, ) is a Sanskrit term meaning residence (''vās'') in a forest (''van''). While it can be undertaken voluntarily, it usually carries a connotation of forced exile as a punishment. It commonly figures as a harsh penalty ...

''. The river then crosses underneath a bridge for the second time. It continues its run now along the right side of SH 134 crossing over into the

Belgaum Belgaum (ISO 15919, ISO: ''Bēḷagāma''; also Belgaon and officially known as Belagavi) is a city in the Indian state of Karnataka located in its northern part along the Western Ghats. It is the administrative headquarters of the eponymous ...

district,

Karnataka Karnataka (; ISO: , , also known as Karunāḍu) is a state in the southwestern region of India. It was formed on 1 November 1956, with the passage of the States Reorganisation Act. Originally known as Mysore State , it was renamed ''Karnat ...

. At the town of

Sankeshwar Sankeshwar is a town located in Hukkeri taluka, Belagavi district, in Karnataka. It is located on AH47 (Previously National Highway 4). It is about 50 km north-east from Belgaum. It is located on the bank of the Hiranyakeshi river . G ...

it begins its short south-eastward course before it converges with

Ghataprabha Ghataprabha is a village in the southern state of Karnataka, in north Karnataka India.Village code= 47500 It is located in the Gokak taluk of Belgaum district in Karnataka. Demographics As of the 2001 India census, Ghataprabha had a popul ...

river after Hidkal dam and before Gokak falls. Ramteerth falls

Irrigation

The government of Maharashtra has constructed two barriers over the river known as the Dabhil

weir A weir or low head dam is a barrier across the width of a river that alters the flow characteristics of water and usually results in a change in the height of the river level. Weirs are also used to control the flow of water for outlets of l ...

and the Devarde weir which provide irrigation water to the neighbouring villages.

Ecology

The area around the river's origin being a sacred groove is protected by the locals. During the monsoon months, fresh rain water transforms the landscape into a lush green oasis with different types of mushrooms which sprout out along its banks. There are also a variety of plants like ''

karvi ''Strobilanthes callosa'' ''(Synonym: Carvia callosa (Nees) Bremek)'' is a shrub found mainly in the low lying hills of the Western Ghats, all along the west coast of India.

'' and '' malabar melastome''.

Water pollution status

Physico-chemical analysis showed that the water of the Hiranyakeshi River was in 2010 mostly within the limits of WHO standards with the exemption of samples taken at Chicalgud because of the addition of domestic sewage and sugar mill effluents.

Places of interest

* Hiranyakeshwar temple * Ramteerth temple * Amboli hill-station

References

{{Coord, 15.954959, 74.027239, display=title Rivers of Karnataka Rivers of Maharashtra Geography of Belagavi district Rivers of India