Sode is a village near Sirsi in the

Uttara Kannada Uttara Kannada is a fifth largest district in the Indian state of Karnataka, It is bordered by the state of Goa and Belagavi districts to the north, Dharwad District and Haveri District to the east, Shivamogga District, and Udupi District to ...

district of

Karnataka Karnataka ( ) is a States and union territories of India, state in the southwestern region of India. It was Unification of Karnataka, formed as Mysore State on 1 November 1956, with the passage of the States Reorganisation Act, 1956, States Re ...

in India.

Location

Sodhe is a village in the

Malenadu Malnad (or Malenadu) is a region in the state of Karnataka, India. Malenadu covers the western and eastern slopes of the Western Ghats mountain range and is roughly 100 kilometers in width. It includes the districts of Uttara Kannada,Shivamog ...

region, surrounded by thick

forest A forest is an ecosystem characterized by a dense ecological community, community of trees. Hundreds of definitions of forest are used throughout the world, incorporating factors such as tree density, tree height, land use, legal standing, ...

s. It is 22 km from Sirsi and 13 km from Hulekal.

Prehistoric rock art

Prehistoric

Rock art In archaeology, rock arts are human-made markings placed on natural surfaces, typically vertical stone surfaces. A high proportion of surviving historic and prehistoric rock art is found in caves or partly enclosed rock shelters; this type al ...

has been found near Sodhe. It comprises engravings and drawings dated to c. the first millennium BCE. In them, double sided squares with intersecting loops are engraved/ drawn. Such drawings have also been found at Hire Benakal,

Gavali, Karnataka Gavali (also Gawali) is a small village located in the Belgaum district, Karnataka state in India, southwest of the city of Belgaum. The village is surrounded by forests, waterways and falls, which are subject to illegal mining, removal of me ...

. They have some resemblance to present day

rangoli Rangoli is an art form that originates from the Indian subcontinent, in which patterns are created on the floor or a tabletop using materials such as powdered limestone, red ochre, dry rice flour, coloured sand, quartz powder, Petal, flower ...

rangavalli Rangoli is an art form that originates from the Indian subcontinent, in which patterns are created on the floor or a tabletop using materials such as powdered limestone, red ochre, dry rice flour, coloured sand, quartz powder, flower petals ...

History

Sodhe or Sonda has a long, recorded history. Sonda kingdom was established in 1555 by Arasappa Nayaka, a Jain chieftain (1555–1598). Sonda was ruled by Sonda Nayakas for more than two hundred years (1555–1763). Arasappa Nayaka as vassal of Vijayanagara Dynasty till the fall of Vijayanagara to the

Adil Shahis The Sultanate of Bijapur was an early modern kingdom in the western Deccan and South India, ruled by the Muslim Adil Shahi (or Adilshahi) dynasty. Bijapur had been a ''taraf'' (province) of the Bahmani Kingdom prior to its independence in 149 ...

in 1565. He continued as the subordinate ruler of

Adil Shah Ali-qoli Khan (), commonly known by his regnal title Adel Shah (also spelled Adil; , "the Just King") was the second shah of Afsharid Iran, ruling from 1747 to 1748. He was the nephew and successor of Nader Shah (), the founder of the Afsharid d ...

till his death in 1598. Arasappa Nayaka established Vadiraj Matha in Sonda which is still in existence.

Shivaji Shivaji I (Shivaji Shahaji Bhonsale, ; 19 February 1630 – 3 April 1680) was an Indian ruler and a member of the Bhonsle dynasty. Shivaji carved out his own independent kingdom from the Sultanate of Bijapur that formed the genesis of the ...

, the Maratha Emperor conquered Sonda during 1674 and gave it back to Sonda ruler, Sadashiva Nayaka.

Hyder Ali Hyder Ali (''Haidar'alī''; ; 1720 – 7 December 1782) was the Sultan and ''de facto'' ruler of the Kingdom of Mysore in southern India. Born as Hyder Ali, he distinguished himself as a soldier, eventually drawing the attention of Mysore's ...

, the Sultan of Mysore attacked Sonda in 1763 and totally destroyed it. The last chief of Sonda, Immodi Sadashivaraya escaped to Portuguese Goa. The ruins of the fort which was protecting Sonda is covered with overgrowth of shrubs. According to Imperial Gazetteer of India, five carved pillars, approximately 3 feet high are the remains of the Sonda palace. Jain monasteries, (Swadhi Jain matha) and Digambar Jain temples are also situated at Sodhe. This village is special because it is the headquarters of the Sode Matha also known as Sri Sode Vadiraja Matha. The Sode Matha is part of the Ashta Mathas set up by Sri Madhvacharya.

References

External links

Bhaavi SameeraSode MathaShree Swarnavalli Matha
{{Ashta Mathas of Udupi Ashta Mathas of Udupi Hindu monasteries in India Rock art in India