Mekedaatu

"Sangama" redirects here. For other uses, see Sangama (disambiguation).
Meke Datu ಮೇಕೆದಾಟು

Mekedatu, ಮೇಕೆದಾಟು
Location Kanakapura, Karnataka, India
Coordinates 12°15′29″N 77°26′55″E / 12.25818°N 77.44866°E / 12.25818; 77.44866Coordinates: 12°15′29″N 77°26′55″E / 12.25818°N 77.44866°E / 12.25818; 77.44866
Watercourse Cauvery River

Mekedatu (Kannada: ಮೇಕೆದಾಟು) is a location along Kaveri in Kanakapura Taluk. Sangama is the place where Arkavati merges with Kaveri.[1] From this point, about 3.5 kilometers downstream, the river Kaveri flows through a deep and narrow gorge. Mekedatu' means 'goat's leap' in Kannada). The name comes from an incident which is believed to have been witnessed by herdsmen in that area a long time ago. It is said that a goat being chased by a tiger made a desperate attempt to save its life by leaping from one side of the gorge and managed to cross over the raging river below, whereas the tiger did not attempt to replicate this feat, and abandoned the chase. The point where the goat leapt has widened since then from erosion caused by the river Cauvery. It is about 100 km from Bengaluru via Kanakapura.

There is also some mythological significance to this place (both Sangama and Mekedatu). As per one version, the goat (meke) that is believed to have leapt across the Kaveri was Lord Shiva in disguise. On both rocky precipices of the gorge, one can find strange holes, whose shapes resemble goats' hooves, though several times larger. It is believed that only divine goats could have marked their 'footprints' in such hard rocks.

Narrow Flow Path of Cauvery at Mekedaatu

At Mekedaatu, the Kaveri runs through a deep, narrow ravine of hard granite rock. The river, which is more than 150 meters wide at the confluence (at Sangama) flows through the hardly 10-meter-wide gorge at Mekedatu. One can see the ferocious flow of all that water, displaying Bernoulli's theorem.[2] It is said that a goat could leap over it, giving the falls the name Goat's Leap.[3] Upstream on the Kaveri is the well known Shivanasamudra Falls with its hydro-electric power station, which was set up already in 1902.

Gorge

The water flows very fast through the gorge, gouging pits in the rocky riverbed. The climb down is steep and the rocks slippery, making it very dangerous to swim in the river. Drownings continue to occur here, although people have been warned about the danger by a small board and writing on rocks.[4]

Death Trap

A lot of tourists visit this place, a high number of people drown in the river, either when swimming or slipping off the cliff. It is a very dangerous place. The 4 feet shallow water is very deceiving as it seems harmless but has claimed the life of hundreds of people in the past years.[5] The water current is very fast, and a person can drown in minutes. Just a small slip might be fatal. There are also crocodiles in the water. The place lacks warning signs in several places, but crocodiles and slippery surfaces make it one of the riskiest tourist spots.[6] The rock surface near cliff, both during rainy season or during dry season, is very slippery and deceiving. Many of the deaths have been young people and students, who ventured near cliff drown here.

Cauvery river dries up in summer, making look of gorge more dangerous

Directions

From Bangalore there are many tour operators who provide transport to Sangama.

From Kanakapura it is exactly 26 km. You have to drive more interior into the villages to reach this place. On the way there are boards showing directions to Mekedaatu and Sangama, both are the same, it is just that you have to reach Sangama to go Mekedaatu.

Once you reach Sangama you have to take a boat ride to reach the other side of the river. Then you can board a bus which keeps running every half an hour till 5 in the evening. 5.30 pm is the last bus from Mekedaatu to Sangama. After that no civilians are allowed in this place

You can also walk to Mekedaatu after getting off from the boat as it takes around 5 to 6 km to reach Mekedaatu from the Sangama if you don't want to board the bus.

On the way to Mekedaatu there is fishing camp called Galibore Fishing Camp[7] [8]

So if you have missed the Mekedaatu board you can reach by seeing this fishing camp board as well because this is also on the way

Mekedatu-Loaps

Nearby

This place is en route to Mekedatu. Only a few people visit this place as most of them go by bus. In case people go on foot from Sangama, this place wouldn't be that hard to spot. Here water is not that powerful when compared to the actual place, thus making it much safer.

Notes

[9] [10] [11] [12] [13] [14] [15]

  1. ↑ "Mekedatu".
  2. ↑ "Mekedatu or "Goat's Leap"". Archived from the original on 2006-07-03. Retrieved 2006-11-10.
  3. ↑ "Around Bangalore - Scenic Splendours". BangaloreBest.com. Retrieved 2006-11-10.
  4. ↑ Manjunath, P. (October 17, 2003). "No longer enchanting". Deccan Herald. Archived from the original on 2007-03-14. Retrieved 2006-11-10.
  5. ↑ http://www.bangaloremirror.com/bangalore/cover-story/Interning-in-Blore-IIT-Kharagpur-grad-feared-drowned-on-must-do-outing/articleshow/30956943.cms?
  6. ↑ "Three Jain college students drown in Mekedatu". DNA India. 30 April 2012. Retrieved 3 October 2012.
  7. ↑ chinke, mitchel. "Galibore fishing camp". http://www.cauveryfishingcamp.com/galibore.html. Government of Karnataka. Retrieved 13 August 2014. External link in |website= (help)
  8. ↑ chinke, mitchel. "Gaibore Fishing Camp". Google.com. Retrieved 13 August 2014.
  9. ↑ http://bangalorefalls.com
  10. ↑ http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/bangalore/IAF-copter-joins-search-for-drowned-IIT-boy/articleshow/31014228.cms
  11. ↑ https://www.facebook.com/IIT.Kgp/posts/710283965682389?stream_ref=10
  12. ↑ http://www.amardeepsingh.in/borrowedclicks/index.php?showimage=22
  13. ↑ http://www.bangaloremirror.com/bangalore/others/Tourist-spots-turn-disaster-zones/articleshow/30956741.cms
  14. ↑ http://www.bangaloremirror.com/bangalore/others/NDRF-abandons-search-for-IIT-Kharagpur-student/articleshow/31228502.cms
  15. ↑ http://www.bangaloremirror.com/bangalore/cover-story/Interning-in-Blore-IIT-Kharagpur-grad-feared-drowned-on-must-do-outing/articleshow/30956943.cms

A weekend excursion to Kanakapura turned tragic for three students as they drowned in the Cauvery river at Mekedatu, near Arkavathi Sangama, 95 kilometres from Bangalore.

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