The Tunga River is an important river flowing in the southern state of India,
Karnataka. The river originates in
the Western Ghats on a hill called Varaha Parvata. The birthplace of Tunga is called Gangamoola, which is a cave inside Varaha Parvatha. It is believed that Tunga River was born when
Varaha, an incarnation of
Lord Vishnu perforated the earth with his tusk.
After its origin, the river flows through two districts, the Chikmagalur and Shimoga district of Karnataka. The river flows for one hundred and forty seven kilometers and then merges with the Bhadra River at Koodli, which is a small town near the city of Shimoga. From this stage the river becomes the Tungabhadra River, which then starts flowing in the east direction and eventually merges with the
Krishna River in the state of
Andhra Pradesh.
Other than the Chikmagalur and the Shimoga district, the river also flows through the district of
Dakshina Kannada and Udupi districts. There is a dam built across the Tunga River at Gajanur, a small village in Shimoga district of Karnataka. There is a larger dam built across the Tungabhadra River at
Hospet.
Shringeri a town located in the Chikmagalur district on the banks of the Tunga River has several temples. The Sarada Temple and the Vidyasankara Temple are the most temples on the bank of the Tunga.
