Siddapura, Uttara Kannada

Siddapura, Uttara Kannada ಸಿದ್ಧಾಪುರ
Town
Siddapura, Uttara Kannada Location in Karnataka, India
Coordinates: 14°20′49″N 74°53′38″E / 14.347°N 74.894°ECoordinates: 14°20′49″N 74°53′38″E / 14.347°N 74.894°E
Country	India
State	Karnataka
District	Uttara Kannada
Elevation	564 m (1,850 ft)
Population (2011)
• Total	97,322
Languages
• Official	Kannada
Time zone	IST (UTC+5:30)
PIN	581 355
Telephone code	+91-8389

Siddapura (ಸಿದ್ಧಾಪುರ) is a town and the headquarters of Siddapura taluk, located in the Uttara Kannada district of the state of Karnataka in southern India. It is nestled among the Western Ghats.

Demographics

As of 2001,^[1] Siddapura had a population of 14,049. Males were 51% of the population and females 49%. The average literacy rate is 82% (male 88%, female 82%). Eleven percent of the population is under 6 years of age. Kannada is the most common language.

Siddapur's primary ethnic and religious groups are Lingayats, Namadhari Naiks, Gudigars, Gaud Saraswat Brahmins, Halakki Vokkaligas, Havyaks, Kurubas, Madivals, Christians, Daivajnas, Muslims, and Marathas.

Transport

Bus service is provided by KSRTC and a few private bus operators. These buses connect Siddapura to elsewhere in Karnataka, as well as a few buses to other states. Siddapura is well connected by road to the surrounding area.

The nearest railway station is along the Konkan Railway in Talaguppa (18km/11mi away). The nearest airport is Hubli Airport, about 120 kilometres (75 mi) from Siddapur.

Economy

The main occupation of the residents of Siddapura is agriculture, primarily areca nut cultivation. In addition to areca nut, commodities like rice, coffee, pineapple, cardamom, coconut, pepper and vanilla are also grown. Other industries include soda, ice cream, and pineapple juice factories, jackfruit and banana chip mills.

Banks with full facilities include SBI, State Bank of Mysore, Vijaya Bank, Syndicate Bank, and Canara Bank. Co-operative banks, including Suvarna Co-operative Bank and Bhavana Co-operative Bank, also have a presence in town.

Culture

Yakshagana artist with Kirita

Yakshagana artist with Kedige

Yakshagana (Kannada: ಯಕ್ಷಗಾನ) is a classical form of dance drama popular throughout the coastal districts of Karnataka.

Religion

Siddapura is home to many Hindu temples. The famous Hindu festival Marikamba Jatri occurs every five years. This festival commemorates the goddess Marikamba, a form of Durga. Over 100,000 people attend this festival, making it one of the largest in the region. Other festivals include Basaveshwar Jatri, held annually February, and Shanishwar Jatri, held annually in March.

Two Sunni mosques are located in Siddapura, Badriya Jamia Masjid and Bedkani Jamia Masjid, and Holy Rosary Catholic Church is located in the Ravindranagar neighborhood.

Cuisine

Jackfruit, banana chips, and fresh sugarcane juice are common ingredients in the area.

• Kadubu is a steamed dessert made mostly of jackfruit pulp and jaggery. It is a local delicacy and is served hot with ghee.
• Holge are the sweet equivalents of tortillas. One variant is made with gramflour and jaggery, while the other is made with coconuts.
• Todadevu is a special kind of thin crust dosa made of sugarcane juice or fresh honey.
• Koli Kajjaya and Hosagere Kajjaya are made of rice flour and fried in oil is a famous dish often using roti. Often served with thick potato sambar or Nati chicken curry, it is a delicacy among the non-vegetarian communities in Siddapura.
• Kotte Kadabu is made of fermented rice paste steam boiled in banana leaf packets for about four hours. It tastes great with chicken and mutton curry, coconut chutney, fish curry, prawn curry and vegetarian sambar.

Communication

The nearest LPT-49 TV relay station airing Doordarshan National Channel is in Sagara, 38 km away. Cable TV and direct to home services are widely used and have replaced the conventional VHF/UHF TV antennas and satellite dish antennas. Local cable is also available with Janani TV, which provides essential day to day information to the people of Siddapura.

Sagar AIR is the nearest radio station and can be heard on 100.1 MHz. There is little amateur radio in town.

All major mobile operators are available in Siddapura, as are most broadband facilities.

Hospitals

There are several hospitals in Siddapur, including Taluk Govt Hospital Siddapur, Shreyas Hospital APMC, Ayurvedic Medical Hospital Avrguppa, Omkar Hospital, and Govt Hospital Kolsirsi.

Geography

References

1. "Census of India 2001: Data from the 2001 Census, including cities, villages and towns (Provisional)". Census Commission of India. Archived from the original on 2004-06-16. Retrieved 2008-11-01.