Agumbe

Agumbe in Shivamogga district lies on the south-western coast of India, approximately north-east of Mangaluru and north-west of Bengaluru, the state capital of Karnataka in Southern India. It is approximately from Shringeri and from the Arabian Sea. The coastal town of Udupi hosts the nearest major railway station approximately 50 km (31 mi). The nearest airport is at Bajpe near Mangaluru which lies at a distance of approximately .{{cite web|title=Mangalore to Agumbe - Distance == Size ==

Agumbe is a small hill village with very limited visitor accommodation. The population is approximately 500 people. The village covers an area of . == Economy ==

The villagers of Agumbe are subsistence farmers. Rice and areca are grown. The Raksha Kavacha Weavers' Cooperative Society represents the beginnings of cottage industry in the village. Tourism Places in the vicinity of Agumbe that tourists visit include the Kundadri and Kodachadri Hills, Udupi, Malpe, Mangalore (for the airport and seaport), Karkala, Kolluru, Sringeri, Chickmagaluru, Shivamogga, Bhadravathi, N.R. Pura, Sagar, Hosanagar, Koppa and Thirthahalli. In the summer, a truck can be used to reach Narasimha parvata ;Sunset Point: Sunset View Point rests on one of the highest peaks of the Western Ghats on the Udupi-Agumbe Road. It is ten minutes walk from Agumbe. On a fine evening, the sunset can be seen over the Arabian Sea. == Geography ==

Agumbe lies in a hilly, wet region of the Western Ghat mountains. This geography contributes to its scenery, and suitability for trekking. In addition, there are a number of waterfalls in the locality. (Bend) 7/14- Agumbe Ghat Waterfalls near Agumbe Barkana Falls Barkana Falls (Latitude 13.449315, Longitude 75.136015), Northeast of Agumbe, is 850 ft (259 m) in height. It is the tenth highest falls in India. Onake Abbi Falls Onake Abbi Falls (latitude 13°30'44"N, longitude 75°4'25"E) at 400 feet, is smaller than Barkana Falls. In the Kannada language, "onake" means 'pounding stick', an instrument used by villagers to pound grains to flour. Trekking for 5 km through rainforest is needed in order to reach a view of the falls. Jogigundi Falls Jogigundi is a small water fall near Agumbe. This is about 800m deep. It is usually filled with water. Koodlu Threetha Falls Koodlu Theerthra waterfall is located 25 km from Agumbe. Sirimane Falls Srimane falls is located at about 40 km from Agumbe. == Climate ==

Agumbe hosts India's first automatic weather station, founded by Romulus Whitaker b. 1943, New York, NY. Agumbe lies in a rainforest region with a tropical climate, warm and humid. Under the Köppen system of climate classification Agumbe is an 'Am' climate, that is, a tropical monsoon climate. A dense silvery fog forms over the Western Ghats at Agumbe. Rainfall The driest month in Agumbe is February with an average rainfall of 1 mm. The wettest month is July with an average rainfall of 2,647 mm. The mean annual rainfall is . The highest recorded rainfall in a single month was in August 1946. Temperature Maximum temperatures in Agumbe vary between 24.4 and 31.5 °C. Minimum temperatures vary between 16.2 °C and 21.4 °C. Average temperatures vary between 22.2 °C and 23.6 °C with an annual average temperature of 23.5 °C. April is the hottest month of the year and December the coolest. The average annual variation in temperature is 4.1 °C. The lowest recorded temperature was 3.2 °C in 1975 and the highest, 37 °C in 2008–2009. {{Weather box {{cite web == Ecology and biodiversity ==

Rainforest is a dense, wet, tropical evergreen ecosystem, high in its level of biodiversity. According to the 'Champion and Seth' classification, Agumbe is an area of "Southern tropical wet evergreen forests" (1A/C4). R.S. Troup, an eminent forester of his day, said, :"The tropical evergreen rain forests are characterised by the great luxuriance of their vegetation which consists of several tiers, the highest containing lofty trees...covered by numerous epiphytes" Agumbe rainforest research station The Agumbe Rainforest Research Station was founded in 2005 by Romulus Whitaker, a herpetologist. Whitaker had been familiar with Agumbe since the 1970s when he began studying the King Cobra. Its purpose is to create a local biodiversity database, encourage individual scientific research, collaborate with India's Department of Forestry and conserve the rainforest of the Western Ghats as well as to educate the residents of the region in the importance of forestry conservation. The King Cobra, an endangered species is the station's "flagship species". Flora ;Endangered plant species Endangered plant species in the area include • Dipterocarpus indicus • Dysoxylum malabaricum • Calophyllum apetalum • Garcinia indica • Garcinia gummi-gutta • Myristica dactyloides • Vateria indica • Aristolochia tagala • Tarenna agumbensis • Adenia hondala • Celastrus paniculatus • Persea macrantha ;Plant species named for Agumbe • Meliola agumbensis - fungus • Tarenna agumbensis - shrub • Hygroaster agumbensis - mushroom • Dactylaria agumbensis- fungus • Impatiens agumbeana- plant ;Other plant species discovered at Agumbe • Caudalejeunea pluriplicata - liverwort • Notothylas dissecta - Hornwort ; ;orchids of attraction • rhynchostylis retusa • aerides crispa • aerides maculosa • aerides ringens • Oberonia brunoniana • Oberonia elisiformis • Oberonia bicornis • dendrobium ovatum • Dendrobium nanum • dendrobium heyneanum • dendrobium macrostachyum • Dendrobium nodosum • robiquetia josephiana • robiquetia rosea • dendrobium lawianum • epipogium roseum • Luisia tenuifolium • Luisia macrantha • Coelogyne breviscapa • pholidota pallida • Gastrochilus flabelliformis • Odisha cleistantha • Habenaria heyneana • Habenaria grandifloriformis • Pinalia mysorensis • Habenaria crinifera • Cleisostoma tenuifolium • Cottonia peduncularis • sirhookera lanceoleta • Diploprora championii • Zeuxine longilabris • Porpax exilis • porpax reticulata • Porpax jerdoniana • Porpax filiformis • peristylus aristatus • smithsonia maculata • smithsonia viridiflora • Smithsonia straminea • Nervilia plicata • Nervilia crociformis • Vanilla planifolia • Zeuxine gracilis Fauna ;Mammals Agumbe provides an environment for large and small mammals such as the endangered lion-tailed macaque, tiger, leopard, sambar, giant squirrel, dhole, a wild dog of India, gaur, the Indian bison and barking deer. ;Reptiles and amphibians In creating funds for conservation of the Agumbe rainforest, the Ophiophagus hannah, king cobra is a 'flagship' species. An Agumbe-based scientific project to radio-locate rescued king cobras aims to determine whether relocation is helpful to their survival. other reptiles and amphibians of the area include the cane turtle and a flying lizard. ;Birds Agumbe is a popular destination for bird watchers and photographers. Among the endemic birds are the Malabar trogon, the yellow-browed bulbul and Sri Lankan frogmouths. ;Insects and marine species Agumbe's many insect species include the Atlas moth, Cyclotoma alleni (a beetle discovered in Agumbe), Selenops agumbensis, a spider and Drosophila agumbensis a small fly species. Cremnoconchus agumbensis is a local small fresh water snail. == Temples ==

The Agumbe Venugopalakrishna Hindu temple is an old structure known for beautiful architecture and peacefulness. The temple deity is Sri Venugopala Krishna. An annual fair is conducted each year in February during Ratha Saptami in honour of the deity. Another local temple is the Sringeri Sharadamba temple. == Malgudi Days ==

Malgudi Days (1985) is a television serial directed by Shankar Nag. It was based on novels written by R. K. Narayan. Many episodes were filmed in Agumbe. In 2004, a new set of episodes of Malgudi Days was filmed at Agumbe by Kavitha Lankesh (director). == See also ==