Arsikere is a city and taluka in the Hassan district in the state of Karnataka, India. It is the second largest city in Hassan district, demographically. Arsikere city municipal council consists of 35 wards. This region is known for its coconut production and is also called Kalpataru Nadu. Arsikere Junction is a major railway junction in the South Western Railway which links Mangalore and Mysore to North Karnataka and a central place for tourists who visit nearby places that do not have rail access, such as Belur, Halebidu and Shravanabelagola, Harnahalli, and Kodimata.

History

The name Arasikere originates from one of the princesses of the Hoysala dynasty, who built a lake (kere in Kannada) near the town. Arasi means queen in Kannada. Therefore, it is 'Arasiya+kere' which means "queen's pond". Arasikere was also called Udbhava Sarvajna Vijaya and Ballalapura at various times. Under the rulers of Vijayanagara, it was under the administrative control of Jagadevaraya of Channaptna and later placed under Thimmappa Nayaka of Tarikere. It was finally under the rule of Shivappa Nayaka of Ikkeri and was acquired from Ikkeri rulers by the Mysore Wodeyars in 1690. Under the rule of the Wodeyars of Mysore, the area suffered from the raids of the Marathas, and was subsequently turned over to the Marathas by the Wodeyars as security for the payment of tribute.

Geography

Arsikere is located at 13.31444°N, 76.25694°W. It has an average elevation of 812 m. Arsikere is situated about 44 km from Hassan and 166 km from Bengaluru on National Highway 73. Towards northeast of the city, there is a mountainous scrub forest, known as the Nagapuri Forest. Old temples are found in isolation. Bears and Leopards population is the highlight of this forest. The elevation of the forest lies between 900 m to 1240 m above mean sea level.

Climate

The winter temperature averages between 14 °C and 26 °C. Summer temperature average between 19 °C and 35 °C.

Education

Notable educational facilities in Arsikere include the following:

School's and colleges

Colleges

Transportation

Arsikere serves as a common point for people travelling from Bengaluru to Northwest Karnataka and for commuters from Mysuru towards all of Northern Karnataka. Thus, public transport buses of 3 branches of KSRTC can be found here. KSRTC also has a bus depot in Arasikere, operated under Chikkamagaluru division. Tumakuru-Shivamogga four-lane expressway, comprising parts of NH-73 (Tumkur-Banavar) & NH-69 (Banavar-Shivamogga) is under construction, as of Nov-2022. Arsikere railway junction lies on Bangalore-Arsikere-Hubli line. It comes under the Mysore division of South Western Railway Zone and is a major railway junction between Bengaluru – Hubli, Bengaluru – Shivamogga, Mysuru – Shivamogga and also connects northern Karnataka to Mangalore Central railway station, via Hassan Junction. Trains typically stop here before heading to Hassan, Bangalore, Hubli, Mysuru and Mangalore. Nearly 100 trains stop here and is around 166 km from state capital Bengaluru. It has five trains starts from here to Bengaluru, Mysuru, Shivamogga and Hubballi. Around 30,000 people travel from Arsikere to other parts of Karnataka every day. Nearest international airport is Kempegowda International Airport at 190 km. Other nearby international airport is Mangalore International Airport at 220 km. Domestic airport near Shivamogga is around 110 km away from Arsikere.

Festivals

Various festivals are celebrated in Arasikere, including the following:

Places of interest

Notable places around Arsikere include the following:

Temples and architecture

Others

Nearby towns and places of interest

Notable people

Notable people from Arsikere include:"MLA K M Shivalinge Gowda"

Image gallery