BANGALORE: Do you want to sail through the backwaters to enjoy the nature’s bounty with lush around? Then go to Sigandur, a religious place, near Sagarto experience the pulsating journey and natural beauty of the Sharavati backwaters. The construction of a dam across Sharavati river at Linganamakki to generate power has created backwaters at Holebagilu, near Singandur and at Honnemaradu near Talaguppa which have become tourist places. You will have to travel by bus or any vehicle for 28 kilometres from Sagar to reach Holebagilu. As there is no road to cross the backwaters, you have to sail through the water for 20 minutes of 3-km distance on a machine boat (launch) to reach the other end of the shore. The construction of the dam across the Sharavati river had submerged thousands of hectares of land, forests and hundreds of villages. The boat starts ferrying people and vehicles from one side of the river to the other end from 6.30 am. The boat will carry bus, cars and other vehicles and commuters. The government is charging Re 1 per person while vehicles will be charged on the basis of their size. After alighting the boat, you have to take a bus or jeeps to travel six kilometres to reach Singandur temple, the abode of Goddess Sigandhureshwari or Choudeshwari, situated amidst thick forests. The journey on the boat will become a breathtaking experience as you will come across a number of small islands with greenery which has developed after the construction of the dam. If environment issues worry you, you will feel sorry after seeing hundreds of dead and dry trees, standing like skeletons with broken branches to remind you of the exploitation of nature. During the rainy season, you will witness the natural beauty of forest and islands. If it is summer season, the depletion of water in the dam will show you the other side of the beauty also. You can see the dry land at the bottom of islands, just above the water, and trees and bushes on the top, which reminds you the philosophy of the cycle of life and death.
Other side of the story It is like one man’s pain is another’s happiness. After the construction of the dam, the Karuru-Barangi hobli with many villages have remained neglected for many years. They are deprived of proper connectivity to the taluk headquarter-Sagar. Boating facility is the only means of travelling for those people. There was a proposal to construct a bridge across the backwaters to facilitate the people of other side to have better connectivity. But that has not yet materialized. As a result, they have to depend on boating. This boating has gained much publicity not as a problem of the people but as a matter of tourist importance. Every year, because of this journey through the backwaters, this place attracts thousands of tourists. When to go: All seasons, especially from September to June. How to go: The place has road connectivity from Sagar. At every one hour interval, you will get buses from Sagar. Travellers can go via Hosanagar also to reach Sigandur.