Land of Tunga River – Thirthahalli

Thirthahalli is a panchayat town located in the Shimoga District of the state of Karnataka, India. It lies on the bank of the river Tunga..According to a Hindu legend, the sage Parashurama beheaded Renuka's head with an axe on the orders of his father, the great sage Jamadagni. Parashurama tried to wash the blood stains off the axe by dipping it in various rivers, but a sesame-sized blood stain remained on his axe, until he dipped his axe in the Tunga River near Thirthahalli. This place is now called Parashurama Thirtha (or RamaThirtha) and is the origin of the name Thirthahalli (halli means village in the Kannada language). Near RamaThirtha, there is a stone Mantapa called Rama Mantapa. This legend has made Thirthahalli a holy place for Hindus, who believe that a dip in the river Tunga will cure one of all sins. The Tunga Bridge is a bridge connecting Thirthahalli to Kuruvalli. This bridge has an arc-like structure at the top which is supported by consecutive pillars on either side of the bridge.This bridge was designed by Sir M. Visvesvaraya.