Chikmagalur district

Narasimharajapura (N.R. Pura) taluk

Forest and backwater country on the Bhadra, north-west of the tiger reserve. N.R. Pura is a Jain centre of long standing — six basadis in the town itself and the Jwalamalini kshetra at Simhanagadde — and the Bhadra's backwaters spread out east of it towards the dam at Lakkavalli.

3 places to visit

  • Simhanagadde Jain kshetra
  • The Bhadra backwaters
  • Rambhapuri Peetha at Balehonnur
  • The quiet side of Bhadra Tiger Reserve

What to eat in Narasimharajapura (N.R. Pura)

  • Jain satvik meals at the basadis — no onion, no garlic, cooked to order
  • Bhadra river fish, fried dry with rice flour, at the backwater villages
  • Kadubu and akki rotti at the town's morning messes
  • Local jaggery and honey from the Bhadra valley estates

Getting around

Backwater boating depends on the reservoir level and is run informally — ask locally rather than booking ahead. The forest roads towards Muthodi close at dusk.