Raja Kallu, Jog falls

People visiting Jog falls would normally see the front view of the falls and go to British bungalow side, which is next to the top of the falls. If the authorities are in good mood, the steps leading to the base of the falls would be opened for public. But there is another nice place in Jog falls which many people would give a miss. The Raja Kallu, also called as Raja seat or Raja Stone is a beautiful site very near to Jog falls.

About Raja Kallu

Raja Kallu was the favorite spot of the Mysuru ruler Krishna Raja Wodeyar IV. It was at this site in 1939 that he laid the foundation stone of the hydroelectric project. Overlooking the breathtaking Sharavathi valley, you can understand why it was the favorite place for the king. This place has been recently renovated and definitely gives a better feeling.

I had visited this place long back and was impressed with the view of the valley. During my recent visit to Jog falls last month, a thought came to my mind to visit this place. It just took 5 minutes of drive from the falls to reach Raja Kallu. On the way, we passed through the township of Jog.

At Raja Kallu

There were two surprises when we reached the place. First, there were no other people in that area!! It was surprising as Jog falls was teeming with people. The second surprise was the clear view of the surrounding. Mist was the constant companion in Jog falls on that day and we hardly got a clear view. So, our expectations were not high on Raja Kallu. But it was very clear during our visit!

We enjoyed the awe-inspiring scene of the Sharvathi valley from the viewpoint. Copious amount of water was falling from the opposite side create a beautiful waterfall. It would have a famous waterfall but is dwarfed by neighboring Jog falls which is of a different league. Also, this waterfall holds water only during monsoon season. There were also many waterfalls on the other side of the valley. Amazing sight.

Power generating stations and the reservoirs 

On the other side, we could see the huge pipes taking the water from Sharavathi reservoir to the Mahatma Gandhi Hydroelectric station at the base of the valley. The foundation stone was laid for this project. Dam was built in Madenur in 1939 and the water stored was used for generating power. Later, in 1960’s Linganamakki dam was built. It was so massive that it not only submerged dense forests, uprooted thousands of people (including my ancestors) but also consumed Madenur dam!! A bigger power plant was constructed at Ane Bailu village (called as A B Site) which generates 1,035 MW of electricity. We could see A B site at the far end of the valley.

But Government was unhappy with the amount of electricity generated even though Shavathi river was fulfilling most of the state’s electricity demand. Another dam called tailrace was built further down the valley at Gersoppa. It was easy for KPCL (Karnataka Power Corporation Limited) as it only submerged the dense evergreen forests. No need to face protests or give compensation to flora and fauna!! Today, we can see the tail end of the backwaters from the Raja Kallu.

I hear that Government is extremely upset that the Sharvathi river is flowing freely at some short section of the valley. There are crazy plans to divert the flow of the water into tunnels and generate meagre quantity of electricity which instead can be easily generated by a small solar plant.

Lot of storytelling!! Coming back to my original tale, we spent a long time enjoying the view of the valley at Raja Kallu. It started raining and it was an indication to pack up!