Jog Falls

Jog Falls is a major attraction for tourists. It features two primary viewpoints: the first one is the front panoramic viewpoint located in the Jog-Kargal Town of Sagara taluk in the Shivamogga district and the second is the British Bungalow viewpoint, located adjacent to the falls in the Siddapur taluk of Uttara Kannada. It is a segmented waterfall which, depending on rainfall and season, may become a plunge waterfall. It is the third-highest waterfall in India by total height, and is ranked 36th in the list of the world's highest free-falling waterfalls, 490th in the world by total height, and 128th in the list of single-drop waterfalls according to the World Waterfall Database.

Description

Jog Falls is created by the Sharavati River dropping a total of 253 m (830 ft), making it the third-highest waterfall in India after the Nohkalikai Falls with a drop of 335 m (1,099 ft) in Meghalaya and the Dudhsagar Falls with a drop of 310 m (1,020 ft) in Goa.

Sharavathi, a river which rises at Ambutirtha, near Nonabur in the Thirthahalli taluk, Shimoga district, takes a northwesterly course by Fatte petta, receives the Haridravati on the right below Pattaguppe and the Yenne Hole on the left above Barangi. Then, it bends to the west, precipitates itself down the Jog Falls (a.k.a. Gersoppa Falls), and passes the village of Gerusoppa (properly Geru-Sappe), which is some 30 kilometres (19 mi) away, discharging into the Arabian Sea at Honnavar in Uttara Kannada district.

The Sharavathi, flowing over a very rocky bed about 250 yards (230 m) wide, reaches a tremendous chasm, 290 m (950 ft) deep, and the water comes down in four distinct falls named Raja, Rani, Roarer, and Rocket. The Raja Fall comes down in a single unbroken column with a height of 250 m (830 ft). Halfway down, it is encountered by the Roarer, which precipitates itself into a vast cup and then rushes violently downwards to meet the Raja. The Rocket shoots downwards in a series of jets. The Rani moves more quietly over the mountainside in a sheet of foam. The Karnataka State Tourism Development Corporation has built steps from the viewpoint at the top, where the waterfall can be seen from across, to the bottom of the hill. There are approximately 1,400 steps to reach the bottom of the hill.