Gokak Falls – Mini Niagara, Belagavi

Gracefully flowing Ghataprabha river, after winding through a long route gushes down from 171 ft(52 metres) over sandstone cliff and rocky boulders to form beautiful looking Gokak falls. Besides this, the humongous waterfall has a flood width of 170 metres and its resemblance in many ways are similar to that of Niagara falls in the USA. Hence, It is also popularly known as “ Mini Niagara” by the locals. Gokak got its name from the Goki river that runs in this region.

 Hanging Bridge above Gokak Falls

There is a hanging rope suspension bridge which is  200 metres(659 ft) long and lies just 14 metres above the river bedrock of the falls. Hiking on the rope bridge during the rainy season as the river below is running violently causing chaos is sure to thrill the adventure junkies.

Chalukya Kingdom Monuments

Not just that, this place has great historical significance attached to it and sure to delight any historian who crosses path with it. Firstly,  we will see about the monuments that belong to the Chalukya era which are located on both the sides of a rocky gorge. The temples of Shanmukha, Durga, and Mahalingeshwara built on the Chalukya style of architecture will take you back to the 6th-century and its architectural magnificence.

History of Gokak Falls

Moreover.there is an old power generation station and it is said that this was the place where electricity was first generated In India In the year 1887 by Britishers. To reach this power station one has to be ready for an adventurous walk across Hanging bridge and it is surely not for the faint hearts. This lesser-known beauty is located 60 km from Belagavi district of Karnataka. 

Best time to visit this place is when the rivers are running wild and free during the rainy season i.e. in the months of June to September. Owing to its natural beauty, greenery-filled valley, moist air, dark clouds, roaring sound of a river, water crashing the rocks and never-ending flow of water makes this place a hotspot for locals during monsoon. 

Also, read about the offbeat places in Karnataka.