Sonda

Karnataka > Udupi > Sonda

Sonda in Sirsi taluk of Uttara Kannada is 35 kms. away from Sirsi. It is in the middle of thick forest. It was the headquarters of the Sonde rulers who were feudatories of Vijayanagara. The place when occupied by Haider Ali in 1763 lost its importance though it was a major town earlier to that. Its large number of monuments are spread over a wide area in the forest. It was a Jaina centre, and has the samadhi of great scholar Bhattakalanka (died in 1604). There is a small Jaina Matha here. The Swarnavalli Matha near sonda is of the Smartha tradition. Arasappa Nayaka, a prince, was a devotee of Vadiraja swamy (1480-1600), a great Madhwa saint, who shifted his matha (one of the eight of Udupi) to this place and his Samadhi (Brindavana) is seen here. There is a Trivikrama temple raised by him. The Swarnavalli Matha of the Havyaka Brahmins found near Sonda has a rich collection of traditional Palm Leaf Manuscripts. There is also the Shankaranarayana temple at Sonda and the Gaddige Matha. The river Shalmala creates a falls of 91 metres height called the Shivaganga falls, at a place five km. from Sonda. The Sahasralingas on the rocky path of the river is a wonderful scene. Thousands visit this place with utmost devotion.