Tourist places › Dam & Reservoir
Gajanur Dam
The Tunga River dam supplying Shivamogga's drinking water, on the Thirthahalli road
CategoryDam & Reservoir
TalukShivamogga
DistanceAbout 12 km from Shivamogga
Best timeYear-round
Gajanur Dam spans 532 metres across the Tunga River near Gajanur village, built chiefly to supply drinking water and irrigation to Shivamogga city and the surrounding taluks. Its gross storage capacity of about 3.24 tmc ft actually falls well short of the 12 tmc ft it was originally planned for.
During peak monsoon, water is pumped from here to the Bhadra Dam to help serve the drier Chitradurga district. Sakrebailu Elephant Camp sits about a kilometre upstream, making the two easy to combine in a single stop.
Highlights
- 532 m long, built across the Tunga mainly for Shivamogga's drinking water and irrigation
- Also referred to locally as the Tunga Anicut — see that page for the wildlife-sanctuary angle
- Right beside Sakrebailu Elephant Camp, about 1 km upstream
Getting there
The Thirthahalli to Shivamogga route passes right through Gajanur.