Question

write a note on the malnad region

Answer 1

M alnad or Malenadu literally means “land of the hills”. It includes the western and eastern slopes of the Western Ghats, covering parts of Shimoga, Chikmagalur, Uttara Kannada, Kodagu and Hassan districts in Karnataka. It is a richly-forested, heavy rain fall area. In fact the place that gets the maximum rainfall in Karanataka, Agumbe, falls in Malnad. Mullayyanagiri, the highest peak in the State, is also situated here. Coffee, areca and paddy are the principle crops grown here.

Kuvempu, one of the greatest modern writers in Kannada, describes the life and culture of Malnad in great detail in his two epic novels, “Malegalalli Madumagalu” and “Kanooru Heggadathi”. The latter is available in translation as “House of Kanooru”.