COLONEL HILL HONAVAR

Colonel Hill is in Honavar. Honavar is Honnavara. Honavar is Honnavar. Honavar is a peaceful and panoramic costal town in the district of Uttara Kannada (formerly North Canara) in Karnataka, India. It is a Taluk(Taluka) Head Quarters.

Colonel Hill is the tallest point in Honavar. A column erected in memory of Major General Clement Hill stands atop the hill. History speaks to us through a tablet at the base of the column. Time has erased a few letters on the tablet.  The historical monument is unprotected and a part of it has been vandalized. The inscription reads, “ This column is erected by the 14^th Madras Native Infantry A Guard of which Regiment in escorting to their final Earthly resting place The remains of Major General Clement Hill Had The sad duty of paying the last honours ……… active military life. Won the love of every officer And Man with whom he served He died at The Falls of Gairsuppah on the 20^th of January 1845 in the………….His age …. whole……… The Mysore Division”

It is history that Major General Clement Hill was laid to rest atop the hill.  The aerial view of Honavar and surrounding villages from top of the hill is glorious. Arabian Sea with fishing boats and ships on the move and Sharavati River on its final leg bifurcated from the sea by a narrow strip of land full of Coconut and Areca nut trees on the west coast of India describe how nature has blessed the land and the people. Turn east and enjoy the stunning glimpse of the Western Ghats where rain forests abound with its varied flora and fauna.

At some point of time the hill top,  final resting place of late Major General Clement Hill became Colonel Hill.   People of Honavar now call it Karnel Hill. The makeover in 166 years is amazing.

I had first visited Honavar in 1972.  The column atop the hill looked an abandoned structure. There were no steps up the hill. The terrain was barren and the surface rocky. It was an adventure climbing the hill and I was doing it three or four times a week during 1972-73. Hills were always a passion for me and I loved the adventure.  Though I had left the place in 1973 I had made it a point to visit Honavar whenever I could. I found a Children’s Park coming up there in one of my visits. It was a project of the Rotary Club of Honavar.  Our children enjoyed the ride down the slide and the see- saw. We had a wonderful time going up and down the hill every day. The Rotary Club went on with the development of the hill. Steps were built for effortless climb. Seedlings of trees were planted for greening the rocky terrain. Though no water was available there the plants were watered incessantly. The memorial column was badly in need of repairs. The repairs were undertaken and the column was given a fresh coat of paint to withstand ravages of weather. We heard that as the workers reached the top they found an eagle’s nest. Scared of the men the eagle had flown abandoning its chick. The Rotarians were a compassionate lot and one of them took the chick home, looked after it till it grew up and set it free when it could look after itself.

I had observed that the seedlings were nurtured well during my visits to Honavar. I visited the place last in October 2011. I was pleasantly surprised to find a garden with trees up the hill where rocky terrain had been taunting people for long.  Colonel Hill has now been transformed to a beautiful park. The park is full of trees that offer shade to visitors. There are two approaches to Colonel Hill. We can drive and reach the gates of the park or we can climb the steps and reach the top. A magnificent spectacle awaits us.  .

Honavar is 200 KM from Mangalore, 60 KM from Gersoppa and Jog Falls, 200 KM from Hubli and Dharwad, 90 KM from Karwar where Indian Navy has their project Sea Bird and 150 KM from Goa. One night’s journey by Bus separates it from both Bangalore and Mysore. The place was part of Bombay State before the reorganization of states in India. River Sharavati flows into Arabian Sea at Honavar. There are two bridges in Honavar across Sharavati River. The road bridge 1.6 Km long is on NH 17 and the railway bridge 2 Km long is on the Konkan Railway. Honavar has a Railway Station, but the railway line is invisible in Honavar. Perhaps Honavar will be the sole town in India where residents are unable to see the railway track and the train.  As the train from Mangalore crosses the bridge and moves over to Honavar the track enters a tunnel 2 Km long.  The train passes Honavar Town through the tunnel and   as it comes out it reaches Honavar Station situated at Karki, a village on the outskirts of Honavar. The bridges link Honavar and Kasarakod. Kasarakod has a fourishing Fishing Harbour. Honavar has a Bundar where one can buy fish from the country crafts. We get varieties of fish at the Bundar. Fresh water fish from Sharavati and fish from Arabian Sea are on offer.

Colonel Hill with its ancient monument steadfastly guarding the remains of late Major General Clement Hill survives in obscurity in an obscure town. History does not fade nor can be wished away.  Colonel Hill indeed is a bonanza to the discerning traveller who trek it to Honavar.