We were driving to Bhadravati to attend cousin's marriage. As Google showed the route via Hiriyuru as the fastest, we were just following that route. At Hiriyuru, our car took a left turn towards Hosadurga. This route was a typical countryside drive with green fields on both sides. The road was in good condition and the traffic was sparse, the light music in the car made it a very pleasing drive.
We might have driven around 20kms from Hiriyuru and we noticed a yellow board at the side which read we have to take a left turn to reach "Vani Vilasa dam" and it is at a 5 kms distance. We had not heard about this dam before. Since it was just a 5 kms deviation, we thought of exploring this place. And our car turned to the left.
After driving for 10 mins, we reached the dam. At the base of the dam there is a temple “Kanive Maramma Temple”. This temple is dedicated to a grama devathe (Village deity). We have to climb a few steps to reach the dam.
As we reached the top, we had to register our name in a book maintained by a policeman. After entering the details, we walked further to get a view of the dam. To our surprise, the view was pretty good. The wind was so strong that it felt like it is pushing us away!
We walked further on the dam to get a better view. One can see the water with hills at the backdrop.
We spent some time enjoying the scene and of course taking selfies and pictures.
This dam is also known as “Maari kanive”. The river which flows here is called Vedavathi. The water from this dam is used to irrigate a large area of central Karnataka. This is also the source for drinking water for Hiriyuru and Chitradurga. This is the oldest dam in the state which was built by the Mysuru Maharajas pre-independence. This dam is named after the daughter of Maharaja Vani Vilasa.
If you are going to Shivamogga or Sagara, you can visit this place en route and spend some time to enjoy the beautiful atmosphere. There is no good restaurant nearby. Either you need to have food at Hiriyuru or at Tarikere. Here is the location of this dam.
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