The Chalukyan Architecture of the Kanarese Districts c35.1

c35.1

SOME of the finest natural scenery in the Bombay Presidency is to be found in the vicinity of the Gokāk Falls in the Belgaum district, and about five miles from the town of Gokāk. Here the river Ghaṭprabhā, flowing eastwards, precipitates itself over a sheer cliff into the valley, a hundred and eighty feet below, amidst wild surroundings of rugged boulder-strewn hills and cactus jungle. But, unfortunately for the picturesque, its beauty is marred by the close proximity of a cotton mill and a modern suspension bridge which spans the crest of the Falls. But where modern masonry offends, the crumbling ruins of several ancient shrines, half hidden by cactus and boulder, add, by their fretted walls, a charm to the whole scene.