Kuppalli, also known as Kuppali, is a small village in Thirthahalli taluk of Shimoga district in the state of Karnataka in India. It is famous for being the childhood home of the renowned Kannada poet Kuvempu.
The celebrated Kannada poet and writer Kuvempu belonged to this village and was very attached to it. Indeed, this pen-name Kuvempu (Kannada: ಕುವೆಂಪು) pays homage to the author's home, created as it is from the first letters from his full name "Kuppali Venkatappa Puttappa" (Venkatappa being his father's name).[1] Kuppalli is also the birthplace of Poornachandra Tejaswi, the son of Kuvempu and a famous Kannada writer himself. It is also the place where Kuvempu and Poornachandra Tejaswi have been cremated. The childhood home of Kuvempu at Kuppali has been converted into a museum by Rashtrakavi Kuvempu Pratishtana (a trust dedicated to Kuvempu). This trust has undertaken immense developmental works in Kuppali to showcase Kuvempu and his works to the external world.
Kuvempu was born in Hirekodige, Koppa taluk, of Chikmagalur district to a native Kannada family. He was brought up in Kuppalli. His education started at his home by an appointed teacher from Dakshina Kannada. He joined Anglo Vernacular school in Thirthahalli to continue his middle school education. He lost his father, Venkatappa Gowda, when he was only 12. Kuvempu finished his lower and secondary education in Kannada and English in Thirthahalli. He moved to Mysore for further education and completed his high school from Wesleyan High School. He pursued his college studies in Maharaja's College of Mysore, and graduated in 1929 with a major in Kannada.[2]
Kavishaila is a rock monument made of megalithic rocks and dedicated to Kuvempu. It is on the top of a small hill in Kuppali. Arranged in a circular fashion, the rocks have been placed to resemble the Stonehenge in England. At the centre of this rock monument is the place where Kuvempu was laid to rest after his death and a memorial has been constructed at that location. Near this monument, is a small rock where Kuvempu used to sit and discuss about literature and other topics with his other litterateur friends. A rock containing the etched signatures of Kuvempu, B. M. Srikantaiah and T S Venkannaiah is present near the monument. Poornachandra Tejaswi later engraved his signature on the same rock. Granite slabs containing engraved poems and quotes of Kuvempu have been placed near the monument.
A 3D reconstructed digitized model of Kavisamadhi and etched signatures are developed by Axesmap under #DigitalHeritage program.
Kavimane is the ancestral house of Kuvempu. Kavimane means House of the poet in the Kannada language. Nestled in the midst of green forests of Malnad, the house presents a scintillating view. It is a three-storeyed tiled house including the ground floor and is the house where Kuvempu spent most of his childhood. This house has now been renovated and converted into a museum. The architecture of the house is what is locally called, in which the house consists of a central square area resembling a (pond) that is open to sky and surrounded by a courtyard. This house is open on all days of the year from 9:00 AM to 6:30 PM. There is an entry fee of 10 Rupees for adults and for children over the age of 10. Photography inside Kavimane is prohibited.
Kuppali is around 18 km from the taluk headquarters, Thirthahalli and 80 km. from the district headquarters, Shivamogga. From, one has to take the National Highway NH-13 (Shivamogga - Thirthahalli road) to reach Kuppali. From Bengaluru, one has to take the National Highway NH-206 to reach Shivamogga and then take the above mentioned route. There is an overnight bus run by KSRTC from Bangalore to Kuppali. The total distance from Bengaluru to Kuppali is around 350 km. From Mangalore, one can take NH-169 to reach Kuppali. The distance from Mangalore to Kuppali is 153 km. Kuppali is around 10 km from Koppa town.
The nearest railway station is in Shimoga. Numerous trains run from Bengaluru and Mysore to Shimoga.
The nearest airport is Mangalore International Airport.