# Periyapatna

Periyapatna, also known as piriyāpattana, is a town located in Mysore district. Periyapatna is also known for being one of the largest producers of high-quality tobacco, so it is called the land of tobacco and there is a popular temples in Periyapatna, the Kannambadi Amma and Masanikamma temples which are frequented by the villagers.

## Location

Periyapatna is located at 12°20′N 76°06′E﻿ / ﻿12.34°N 76.1°E﻿ / 12.34; 76.1. It has an average elevation of 852 metres (2,795 ft) above mean-sea-level. The town is situated on Bengaluru-Mysuru-Mangaluru Highway at a distance of 70 km from Mysuru. The town is nearby Kushalanagar of Kodagu district.
> There is a mini Tibet, hosting the world’s second-largest Tibetan settlement (Dharamsala in Himachal Pradesh has the largest Tibetian settlement) Bylakuppe Town Periyapatna Taluk Karnataka.
> In the 1960s, when China invaded Tibet, nearly 1 lakh Tibetans were tragically killed within two and a half years.
> Around 98% of the monasteries were destroyed, erasing the local culture.
> In response, many Tibetan refugees sought shelter in India, including their leader Dalai Lama.
> He requested the Indian government to provide a place for Tibetan refugees in India.
> The then Karnataka Chief Minister, S Nijalingappa, allocated 3,000 acres of land in Mysuru district’s Bylakuppe town.
> Today, more than 20,000 Tibetans live there happily, preserving their culture.
> There is hope that one day, Tibetans will return to their homeland, as expressed by a settler in Bylakuppe, Mr. Dorji: “If we become Indian citizens, it will impact the Tibetan freedom struggle. There is still hope for the struggle among a majority of the Tibetan people.”

## Rehabilitation

Schema has been sanctioned for the rehabilitation of East Pakistan displaced person in Periyapatna taluk and not Periyapatna town. Around 800 agriculturist families settled there. It will cost about this Rs 4,000 per family. The cost of the entire scheme is borne by the Central Government. The state government for the moment has offered about 8,000 acres of land, and we are told that the area is covered with forests. Six acres of land will be given to each family and according to the State Government, it will be quite sufficient for any agriculturist family. The scheme has been dropped.

## Places of interest

The temple of Aprameya was built in the 11th century by Chola emperor Rajendra Simha. The temple is named after the invading Chola general Aprameya. The idol of Ambegalu Navaneetha Krishna (crawling Krishna with butter in hand), is believed to be the only deity of Lord Sri Krishna in this pose. This idol was installed by Vyasaraja (aka Vyasatirtha), who was a prominent saint of Dvaita Vedanta. The famous Kriti (musical composition or song) "Jagadodharana Adisidale Yashode" was composed by most prominent composer of Carnatic music Purandaradasa in appreciation of the beauty of this idol.
Bylakuppe Tibetian settlement is located in this taluk and it is a home to around 70,000 Tibetians. The town is mainly inhabited by Tibetans who, according to a demographic survey carried out by the Central Tibetan Administration's Planning Commission in 1998, accounted for 50,727 individuals at that time. However, it is unclear whether these figures included the Vajrayana Buddhist monks living there. Today, an estimated 70,000 Tibetans live in the settlements; these were established on land leased by the state government to accommodate some of the Tibetan expatriates who came to resettle in India after 1959. Bylakuppe consists of a number of agricultural settlements, colonies are close to each other, and has number of monasteries and temples in all the major Tibetan Buddhist traditions. Most notable among them are the large educational monastic institution Sera Monastery, the smaller Tashi Lhunpo Monastery (both in the Gelug tradition) and Namdroling Monastery (in the Nyingma tradition). Bylakuppe also has many Buddhist universities for advanced Buddhist practices.

## Demographics

Religions in Periyapatna Taluk :
| Religion | Religion | Percent | Percent |
| Hinduism | Hinduism | 87.70% | 87.70% |
| Islam | Islam | 8.68% | 8.68% |
| Buddhism | Buddhism | 1.31% | 1.31% |
| Christianity | Christianity | 1.31% | 1.31% |
| Other or not stated | Other or not stated | 0.29% | 0.29% |
As per the Population Census 2011, there are total 4,031 families residing in the Piriyapatna city. The total population of Piriyapatna is 16,685 out of which 8,284 are males and 8,401 are females thus the Average Sex Ratio of Piriyapatna is 1,014.
The population of Children of age 0–6 years in Piriyapatna city is 1851 which is 11% of the total population. There are 946 male children and 905 female children between the age 0–6 years. Thus as per the Census 2011 the Child Sex Ratio of Piriyapatna is 957 which is less than Average Sex Ratio (1,014).
As per the Census 2011, the literacy rate of Piriyapatna is 80.8%. Thus Piriyapatna has higher literacy rate compared to 72.8% of Mysore district. The male literacy rate is 86.56% and the female literacy rate is 75.27% in Piriyapatna.
Languages of Periyapatna
Vokkaliga Gowda community forms the highest population of the Taluk and majorly are tobacco cultivators. Also it is the homeland for Majority of Minor Tribal group Beda Nayakas (ST-Hunting tribal groups..also called as Valmiki Nayakas) vowing to thick Malanad forest around and Hunting being their occupation. As of 2001 India census,