Tarikere
Tarikere is a taluk in the Chikkamagaluru district in the state of Karnataka of India. The headquarters of the taluk is a town of the same name. It is popularly known as gateway of Malnad because the Malnad area starts from here. The town's name is derived from the number of water tanks which surround it (kere is the word for a large water tank). Getting there. Road. National Highway NH-69 (Previously known as NH 206) (Bengaluru to Honnavar) passes through Tarikere. From Mysore it can be reached via Mysore - Arsikere then NH-69. From the district headquarters of  Chikkamagaluru, Tarikere can be reached in 2 different ways. It can be reached via Lingadahalli, or via Kadur & Birur. Rail. Tarikere lies on the Birur to Talguppa railway line. There are trains from Chikkamagalur, Mysuru and Bengaluru which stop at Tarikere on the way to Shimoga. Air. There are no airports in the near vicinity. People traveling via airplane have to make use of the Mangaluru, Hubballi, or Bengaluru airports and choose an alternate means of transport to reach Tarikere. The nearest International airport is Mangalore which is about 210kms, via Agumbe ghat road. Geography. Tarikere is located at . It  has an average elevation of 698 metres (2290 feet). Tarikere borders three taluks in its own district. There is Channagiri taluk to the north, Narasimharajapura to the west, Chikkamagaluru to the south-west, and Kadur to the south. Shimoga and Bhadravathi border Tarikere to the North and are in the Shimoga District. The following are the headquarters which include both Malnad and Maidan within Tarikere taluk: Demographics. India census, Tarikere had a population of about 35,000. Males constitute 51% of the population and females constitute 49%. Tarikere has an average literacy rate of 68%, 8.5% higher than the national average  of 59.5%: male literacy levels are at 73%, and female literacy levels are at 62%. In Tarikere, 11% of the population is under 6 years of age. Economy. Agriculture is the primary occupation in Tarikere. Betel nuts, Paddy, Ragi, Areca nuts, Coffee, Coconuts, Bananas, Pan leaves, Mangoes, and Corn are the major types of crops grown in this region. The region used to be a major rice-producing area though now predominantly grows areca nut. Vigyan Industries, a subsidiary of BEML, is present near Tarikere and is a major producer of steel castings. Nearby places. Tarikere is surrounded by many  tanks and ponds. The tanks near Tarikere include Chikkere, Doddakere, Dalavikere, Ramanayakanakere, and Kendarahalla. There are also several historical places surrounding Tarikere. Other information. Tarikere is immortalised in the popular Kannada tongue-twister folksong ""Tarikere Eri Mele Mooru Kari Kuri Mari Meythittu"". This was also the title for a song in the film "Devara Duddu" and was sung by the famous singer, S P Balasubramanyam.