Manipal’s landmark Tiger Circle slips into history

Manipal: The Tiger Circle located at the centre of Manipal close to the bus stand has now slipped into history due to the road widening of Udupi-Manipal road.

As the Udupi – Manipal stretch is being developed into a 30 meter concrete road, the circle has been demolished. Also, the stretch is now part of the 90-km NH169A connecting Malpe fisheries harbour here with Tirthahalli in Shivamogga district.

Many decades ago, Manipal was a small hamlet surrounded by forests till educational institutions came up here in 1950’s. However, earlier tigers used to to frequent this place when the dense Kundelkadu forest was around and hence tiger circle derived its name.

As Manipal grew as a a major education hub and a cosmopolitan area with students from different countries studying here, the forest around it also receded. Now the forest areas have been replaced by financial institutions and other industries.

Though in two decades, no one has seen a tiger here, a leopard did pay a brief visit to an educational campus on April 9, 2014. But its visit was short lived with the forest department personnel trapping the leopard the same day and later releasing it into the Western Ghat forests.

Save the circle

Some locals have come together with the aim to save the Tiger Circle and campaign to save the circle has been started on social media.

In order to widen the road, Tiger Circle had to be demolished. But the circle has been a landmark since a long time and there are people’s memories attached to it. Therefore, some small structure should come up in its place so that these memories are retained, said a campaigner.

Sources in National Highway Department inform that was no proposal for the construction of another Circle in the present road-widening plan. However, if the Road Safety Committee submits a proposal then the department may look in to it, the source informed.