The sand deposit and dunes deposited across eastern bank of the river Hagari or the Vedavathi are a thick accumulation of brownish sand dune mounds. These wind-blown sands are considered to have been deposited by a flood a century or two ago. Based on data available in the British era district gazetteer of Bellary district, it is possible to infer that the sands were most likely deposited by a flash flood that occurred in May 1851.

Hagari, also known as Vedavathi upstream, originates in the Baba Budangiri range of hills in the Western Ghats of Karnataka as two streams, namely Veda and Avathi. The combined streams run across Kadur Taluk of Chickmagalur District and enters into the North-East of Chitradurga District, where it is dammed as Marikanive reservoir, east of Hiriyur. From here on, the river takes the name Hagari, turns north and passes into Bellary District of erstwhile Madras Presidency but now part of Karnataka State.

According to the District Gazetteer ???in 1804, during the south west monsoon, there was a series of terrific storms during which hundreds of tanks were breached and again in 1851 a cyclone swept through the district, washing away several villages, and destroying many roads and irrigation works. The Hagari rose suddenly during this storm and overwhelmed the town of Guliam on its right bank, drowning many of the inhabitants.???

Govindawada is one of village on right bank of Hagari river which was subsumed by rapid desertification. This town, now overwhelmed by sand, was the capital of Nidugal Cholas who were subordinates to Chalukyas of Kalyani. The ancient Neelakanteshwara temple built in the 11th century AD has an inscription which mentions it as a place with good fertile land and abundant irrigation. The temple is now surrounded with a thick blanket of sand and lies in between the river and high sand mounds.

The landscape with dunes and interspersed with tiny shrub vegetation, exposed to the blistering heat and sand wind resembles a vast desert. The villagers of Honnur mention that after a popular Telugu film was shot here in 2000, the place has become famous and continues to attract many filmmakers

Shiva is an avid field explorer of history and the environment. His blog, https://terrainnexplorer.com/ is a repository of fascinating stories and research.