FALLS OF

GERSOPPA  , a cataract on the Sharavati river in the North Kanara district of Bombay . The falls are considered the finest in India . The river descends in four separate cascades called the Raja or Horseshoe, the Roarer, the Rocket and the Dame Blanche . The cliff over which the river plunges is 83o ft. high, and the pool at the base of the Raja Fall is 132 ft. deep . The falls are reached by boat from Honavar, or by road from Gersoppa village, 18 m. distant . Near the village are extensive ruins (the finest of which is a cruciform temple) of Nagarbastikere, the capital of the Jain chiefs of Gersoppa . Their family was established in power in 1409 by the Vijayanagar kings, but subsequently became practically independent . The chieftaincy was several times held by women, and on the death of the last queen (1608) it collapsed, having been attacked by the chief of Bednur . Among the Portuguese the district was celebrated for its pepper, and they called its queen " Regina da pimenta " (queen of pepper) .