Sakleshpur or Sakleshapura is a hill station town and headquarters of Sakleshapura Taluk in Hassan district in the Indian state of Karnataka.
The town lies in the Malnad region on the magnificent hills of the biodiversity hotspot, the Western Ghats. It has a temperate climate surrounded with lofty green hills full of coffee, cardamom, pepper and areca plantations . These crops which contribute mainly to the economy of the taluk are grown in the surrounding villages and the entire taluk are brought to Sakleshapura city for sale. The town lies on the National Highway 48 (NH-48) which connects the port city of Mangalore, with the capital city Bangalore of Karnataka state. The nearest airport is Mangalore International Airport.
The name Shakala is a Sanskrit word which means "Bhinnavada" or "Birukada". In the past a Shivalinga found in this town which was broken. The linga was called as Shakaleshwara which since then became Sakaleshwara in the tongue of the local people. A temple was also built at the entrance of the town. Later, the town was also called as Sakaleshapura. Sakaleshwara swami's ratha yatra is held on Purnima in February of every year. In front of the Shakaleshwara temple, a newly constructed Shiva temple called as "Holemalleshvara" is situated right next to river Hemavathi. During the rainy season, the temple is filled up with water and is as famous as the Shakaleshwara temple. Another theory is that the name Sakaleshapura evolved from sakala-aishwarya-pura, which in turn got condensed from sakala aishwaryagalinda kudida pura – literally meaning that the place is blessed with all kinds of wealth: Water (River Hemavati); Coffee; Spices – including Cardamom & Pepper; excellent Climate too – being a Hill Station that earned the sobriquet “poor man’s Ooty” during the British Raj; Education; Road links, and lately also a Rail head, etc. This, quoting local coffee planter of repute – the erudite erstwhile educationist & historian, head of department of Oriental Languages and Professor of Kannada at Mangalore’s St Aloysius College: Ligoury Bernard Pereira – who eloquently described the place with all its attributes of wealth – at the State Scouts & Guides Jamboree held in Sakaleshapur in 1978
