Dudhsagar Falls

{{Infobox waterfall

| name = Dudhsagar Falls

| alt_name =

| photo = Doodhsagar Fall.jpg

| photo_caption = Dudhsagar Waterfalls in 2015

| location = Goa

| coords = {{coord|15.31277|N|74.31416|E|region:IN_type:waterbody|display=inline,title}}

| elevation =

| type = Tiered (4 Tiered)

| height = {{convert|320|m|ft}}

| height_longest =

| average_width = {{convert|30|m|ft}}

| number_drops = 5

| average_flow =

| watercourse = Mandovi River

| world_rank =

}}

Dudhsagar Falls ({{lit|Sea of Milk}}) is a four-tiered waterfall on the Mahadayi River in the state of Goa. It is 60km from Panaji by road and is located on the Belagavi–Vasco Da Gama rail route about 46km east of Madgaon and 80km south of Belagavi

. Dudhsagar Falls is perched at the top of a crescent shaped valley and surrounded by pristine forests, and it is amongst India's tallest waterfalls with a height of 310 m (1017 feet) and an average width of 30 metres (100 feet).{{cite web |url=http://www.world-waterfalls.com/database.php?pageNum_wwdSearch=6&totalRows_wwdSearch=919&s=N&t=H&orderby=height&sortLimit=300 |title=World's highest waterfalls |publisher=World Waterfall Database |access-date=2006-11-11}}

Location

The falls are located in the Bhagwan Mahaveer Sanctuary and Mollem National Park among the Western Ghats. The falls are a punctuation mark in the journey of the Mandovi River from the Western Ghats to Panjim where it meets the Arabian sea. The area is surrounded by deciduous forests with rich biodiversity.{{cite journal|author1=S.D. Gad |author2=S.K. Shyama |year=2009|title=Studies on the food and feeding habits of Gaur Bos gaurus H. Smith (Mammalia: Artiodactyla: Bovidae) in two protected areas of Goa |journal= Journal of Threatened Taxa |volume=1|issue=2|pages=128–130 |doi=10.11609/jott.o1589.128-30|doi-access=free |s2cid=84861488 }}

Accessibility

File:Castle rock railway station, Karnataka.jpg

The nearest rail station accessible by road to the falls is Castle Rock, Uttara Kannada, Karnataka.[http://www.fallingrain.com/world/IN/19/Castle_Rock.html Castle Rock, India Accessed 2006-04-29] Visitors could get in a train from here and disembark at the Dudhsagar stop. Recently Indian Railways has banned people from boarding/deboarding passengers at Dudhsagar railway, the same is considered to be an offence under the Railway regulations.{{cite web|url=http://www.navhindtimes.com/story.php?story=2008100545|title=Oh!Mandovi|publisher=Navhind Times|access-date=2008-10-16}}

Dudhsagar trek

There are two routes to reach the falls. One is starting the trek from Kulem and following the jeep trail until the bottom of the waterfall. The second option is via the railway track which is roughly around 11 km. This trek is not allowed by the Government of Goa (Forest Department) as it is very risky being on a railway track with minimum safety. Anyone trekking along the Railway trek can be heavily fined and can even land you in jail.

Gallery

File:Dudhsagar Falls triplet, 2009.JPG|Lower half of Dudhsagar Falls

File:Doodhsagar Waterfalls.jpg|alt=A picture of Dudhsagar falls taken in August|Dudhsagar falls in August

File:Dudhsagar Falls Triplet.jpg|Train passing next to the Dudhsagar Falls

File:Dudh Sagar Mendes.jpg|alt=A painting of Dudhsagar falls in the early 1850s by Antonio Lopes Mendes|Dudhsagar falls in the early 1850s as seen by Antonio Lopes Mendes