The Shettihalli Church — popularly called the Floating Church — re-emerged in Hassan district, Karnataka, on 7 July 2026 as falling reservoir levels at the Hemavati (Gorur) Dam exposed the historic structure amid deficient monsoon rainfall. (Photo: NationPress)
Receding waters of the Hemavati (Gorur) Dam in Hassan district have laid bare the stone walls of the Shettihalli Church, a 19th-century Gothic structure that is submerged each monsoon season. (Photo: NationPress)
Below-normal monsoon rainfall in Karnataka in 2026 has caused Hemavati reservoir levels to fall, uncovering the ruins of Shettihalli Church — a heritage landmark in Hassan district that draws visitors whenever the dam runs low. (Photo: NationPress)
The Shettihalli Church in Hassan, Karnataka is a 19th-century Gothic-style structure that was submerged when the Gorur Dam was built across the Hemavati river; it surfaces only when reservoir levels fall sharply. (Photo: NationPress)
Low storage at the Gorur Dam on 7 July 2026 has exposed the characteristic stone arches and roofless nave of Shettihalli Church, offering a rare view of the submerged heritage structure in Hassan district, Karnataka. (Photo: NationPress)
A shortfall in monsoon rainfall across Hassan district this season has lowered the Hemavati reservoir, bringing the Shettihalli Floating Church into full view — a sight that draws heritage enthusiasts and photographers each dry spell. (Photo: NationPress)
The periodic re-emergence of Shettihalli Church from the waters of the Hemavati reservoir in Hassan, Karnataka is known to attract tourists and photographers who document the Gothic ruins rising above the waterline. (Photo: NationPress)
The Hemavati (Gorur) Dam in Karnataka typically submerges Shettihalli Church during a healthy monsoon; in years of deficient rainfall, the reservoir recedes enough to reveal the ruins — as seen on 7 July 2026. (Photo: NationPress)
Repeated cycles of submersion and exposure have reportedly accelerated the deterioration of Shettihalli Church's masonry in Hassan district, Karnataka, raising concerns among heritage conservationists about the long-term preservation of the structure. (Photo: NationPress)
Once an active parish church, Shettihalli Church in Hassan, Karnataka was abandoned and eventually submerged after the Gorur Dam was constructed across the Hemavati river, transforming it into one of Karnataka's most photographed heritage ruins. (Photo: NationPress)
The low water level at the Hemavati (Gorur) Dam on 7 July 2026 signals a deficient monsoon season for Hassan district, with the exposed Shettihalli Church serving as a visible marker of the reservoir's declining storage. (Photo: NationPress)
The Gothic spires and ruined walls of Shettihalli Church rose above the Hemavati reservoir waterline in Hassan, Karnataka on 7 July 2026, captured by NationPress photographers documenting the impact of deficient monsoon rainfall on the region's water bodies. (Photo: NationPress)