Mangalore

Mangalore is the chief port city bounded by the Arabian Sea and the Western Ghat mountain ranges. Mangalore is the administrative headquarters of the Dakshina Kannada (South Canara) district in south-western Karnataka. Distance from Mangaluru, Karnataka to Kannur, Kerala is 154.5 km and takes around 3 h 42 min via Kochi - Panvel Highway. Distance from Mangaluru to Udupi, Karnataka is 55.6 km and travel time is around 1 h 10 min via Kochi - Panvel Highway.



Mangalore derives its name from the local Hindu deity Mangaladevi. It developed as a port on the Arabian Sea - remaining, to this day, a major port of India. Lying on the backwaters of the Netravati and Gurupura rivers, Mangalore is often used as a staging point for sea traffic along the Malabar Coast. The city has a tropical climate and lies on the path of the Arabian Sea branch of the South-West monsoons. Mangalore's port handles 75% of India's coffee exports and the bulk of the nation's cashew exports

Mangaladevi Temple, Mangalore
KSRTC Bus Services from Bangalore to Mangalore
Mangalore Travel Agents

Mangalore was ruled by several major powers, including the Kadambas, Vijayanagar dynasty, Chalukyas, Rashtrakutas, Hoysalas, and the Portuguese. The city was a source of contention between the British and the Mysore rulers, Hyder Ali and Tippu Sultan. Eventually annexed by the British in 1799, Mangalore remained part of the Madras Presidency until India's independence in 1947. The city was unified with the state of Mysore (Karnataka) in 1956.

Mangalore is demographically diverse with several languages, including Tulu, Konkani, Kannada, and Beary commonly spoken and understood. The city's landscape is characterized by rolling hills, coconut palms, freshwater streams, and hard red-clay tiled-roof buildings.

Mangalore was named after the local Hindu deity Mangaladevi, the presiding deity of the Mangaladevi temple. According to local legend, Matsyendranath, the founder of the Nath tradition, arrived in the area with a princess from Kerala named Premaladevi. Having converted Premaladevi to the Nath sect, Matsyendranath renamed her Mangaladevi. After her death, the Mangaladevi temple was consecrated in her honour at Bolar in Mangalore.

One of the earliest references to the city's name was made in 715 CE by the Pandyan King Chettian, who called the city Managalapuram. The 11th-century Arabian traveler Ibn Battuta referred to Mangalore as Manjarur in his chronicles. In Kannada, the city is called Mangaluru, a reference to Mangaladevi (the suffix uru means town or city in Kannada). In 1526 CE, the Portuguese took possession of Mangalore. During their regime, Mangalore (a corruption of Manga?uru), stuck as the official appellation. After subsequent British occupation in 1799, this Portuguese name was assimilated into English.

Mangalore's diverse communities have different names for the city in their languages. In Tulu, the city is called Kudla meaning junction, since the city is situated at the confluence of the Netravati and Phalguni rivers. In Konkani, Mangalore is referred to as Kodial. The Beary name for the city is Maikala, meaning wood charcoal, an attribution to the early practice of producing charcoal from wood on the banks of the Netravati river. On the occasion of Suvarna Karnataka in 2006, the Karnataka Government stated that the city would be renamed Mangalooru, though this change in name was not implemented.

History of Mangalore
The area that is now Mangalore has been mentioned in many ancient works of Hindu mythology. In the epic Ramayana, Lord Rama ruled over the region, while in the epic Mahabharata, Sahadeva, the youngest of the Pandavas, governed the area. Arjuna, the hero of Mahabharata, also visited the area when he travelled from Gokarna to Adur, a village near Kasargod. Mangalore's historical importance is highlighted by the many references to the city by foreign travelers. Cosmas Indicopleustes, a Greek monk, referred to the port of Mangalore as Mangarouth. Pliny, a Roman historian, made references to a place called Nithrias, while Greek historian Ptolemy referred to a place called Nitre. Ptolemy's and Pliny the Elder's references were probably made to the Netravati River, which flows through Mangalore. Ptolemy also referred to the city as Maganoor in some of his works.

Several regional and foreign powers have fought over the control of Mangalore. Major regional dynasties, such as the Western Chalukyas, Rashtrakutas and Hoysalas ruled the town until the arrival of the Portuguese in the 16th century. From 200-600 CE, the Kadamba dynasty ruled over the region. Mangalore was the capital of the Alupa dynasty until the 14th century. The city, then an important trading zone for Persian merchants, was visited by Adenese merchant Abraham Ben Yiju. The Moroccan traveler Ibn Battuta, who had visited the town in 1342, referred to it as Manjarun, and stated that the town was situated on a large estuary. In 1448, Abdul Razak, the Persian ambassador of Sultan Shah Rukh of Samarkand, visited Mangalore, and was amazed at a glorious temple he saw in the city, en route to Vijayanagara.

European influence in Mangalore can be traced back to 1498, when the Portuguese explorer Vasco Da Gama landed at St Mary's Island near Mangalore. In 1520, the Portuguese took control of the area from the Vijayanagara dynasty, and ruled the city until the latter half of the 18th century. In 1526, the Portuguese defeated the Bangara king and his allies, resulting in the Muslim-dominated control over Mangalore's trade coming into Portuguese hands. In the 16th century, Goud Saraswat Brahmins and Roman Catholics from Goa migrated to Mangalore as a result of the Portuguese-Maratha Wars and the Goa Inquisition. In 1695, the town was torched by Arabs in retaliation to Portuguese restrictions on Arab trade. During the 17th century, the Keladi Nayaka kingdom defeated the Portuguese and ruled the town till 1762.

Hyder Ali, the ruler of Mysore, conquered Mangalore in 1763, consequently bringing the city under his administration until 1767. Mangalore was ruled by the British East India Company from 1767 to 1783,but was subsequently wrested from their control by Hyder Ali's son, Tippu Sultan in 1783. The Second Anglo-Mysore War ended with the Treaty of Mangalore, signed between Tippu Sultan and the British East India Company on March 11, 1784. After the defeat of Tippu at the Fourth Anglo-Mysore War, the city remained in control of the British, headquartering the Canara district under their regime.

The city was largely peaceful during British rule, with urban and infrastructural developments being affected during the period. Mangalore flourished in education and in industry, becoming a commercial centre for trade. The opening of the German Basel Mission in 1834 brought many cotton weaving and tile manufacturers to the city. When Canara was bifurcated into North Canara and South Canara in 1863, Mangalore was transferred into South Canara and beacame its headquarters. The linking of Mangalore in 1907 to the Southern Railway, and the subsequent proliferation of motor vehicles in India, further increased trade and communication between the city and the rest of the country. Roman Catholic missions played an important role in the fields of education, health and social welfare. The enactment of the Madras Town Improvement Act (1865) mandated the establishment of the Municipal council on May 23, 1866, which was responsible for urban planning and providing civic amenities.

As a result of the States Reorganisation Act (1956), Mangalore (part of the Madras Presidency until this time) was incorporated into the dominion of the newly created Mysore State (now called Karnataka). Mangalore is a major city of Karnataka, providing the state with access to the Arabian Sea coastline. Mangalore experienced significant growth in the decades 1970-80, with the opening of New Mangalore Port on May 4, 1974 and commissioning of Mangalore Chemicals & Fertilizers Limited on March 15, 1976. The late 20th century saw Mangalore develop as a business, commercial and information technology (IT) centre, although the traditional red tile-roofed houses are still retained in the city. Events in Mangalore that made national headlines were the occasional riots in 2006.

Mangalorean Recipes

Mangalorean cuisine is well known for their distinct flavor. In general, the Mangalorean recipes are quite spicy and fresh coconut is an integral part of these recipes. Rice is the staple food of the Mangaloreans though for the non vegetarians, fish is also a regular meal. Look out for Vegetarian Hotel Mangalapuram Railway Station for Mangalore Spring Onion Dosas and other mangalorian Recipes.

The cuisine of Mangalore would remain incomplete without usage of rice. Rice is cooked in various forms such as pancakes, wafer thin rice rottis served with chicken curry, grain rice, sannas i.e., idlis fluffed with toddy or yeast, neer dosa, etc. Apart from rice, another important thing used in the cuisine of Mangalore is fruits. Many of the recipes at Mangalore are incomplete without the usage of fruits such as jackfruit, bamboo shoot, breadfruit, raw banana, spinach Basale, sweet cucumber known as Taute, etc.

A remarkable feature of the Mangalorean sweet dishes is that instead of using sugar, Mangaloreans use jaggery made of palm so as to keep themselves healthy. Moreover, this sweet syrup has a fragrance and taste of its own and thereby makes the Payasam more delicious. Moreover, the three main things that add flavor to the various dishes of Mangalore are raw mango, tamarind and kokum.

Temples in Mangalore

Sri Durga Parameshwari Temple is situated in the Bappanadu Mulki village of the Dakshin Kannada district. The temple is located on the banks of River Sambhavi. Sri Karinjeshwara Temple is situated in the town of Karinja, in the Dakshin Kannada district, is one of the most honoured pilgrim spots in Karnataka. Shree Durga Parameshwari Temple is located in the temple town of Kateel in Dakshina Kannada district of Karnataka. Kukke Subrahmanya, dedicated to Lord Subrahmanya, also called Murugan, is a Hindu temple situated in Subramanya, in the Western Ghats of Karnataka. Mangaladevi Temple is situated in Mangalore city at a place called Bolara. Nellitheertha Cave Temple is located in Nellitheertha town, which is present in the Dakshina Kannada district of Karnataka. Shree Panchalingeshwara Temple has been built directly without the pedestal and this is clearly visible. Puttur Mahalingeshwara Temple is an ancient temple which was constructed in the 12th century A.D. Shri Raja Rajeshwari temple, Polali - The temple is situated in the Dakshina Kannada district in Karnataka. Surya Sadashiva Temple is situated in the Nada Village of the Dakshina Kannada district in Karnataka. Thousand Pillars Temple, Moodbidri is a Jain temple in Moodbidri that is located in the Dakshina Kannada district. Sri Venkatramana Temple in Mangalore is of great religious significance.nShri Vinayaka Shankaranarayana Durgamba Temple is situated in Nandavara town in the Bantwal Taluq of Dakshina Kannada.

Kudroli Shri Bhagavathi Kshetra

Kudroli Shri Bhagavathi Temple is situated in a vast two acre scenic plot in the heart of Mangalore City. It is in the heart of the city just a stones throw away from City Centre Hampankatta. Nearby are expert P.U. College Canara High School/College and Besant Women's College. It is easily reachable by minimum auto fare from the city centre. The temple itself is about 800 years old. The renovated four temple complexes are built by Karnataka and Kerala artisans using black granite and eye catching wood carvings. The architecture is unique not found anywhereelse. Nearby are Arka Ganapathi Temple and Venkataramana Temple. Pooja timings are 8 a.m. in the morning 12.30 afternoon and 8 p.m. night.

This unique temple complex the presiding deity is "Shri Cheerumbha Bhagavathi". Other temples are for "Shri Padangara Bhagavathi" and "Pullurali Bhagavathi". You will also find ancient single stone multistage granite carving known as "Veerastambha". The world famous "Shri Narayana Guru" statue is carved in white marble and situated in the entrance.

Kudroli Shri Bhagavathi Kshetra
Kodiyalbail, Mangalore 575003
Karnataka, India
Phone Number: 0824-2491001, 88676 10001

Murudeshwara temple dedicated to Lord Shiva, lies in the holy beach town in the Bhatkal Taluk of Uttara Kannada district in the state of Karnataka�more Shri Ganapathi Temple in Idagunji is in Honnavara Taluq, Uttara Kannada District of Karnataka. Statue of Lord Shiva is in Murudeshwara town in Bhatkal Taluq, Uttara Kannada District in Karnataka.

Vidyanikethana Public School
Sharada Vidyanikethana Public School, a premier CBSE affiliated Residential and Day Boarding School is nestled amidst 35 acres of lush green surroundings. The School is located 16 kms. away from the beautiful coastal city of Mangalore on the National Highway No. 66 between Pumpwell Circle and Talapady, near K.C. Road.

Sharada Vidyanikethana Public School
Devi Nagar, Post Talapady, off N.H. 66
Mangalore - 575022
Phone Number: 0824-2280330, 2281220, 2281232, 2281231

Uppunda

Uppunda is a village in Byndoor Taluk with west coast of the village on the Arabian sea the village is home to some of the most beautiful and virgin beaches in South India. The nearest city with an airport is Mangalore which is about 119 kilo-meters away. The town is reachable by water and road from Mangalore. Nearest railway station Byndoor Mookambika Road(BYNR) railway station. It is located in the Byndoor taluk of Udupi district in Karnataka. Before 1951 Uppunda was a part of the larger Madras state within the British East India Company empire and was annexed Karnataka in free republic India. Majority of people in town speak Kannada and Konkani.

Uppunda is also home to one of the largest temple Durgaparameshwari Temple. Every year thousands of people gather to celebrate "KODI HABBA" during the winter months of November and December, which involves transporting the main village deity on a huge chariot, also known as Rath-Utsav or Ratha-Yatra in some parts of India. There are also a dozen other temples within the village such as Raghavendra Swami Mata, Venkataramana Temple, Mood Ganapathi Temple, Shiva Temple.