Mangalore City in India

Mangalore in India | Mangalore Map | Mangalore City History | Mangaluru Images | Dakshina Kannada | Tulunadu

Info on Mangalore India: Mangalore, the land of Tuluvas is a beautiful coastal city in Karnataka state of India. Mangaluru city greets visitors with its line up of coconut trees. The trees stand tall in most parts of Dakshina Kannada and in the neighboring state Kerala as well. Once called South Kanara district is currently called Dakshina Kannada. Mangalore is a major port in the district and for the whole Karnataka state. The city lies on the west coast of Karnataka state and has five popular beaches. Someshwar, Tannirbavi, Mukka, Panambur and Surathkal. It has developed itself in commercial, educational, industrial and service sectors. It is well-known as Kudla in Tulu language, Kodiala in konkani, Maikala in beary, Manjarun in sanskrit and Mangaluru in Kannada language. The malayalam speaking people from the Kerala state, call it as Mangalapura. Manglore in India has beautiful scenes along the seashore and by the riverside. Hills and ghats add to the picturesque beauty. It has an urban population of 4.3 lakh.

• Interesting Quick Facts about Mangaluru

Coconut Trees by the Riverside

Ancient culture and modern trends are the highlights of the region. Main languages spoken by the local people are Tulu, Kannada, Konkani, Beary and English except in the Bunder area where most of the people speak in Malayalam. As Mangalore city is near the Kerala state border people from the nearby state come for their routine business and studies everyday. 

Dakshina kannada and Udupi districts together form the tulunadu region where most of them are tuluvas or tulu speaking. Historically it was a ship building centre and also well known for Basel Mission tiles or Mangalore tiles. Today, the old port is known as Bunder and the New Mangalore port is located at Panambur, 10km, to the north. The new port handles the coffee and cashew nut exports. As much as 75% of India's coffee export is handled by the port.

Important Days to visit Mangalore in 2018 and 2019:

Vijayadashami or Mangaluru Dasara procession on 19th October 2018 Deputy Chief Minister of Karnataka, Dr. G. Parameshwar will inaugurate Mangalore Darasa at Kudroli on 10th October 2018.

Mannagudda, Lalbagh Gurji Deepotsava celebration during Karthika Masa December 4, 2018.

Kadri Car Festival at Manjunatha temple is to be held on 21st, 22nd or 23rd January(not confirmed).  

Mangalore Car Festival at Veera Venkatramana and Maroli Suryanarayana temple on Ratha Saptami Day, February 12, 2019.

Junction at Balmatta Circle

Mangalore and Mangaluru are the same. Mangaluru is the Kannada version of the name given by British. Of course, Mangaluru is in Karnataka state and belongs to Dakshina Kannada district. Mangalore is located along the coastal line in southwest of India. It is the city very close to the Kerala state border. 

Mangalore is known for its well educated people and healthcare facilities. It has recently become well-known for grand Dasara celebrations. Its proximity to the lush and green Western Ghats is the reason for good rains that start pouring from the month of June. 

Mangalore is famous for beautiful seashores that attract locals and foreigners to actively participate in fun and beach activities. St. Aloysius Chapel for its wonderful paintings and Kudroli Gokarnatha temple are beautiful places to visit, within the city. City Centre Mall on K.S. Rao road is best for shopping and variety of eatables. Pilikula Nisargadhama near Vamanjoor is famous for first 3D Planetarium, Botanical Garden and zoo. 

Sea food like Lady fish, Pomfret and King fish fry are famous in the city. Ideal or Pabbas ice cream parlour, Kalpana Sweets near Central Market, Ramdev Sweets near City Centre which is located on K.S. Rao road, Prabhu Bakery at Mannagudda, Shreyas Sweets on Alake road are famous for sweets.

Agriculture: Paddy is grown as a major food crop in Dakshina Kannada. Production of paddy is nearly 50000 tonnes. 950 tonnes of pulses and 1700 tonnes of sugarcane are grown every year. Jackfruit, Pineapple, Mango and Banana are the fruits that are grown which count to nearly 40,000 tonnes. Green Chilli – 1350 tonnes, variety of Gourds – 6050 tonnes and Sweet Potato – 1200 tonnes are the vegetables grown. The region is well known for Coconut plantation – 360 lakh nuts, Arecanut – 2100 tonnes, and Cashew nuts – 3000 tonnes.

Every year cruise ships are called in at Mangaluru port after they visit Kochi city in Kerala.
Luxury Cruise ships - m.v. AIDAaura, m.v. Seabourn Pride, m.v. Albatros, m.v. Brilliance of the seas, m.v. Amsterdam, Seven seas voyager, AIDAdiva, Silver wind, m.v. Minerva, m.v. Nautica are called at the port. The beautiful port city has attracted many visitors making it as a very hot tourist spot.

Mangalore in History: The existence of Mangaluru town was mentioned in history by Greek geographers Pliny and Ptolemy of Circa during the 1st century A.D. Mangaluru was then the capital town of Alupas who were feudatory rulers in the 7th and 8th century A.D. They named their kingdom as Tulunadu and the rulers gave feudal tributes to Chalukyas of the Badami. It has been mentioned in Sangam works and Tulu vishaya in the ancient inscriptions. 

Reverend Manner, a German Missionary published first Tulu dictionary in Tulu, in the year 1886. But the efforts of Reverend G. Kammerer who died in 1858 cannot be forgotten. He had compiled 2000 vocabulary words before his death.

Once more Kulashekara Alupendra who ruled between 1160 -1220 A.D. had made the town as his capital. Ballala III of the Hoysalas who reigned the region between 1290 – 1342 had controlled it from 1333 A.D. It came under the long lasting rule of Vijayanagara emperors from 1345 A.D..

Mangalore, India map with much needed details for visitors is shown below:

View Larger Mangalore Map Mangalore Map: Mangalore city map with all the details of places is given above. It is the tourist map too for the visitors who go exploring places in and around the city. Google Map displays almost all the places that a tourist goes exploring.
Mangalore City: Coastal city of Mangalore was one of the port towns in India where trade was in full swing even before the British colonial rule. The name of the city Mangaluru originated from the goddess named Mangaladevi whose temple is located at Bolar.

Construction on Hathill

Tagore Park on Light House Hill

Watch Tower at Sulthan Bathery near Boloor

The World Famous - Infosys Technologies at Kottara

Mangalore city population as of 2018 is 681,000. Mangalore district in itself is not a district but a big city. Dakshina Kannada (DK) is the actual district. Mangalore in India is widely popular for its colleges and universities. So it is well known as an educational hub. Tourism is fast picking up as Surfing and other beach activities are becoming favorite during weekends and holidays, both for locals and tourists. Pilikula Nisargadhama, Savira Kambada Basadi of Moodbidri, Mangalore Dasara or the Vijayadashami procession of Gokarnanatha Kshetra, Yakshagana, Sea food and cuisines have all contributed to tourism in Mangalore. 

Queen Abbakka was a brave woman who fought against the Portuguese. She ruled Ullal for 5 decades since 1530.  She was a follower of Jainism.  She won the battle against Portuguese 3 times.  She was helped by the local Mogaveeras (fishermen) and Muslims during her battle.  Finally, she was captured by the Portuguese and sent to jail just because of her husband who disclosed her whereabouts to the enemies.  Ultimately, she died while fighting against the enemies.

In the year 1526 A.D. Mangalore was taken over by Portuguese. Later they signed treaties to bring up a factory at Mangaluru in 1670 A.D. Nayakas of Bidanur took over Mangaluru from Portuguese in the 18^th century. Tipu Sultan’s father Haider Ali built a dockyard for the coastal town in 1763. He controlled the region until the takeover by British in 1768.  It came under Tipu once again in 1794. It was during his rule that a watch tower Sultan Bathery was constructed. It stopped the entry of enemy ships to Gurupur river that joins the Arabian sea nearby. Batheri still has those musket holes for mounting guns from within the miniature fortress like structure. After the death of Tipu in the battle at Srirangapatna the British took control of the place.

Abbakka Utsava(festival) is celebrated in her name every year, at Ullal.  Queen Abbakka festival is financially supported by the government.  Health minister UT Khader is the president of the committee.

Tourist destinations nearby Mangalore include Moodabidri city which is at a distance of 32km and time taken to reach is just 45 minutes. The attractions at Moodabidri are a thousand pillared Jain basadi and Soans farm nearby.

The distance from capital city Bangalore to Mangalore is 365km by road i.e. nearly 7-8 hours of journey by bus. Western ghats has the greenery covered and water flow on the Shirady hills. It is an attraction visible while traveling between Sakleshpur and Uppinangady town. By train the distance is 506km and takes 12 hours to reach the destination.

Top 15 must visit tourist places:

1.    St. Aloysius Chapel for magnificent paintings.

2.    Sasihithlu beach for surfing and water sports

3.    Kudroli Gokarnanatha temple for watching the beauty of colorful jet fountains on Saturday and Sundays, Dasara during Navratri days and Goodudeepa festival during Diwali.

4.    Kadri Park for the colorful musical fountain with laser show that displays the culture of Mangalore.

5.    Panambur beach for the camel, horse ride and enjoyment with family

6.    Ideal Pabbas at Lalbagh for famous mangalore special Gadbad ice cream.

7.    City Centre on K.S.Rao road for eateries, purchases, movie watching and enjoyment.

8.    Sulthan Bathery for the ancient watch tower built on the riverside during the Tipu Sultan era.

9.    Manjunatha Temple at Kadri for watching one of the most famous and ancient temple. Seven water ponds above the ground level are very special. Car festival in January is the time to visit.

10.  Swami Vivekananda Planetarium at Pilikula for watching the 3D shows. The planetarium built is the first of its kind in India.

11.  Pilikula zoo for watching the wild animals of India.

12.  Plilikula Heritage and Artisans Village for having a look at the arts, crafts, culture and Guthu house of Mangaluru.

13.  Savira Kambada Basadi at Moodabidri, the Jain Kashi near Mangaluru for watching the ancient Jain temple with thousand pillars.

14.   Huge Bahubali Statue at Karkala near Mangaluru for having a look at the only black monolith statue of Jain community.

15.   St. Mary’s islands near Udupi located 60km from Mangalore is a must visit place for the tourists. The whole island is made up of columnar basaltic lava rocks.

Top 8 reasons why a tourist must visit Mangalore:

• Green and lush Western ghats welcome to the city for those who travel from Bangalore, Mysuru or Kodagu by road. Traveling by train along western ghats gives a glimpse of the trees standing tall in most parts of Dakshina Kannada and in the neighboring state Kerala as well.

• Mangalore is a beautiful city with a core of Tuluva culture that greets visitors with its line up of coconut trees and lots of fishing activity along the sea coast. 

• Tuluva dishes and cuisines like Kane fry, Kori Rotti, Chicken sukka in the local hotels is enjoyable. Ideal ice cream at Pabbas, Lalbagh has some local flavors in them.

• India's first 3D planetarium at Pilikula Nisargadhma with unidirectional seating and 18 metre dome diameter. The planetarium is named after Swami Vivekananda and is situated within the premises of Dr. Shivaram Karanth Biological Park.  

• Much of the Indian flora and fauna grows on the western ghats. In India, the rare species of some birds and animals were spotted in the forests along the ghats. Butterfly Park at Belvai near Moodabidri is visited by many locals everyday. 

• Mangaluru is ranked third cleanest in India and 48th best in the world in terms of quality of living. It is located 12.917°- 52'N latitude and 74.856°- 49'E longitude. 

• Crazy surfers and adventure seekers surf over the high seas of Mangalore city in India, often visit beaches of Panambur, Sasihithlu and Mulki.

• Colorful dancing fountain at Kadri Park with music and display of stunning 3D images with cultural and historical value makes the tour a memorable one.

Points of Interest Mangalore India: Temples, churches, Mangalore port, light house, beaches, shopping centres, restaurants and food stuff are the points of interest. Highlights, Facts and figures related to the Mangaluru city are given in detail in the Interesting Facts page. Each and every interesting fact related to the city is explained, so as to get a clear picture of the city.

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