Mangalore

Mangalore

Mangalore also known as Mangaluru is an important port city on the west coast located in Dakshina Kannada district of Karnataka. It is among the popular tourist places in Karnataka, located in the confluence of Nethravathi and Gurupura Rivers. Lying between the Arabian Sea and the Western Ghats, Mangalore is one of the major ports of India. The city derives its name from the local Hindu goddess Mangaladevi.

• Mangaladevi Temple:

A Hindu temple at Bolara is devoted to Hindu god Shakti in the form of Mangaladevi. The city of Mangaluru is named after the presiding deity, Mangaladevi. The temple is of significant antiquity and is believed to have been built during the 9th century by Kundavarman, the most famous king of the Alupa dynasty during the 9th century under the aegies of Matsyendranath.

The temple is built in Kerala style architecture, with most of its structure made of wood. The presiding deity, Mangaladevi in the central shrine is in a seated posture. There are shrines around the sanctum for other deities. The temple is open daily from 6 a.m to 10 am, 12 pm to 1 pm and 4 pm to 8 pm.

Navaratri (dussera) is the time for special pujas performed on all nine days. A large number of devotees participate in the Rathothsava on the tenth day, which is celebrated as Dussera. The decorated goddess in mounted on the grand chariot and pulled with thick ropes, the procession goes to Marnamikatte where the goddess and the Shamivriksha are worshipped

• Gokarnanatheshwara Temple:

Gokarnanatheshwara Temple During Navaratri

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This temple known as Kudroli Sri Gokarnanatha Kshetra, is in the Kudroli area and it was consecrated by Narayana Guru. It is dedicated to Gokarnanatha, a form of Lord Shiva. This temple was built in 1912 by Adhyaksha Hoige Koragappa. The temple has Gopuram decorated with murals of various gods and goddesses. Murals depict scenes from Hindu epics and legends.

The temple observes many festivals. Maha Shivaratri, Navrathri, Krishnashtami, Ganesh Chaturthi, Nagara Panchami, Deepavali, Dasara, Sri Narayana Jayanthi are celebrated with traditional gaiety and splendour. It has worshipers from all over the world.

• Kadri Manjunatha Temple:

Kadri Manjunath Temple Mangalore

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It houses the temple of Manjunatheshwara built during the 10th or 11th century on the hills of Kadri which is a very beautiful and popular temple in Mangalore. It was converted to a complete stone structure during the 14th century. The idol of Lord Manjunathaswamy of the temple is called as oldest of the South Indian Temples.

According to historians this temple was known as Kadri Manjunatha where is Manjunatha relates to Shiva and Kadri is derived from Kadri Vihara which was Buddhist monastery of Vajrayana cult.In front of the temple, at an height there are a number of water ponds and there’s a garden surrounding the ponds. During karthika maasa, deepothsava is held here.

There are statues of Machendranath, Gorakanath, Shringinath, Lokeshwara, Manjushri and Buddha in the temple.The chief deity of this temple is Manjunatha. There is a shiv ling on him. The statue of Lokeshwara which is about 1.5 meter tall is in the seated position with three faces and six arms is tipped to be the best bronze statue in India.There is a natural spring at an elevated location at the back of the temple. It is called Gomukha. The water from this spring has been let into ponds of different sizes adjacent to it. People visiting the temple rinse themselves in these ponds before entering the main temple.

• Tannirbhavi Beach:

This beach can be reached either by land near Kuloor Bridge or by ferry via Gurupura river from Sultan Battery. Tannirbhavi is one of the popular beaches in Mangalore city, and comes second in popularity to the nearby Panambur beach. Tannirbhavi beach has some basic facilities like life guards, proper toilets, a parking lot, a couple of small eateries and some concrete benches.

• Murudeshwar Beach:

Murudeshwar Beach

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It is a major tourist attraction. It is famous as a religious city as it houses the Murudeshwar temple. It also attracts increasing number of pan India and foreign visitors with a beautiful beach in the offing.

The temple here is a natural wonder with aesthetically carved designs and also houses the famous Pranling, which is an ancient preservation for centuries now. Kanduka Giri, brings mythological value to this venue. Recently constructed Shiva statue near the beach that stands huge at 15 meters in height is another major tourist attraction.

The beaches are located in the midst of a perfect blend of natural blue waters being lapped by a beautiful landscape of mountains and hillocks in the background. The ambiance is made near perfect with the tall coconut trees, which are so common of the south Indian beaches. Areca groves bring the beauty that is restricted only to an area like Murudeshwar. The waters here are chill and calm waves often for swimming.

A visit to Murudeshwar temples and beaches will progressively lead you to the simple local gourmet. The coastal lands abound in coconut and hence sweets prepared from local coconut and other flavors of rice and fish curry are sure to leave you in satiated and wanting for more.

A plentiful combination of jackfruits, local mangoes, and cashews completes the list. Small temple cottages of modest comfort will be available for resting at nights.

• Surathkal Beach:

On the shores of Arabian Sea is a clean beach with tremendous scenic beauty. The beach offers wonderful views of the sunset and it’s usually crowded during evenings. It is one of the popular beaches near Mangalore. The beach has a curving shoreline and has a lighthouse at the end of the beach. The lighthouse is situated on a rocky hillock and offers an uninterrupted view of the countryside and sea around. The lighthouse is open to visitors between 4.00 pm and 5 pm.

Mangalore Harbour Entrance

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The traveler should definitely stay back to see the sunset from Surathkal beach. The mornings bring in fishermen from the neighboring hamlets that launch their fishing boats into the sea. The best time to visit is during November to February when the heat and humidity is tolerable.

• Panambur Beach:

Panambur Beach

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This beach is on the shores of Arabian sea and is credited as one of the safest and best maintained beaches of India.It is the most popular, well connected and most visited beach of coastal Karnataka.

The beach is located in the place called Panambur and this beach is maintained by a private enterprise under the banner of “Panambur Beach Tourism Development Project”. Other attractions include jet ski rides, boating, dolphin viewing, food stalls and is also known for its highly skilled and trained lifeguards who patrol the beach to ensure visitor safety.

This beach has been popular for its picturesque sunsets, the beautiful port area and a picnic spot for tourists and locals alike and offers very good views of the sunset. The beach attracts good number of visitors due to its close proximity to the city. The ships anchored out in the sea waiting for berth in the harbor can be seen from the Beach which presents an attractive picture.

International Kite festival is one of the major tourist attraction of this beach. The district administration of Dakshina Kannada also organises beach festival as part of the famous “Karavali Utsav” which translates to Coastal festival. It is said that approximately 2.5 lakh attend the beach festival. Several stalls will be put up for the public. Entertainment and stage programmes will be held across all three days which will include dance and singing competitions.

• Someshwara Beach:

Someshwara Beach

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Located near Mangalore is a pristine beach famous for its view of sunsets. Someshwara beach is located in Ullal at the confluence of the Netravati River and the Arabian Sea. The golden sands, greenery along route from Mangalore, and the coconut palms along the beach make this beach a must-visit destination

This beach is famous for large rocks on the beach called Rudra Shile. During high tide, the sight of waves dashing against the rocks evokes a feeling of awe for the power of Nature

One can climb the Ottinene hillock for a grand view of the Netravati River winding its way to the sea through mangroves.This hillock has lush vegetation and a number of medicinal plants grow naturally here. The Government has announced plans of developing a park for medicinal plants here. This park, to be called Kshithij Nisargadhama, is approachable from Someshwara beach.

The presence of hidden rocks and currents along this stretch of the coast make this each unsuitable for swimming.

The tourist facilities at this beach are virtually non- existent. Tourists travelling in a group or as a family are advised to carry drinking water and food as there are no shops along the beach.