Visit Mangalore - A Charming Coastal Town
About Mangalore
Mangalore is a rambling, lush green, friendly coastal town located in the southern part of India in the state of Karnataka by the side of the Arabian sea. It is the capital of the South Kanara district. Mangalore has grown a lot in the past decade and is now the second most important town in Karnataka since it is well connected by road, rail, air and sea. Although it is a little off the beaten track, it is ideal for those who want a relaxed laid back sort of vacation, without the usual hustle and bustle of the more frequently visited tourist spots in India. Mangalore is a historic destination famous for its unique Tulu and Konkani culture, the famous Mangalore tiles that adorn many roof tops all over India, traditions and cuisine.
Mangalore is ideally located on a narrow coastal strip between the towering Western Ghats on one side and the Arabian sea on the other. What is striking is the abundance of lush greenery and coconut palms all over the place. Until a decade ago the majority of the locals were engaged in agriculture, growing paddy, areca nut, coconut plantation, vegetables and pulses. But the IT boom has hit Mangalore as well with almost all the major companies starting their services here and this has changed the place drastically much to the discontentment of the local agriculturists since their land and fields are being acquired by the city corporation to make way for these large industries.
As an Industrial hub
In fact there are already 4 or 5 major Industries like MRPL, Nagarjuna Fertilisers, MCF,Kudremukh iron ores and more will be started in the coming years.
Since the connectivity is good and the city has good infra structure like concreted roads and good supply of power, many industries and IT companies like Infosys,Wipro,Robosoft have started their outlets here and many more are expected to make their entry at the new tech park and SEZ that is being constructed on the outskirts of Mangalore at a convenient distance to the International Airport at Kenjar.
As an Educational hub
Mangalore has always been in the fore front in the educational scenario. The city is synonymous with excellence in imparting quality education in almost all branches of study. It is one of the most sought after destinations for education attracting students from all over the country and abroad. Both South Kanara and the neighboring Udipi districts and Manipal have the best facilities to offer to the students since some of the country's top educational institutes are located here.
There are innumerable Medical, Engineering, Dental and Management colleges that attract students from all over the country. South Kanara district always stands at the top when University, Pre university and SSLC results are declared. In the recent past emphasis on computer literacy has been laid both in schools and colleges in Mangalore. They have also introduced a compulsory training on computer and IT related courses so as to achieve the goal of spreading computer literacy among all.
Other that there are private colleges teaching career oriented courses and plenty of job opportunities.All this has made Mangalore a happening city and the migratory population from other states has doubled in the past few years.
As a tourist destination and beach resort
Many people who visit Mangalore tend to compare it to Goa as it has the same kind of landscape – dotted with coconut palms, fields and a number of beaches in and around the city. The beaches here are far less crowded than the Goan ones and much cleaner. The more popular ones are the Panambur Beach, Thannerbavi Beach, Suratkal beach which has a functioning light house, Ullal beach and Someshwar Beach. Since the beaches are spread out no matter where you live in Mangalore you are close to one beach or the other. The city itself is very scenic , since it is made up of a group of hills and hillocks, as a result you have winding roads and you are either climbing up a hill or coming down another.
And one has a lovely view of the sea , the lush greenery, coconut palms that cover the landscape and the distant hills from many parts of the city. Since the entire city is made up of hills the different parts of the city are named accordingly - you have Kadri Hill, ,Lighthouse Hill, Mercara hill , Hat hill, Mary Hill, Blueberry hill etc;
Churches and temples
Mangalore has a a considerable number of Catholic population , who speak Konkani and the protestants speak either Kannada or Tulu. There are many old churches that were built when the Portuguese were here and some of them like the St Aloysiuss ,Rozario, St Sebastian and St Agnes are very old yet well preserved and beautiful. Christmas is celebrated with a lot of fanfare in Mangalore by everyone.
Kadri Temple dedicated to lord Shiva dating back to about 1068 A.D, nestling at the foot of the highest hill , the Kadri hill in Mangalore, is one of the oldest temples here and one of the most visited as well. There are other equally beautiful old temples like the Mangala Devi, Polali, Gokharneshwara and Sharavu temple.
Places of interest in and around Mangalore
There are many places of interest in and around Mangalore. Within the city one can visit Sultan Battery which is a relic of the Mughal times. Although it is well preserved and has the right antiquated look, the authorities could have cleared up the surrounding areas and kept it free of commercial buildings and petty shop keepers.
There are many picturesque spots like the Mary hill helipad where one can get a magnificent view of the surrounding area including MRPL factory and other units that glow like jewels when lit up at night and the Arabian sea at a distance. People come here to watch the sunset and the lighting up of the distant port area and the city below them. At dusk it is a magnificent sight!
Pilikula Nisargadama - Pilikula means a pond where Tigers visited or a tigers lake ( Pili means tiger and kula in means a lake in Thulu). Pilikula is a large natural lake that is located in a depression between hills a place called Moodushedde . It has now been developed into a major tourist attraction with a botanical garden that spreads over 300 acres with the large lake in the center where there is boating facility. There is a water park, a zoological garden, A golf course and a field specially made for the annual Kambla sports.
There are plans to build several luxuryresorts here and also a helipad for those who can afford it. Pilikula ( Moodushedde) is close to Mangalore at a convenient distance of 15 kms and can be reached by road. The short drive through mountainous winding roads is really scenic and beautiful.
Dharmastala - This is a little town, situated at a distance of about 50 kms from Mangalore. It is a very popular religious spot and most tourists who visit Mangalore make it a point to visit Dharmasatala. Beside s the temple complex where a few thousand devotees are given free lunch every single day, there is a Gomateshwara statue on a nearby hillock , an arts museum that show cases many antique furniture belonging to the Royal families of Tulunadu tand other ancient artefacts that are unique to the district, a botanical park which also has a mini zoo and a a university called SDM ( Shree Dharmastala Manjunatheswara ) run efficiently by the temple trust. In fact it is one of the most prestigious institutes in the district and has courses ranging from Ayurveda, Management to Engineering and other bachelor degrees.
Kudremukh, situated in the western ghats is a small but a very beautiful hill which is at a distance of about 60 kilometers from Mangalore and can be covered in a day . There are no glamorous casinos or resorts here except a couple of guest house s and hotels . The charm of this place is its abundant natural beauty , but of late the mountains around it is supposedly infested with the naxalites. It is heavily guarded by the forest officials and the commando forces, so no worries regarding the safety.
The place itself is absolutely beautiful with small and medium sized waterfalls , streams, a Dam and a river that is clean , filled with colorful pebbles, not too deep and one can paddle across to the other side . We have had many wonderful moments at Kudremukh and the riverside. There is a Botanical garden looked after by the local Horticultural department , which is definitely worth visiting. Kudremukh is a must visit place for tourists since it is off the beaten track and you don't find the usual crowd that you get to see in most hill stations except during summer holidays when bus loads of tourists come for a day trip. Although there are restaurants, it is better to take packed lunch and water while visiting Kudremukh.
Udipi - Udipi, which is at a distance of 54 kms is another coastal town further up north of Mangalore which has the famous Krishna Temple. The temple complex is very old and holy according to Vaishnava Hindus. Udipi is the home of two major banking institutions , The Canara Bank and the Syndicate Bank.
There is a famous beach here called 'Malpe' which has many beach resorts and an annual beach festival . In fact, preparations are being made for this year’s festival which will be held on the 29th and 30th of this month ( January). Another very interesting spot is St mary's island , a small island situated at a distance of 28 kms , can be reached by taking a ferry from Udipi. St Mary's island is a lovely little place , filled with rocks, boulders and coconut palms – an ideal picnic spot. Since there are no hotels or restaurants on the island, food and other essentials will have to be taken on the boat. But it is well worth the trouble since families can have a lot of fun, bathing in the shallow pools formed in between the rocks and also exploring the little island.
Manipal - Close to Udipi situated on a hill is Manipal which is a center of Education .There are Professional colleges for Medical, Dental, Management, Engineering , Ayurvedic studies . Manipal is also a beautiful spot with a river flowing on one side and a view of the distant Western Ghats. It is popularly known as the student town.
Karkal and Moodbidri – Both these towns ( twin cities ) are known for their Jain architecture and the statue of Gomateshwara , that is situated on a hill at Karkal. Moodbidri has a thousand pillar Basthi which is a jain temple . One gets to see a lot of old structures around the town , some in ruins yet beautiful in their own way.
Subramanya – Subramanya is a small town situated on the foothills of the Western ghats ,has the famous temple for Lord Subramanya and there are many legendary tales related to this place. The place has become very popular with many celebrities, Film stars , Industrialists, Politicians and Sportsmen , who visit this place all through the year . During monsoons the place gets cut off due to the heavy flooding of the Kumaradhara river that flows around the town.,
Mangalorean cuisine
Mangalore has always been very famous for its cuisine, both vegetarian and non vegetarian. The Udipi restaurants famous for their Idli sambhar, Masala Dosa, Upma and vegetarian Thali meals are known all over the country and are mostly run by either Mangaloreans or Shivali Brahmins from Udipi. Food is a big business in Mangalore and one can find plenty of variety here. There are many different kinds of vegetarian cuisines like the Brahmin, Konkani, and others.
Similarly the variety of Sea food and other Non vegetarian dishes are mind boggling, served at a very affordable price. Since there is fresh catch of fish , prawns and crab every day , one can find excellent sea food at the local restaurants like Kudla and The Vilage which are very popular for some of their mouth watering dishes like Prawn Ghee roast and Pomphret tikka masala and a variety of masala fried fish. But the most popular of all is the Bangude Ghasi and Bangude puli munchi which is authentic Mangalorean cuisine. Kori rotti ( chicken masala served with with rotti , which is a crisp dried roti) is unique to South Kanara and is now becoming popular in metro cities as well.
Food is not expensive here and one can have a good meal consisting of Rice, Vegetable, Dhal, Chicken /sea food, butter milk for as less as Rs 80 /. Most locals prefer Brown rice ( Boiled rice) but restaurants serve white rice as well.
Hotels and Places to Stay
There are many good Hotels in Mangalore and around Mangalore and compared to the metro cities and other tourist spots they are relatively much cheaper.One should be able to get a decent Air conditioned room at a good hotel located within a distance of 5 kms from the town center which is called Hampankatta , for about Rs 1500/-( 30 Dollars ) or even less. There are smaller hotels which are even cheaper . There are also guest houses and service apartments which offer more convenience when you visit in a large group. I have been told that most of the hotels are filled to capacity all round the year except during the heavy monsoon rains , which is from June – September. So it is advisable to book rooms in advance.
Mangalore and its Phenomenal growth in the recent years
Mangalore was a sleepy little town a decade ago but is now poised for super growth as there are many industries being set up here and the property prices are already skyrocketing here. There are many land owners here and there is also a unique land agreement called Moolgeni which is a tenancy right that is not seen anywhere in India. Once a mutually agreeable legal solution is found to that , large stretches of land will be made available to the many industries that are making their way into the district.
One cannot be sure if that is really good, but one cannot stop progress. However, many locals are unhappy about this unprecedented growth that has taken everyone by surprise because of the negative impact it has been having on their lives.People never ever imagined that mangalore would grow at this rate and become the second most important city in the state.
I come from Mangalore and most of our family members and old relatives live here with almost all of the older generations being dependent on rice cultivation in large paddy fields and coconut and areca nut plantations. But, with the new indutrialisation and land acquisition made by the city corporation, most of these fields and the houses which are generally built amidst the fields, as it is convenient to work from there, are being taken over by the authorities .. The land owners are very poorly compensated, and , this has rightfully angered the locals . There have been many strikes and protests after which new laws are being brought in , whereby they have promised to pay a better compensation and also give land for building a house and relocation.
Culture and Tradition
Mangalore has its own unique culture and tradition. Yakshagana Bayalata, Kambla ( I have provided links to articles written on both of these at the bottom of this article) and Bhootaradhane ( worshipping the spirits and ghosts) are some of these and are still being practiced by the old timers in a big way although it is slowly getting commercialised now like all other things around us. Coastal Karnataka and Mangalore especially is tradition bound and carries on the old customs and rituals in villages and rural areas where people still live in Thatched houses and tiled roof houses and cultivate the fields around them.
Every place gets its distinctive flavor only when these traditions and practices are kept alive and thriving which is true of Mangalore district !
Connectivity
Mangalore is well connected to almost all the major cities of India through air ,rail and road. Many Keralites living in the border cities come to Mangalore to take a flight to Dubai and Kuwait. Mangalore is also connected to almost all the airports in the southern states especially neighboring Kerala and Mumbai.
The Mangalore International airport has daily flights to Kuwait , Baharain and Dubai as of now but, there are plans to expand the operations and include flights to the far eastern countries , Australia and a few more countries in the middle east. This should happen within the next five years when the SEZ would become functional and a well connected airport would be advantageous since there would be a lot more foreigners and Indians travelig to other countries on business and work.
There are as many as 120 buses both Government and private plying daily between Mangalore and Bangalore all through the day. There are similar number of buses going to Mumbai and Mysore. In fact there are buses running to almost all the major cities in south India.
The Mangalore sea port has general cargo ships, iron ore carriers and oil tankers from all over the world regularly visiting. Most of the European and Mediterranean Passenger ships and luxury liners make a stop over here at least for a day.
Conclusions
Mangalore in spite of losing its past charm as an unspoilt little sleepy agriculturist town, is still a must visit place for tourists traveling through the southern parts of India. The city is relatively clean, hotels are comfortable yet easy on your pocket, beaches are less crowded and clean , there are temples and churches for those interested in religious places and an abundance of natural beauty and the food is great , so what more does want for a holiday ? Since there are many places of interest in and around Mangalore ideally one should stop over for at least a week to experience and see everything. There are many tour operators and very competetively priced packages available and one can take advantage of it.
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