Overview of tourist attractions in Mangalore, Karnataka, India
The city of
Mangalore is proclaimed as the gateway to
Karnataka[1] and lies nestled between the blue waters of the
Arabian Sea and the green, towering hills of the
Western Ghats. The 184 square km city is spread out over the backwaters of the two rivers,
Netravati and
Gurpura.
Beaches
The city has the benefit of numerous golden-sand beaches:[2]
Panambur beach: It is credited as one of the clean and neatly maintained beaches in India and attracts most number of tourists.[3][4] Panambur beach has Jet ski rides, Boating, Dolphin viewing, Food stalls, besides Trained Beach Lifeguards and Patrol vehicles to ensure the safety of the visitors.
Mukka beach: Situated 20 km from the heart of the
Mangalore, one can experience variety of
shells on this beach. Mukka beach is covered with the golden sands and tall
pine trees with an old
light house situated on this beach.
Ullal beach: a beach in
Ullal town 12 km south of the city of
Mangalore,
Karnataka,
India. The beach with a stretch of
Coconut trees and the
fishermen's lane make it picturesque, creating a lovely
coastal experience. The ruined fort of
Abbakka Devi and Jain temples of the 16th century are other attractions for tourists. The Dargah of Sayed Mohammed Shereful Madani, who is said to have come to
Ullal from
Madina 400 years ago, is a famous
dargah in this region.[7]
Sasihithlu Beach: This beach has hosted the Indian Open of Surfing tournament in 2016[8] and 2017.[9]
Places of worship
The temples and religious buildings that have given Mangalore its character are
Mangaladevi temple: The temple is dedicated to Hindu god
Shakti in the form of
Mangaladevi. The city is named after the presiding deity, Mangaladevi. As per another legend, the temple is believed to have been built by
Parashurama, one of the ten
avatars of Hindu god
Vishnu and later expanded by Kundavarman.
Kadri Manjunatha temple:It is located at Kadri, It is said to be built during the 10th or 11th century and Buddhism was practised here till the 10th century AD. The idol of Lord Manjunathaswamy of the temple is called as oldest of the South Indian Temples. There is a natural spring at an elevated location at the back of the temple. It is called Gomukha. The water from this spring is let into 9 ponds of different sizes adjacent to it.
St Aloysius Chapel: The chapel built by Jesuit Missionaries in 1880 and its interiors painted by the Italian Jesuit
Antonio Moscheni in 1899, is an architectural marvel that could stand comparison with the chapels of Rome. The interior of the chapel decorated with paintings by Antonio Moscheni (1854 –1905) that cover almost all of the walls, which is unusual in chapels in India. The paintings are preserved by a recognized board of the nation which maintains and restores all historic artefacts.
Gokarnanatheshwara Temple: This century-old temple shimmers with golden glow during the Navaratri. This is the centre of attraction during the
Mangalore Dasara celebration.
Srimanthi Bai Memorial Government Museum: Established in 1960, this museum is located just a kilometer east of the KSRTC bus stand, also known as Bejai Museum which houses a variety of antiquities including wooden carvings of divinities such as
Bhairava and
Hanuman, stone sculptures dating back to 13th century, porcelain and an outstanding bronze bell with a miniature Lakshmi shrine. It also exhibits materials of art, archaeology, ethnology, palm leaf photographs, paper paintings, manuscripts, sculptures, oil paintings, metal objects and paper manuscripts.
Aloyseum: The museum houses several items with historic significance including the first car of
Mangalore and Mangalore's first electric generator dating back to 1930, the Old Missal with the size of a broadsheet newspaper, animal and fish bones, skulls, horns and skins, mineral specimen, old radios, telegraphic equipment, antique telephone sets, manuscripts on palm leaves, Portuguese statues, an old pulpit from Cordel Church, copies of paintings by old European masters, swords, daggers and other weapons, postal stamps, coins and medals, priestly vestments dating back to 1878.[12]
Manjusha Car Museum: Located to the south of the
Dharmasthala Temple, it houses a vast collection of objects, antiques, paintings, artifacts, temple chariots collected from temples across Karnataka, and also vintage and classic cars. Terracotta coins from the Mauryan period are still preserved in the museum, which dates around 1st century BC.
Historical places
Sultan Battery: The Sultan Battery
watch tower, constructed in 1784 by
Tipu Sultan is situated in Boloor,4 km from the
centre of
Mangalore city. If one climbs to the top of the watch tower by stairs, he can get a panoramic view of
Arabian Sea which leaves nature lovers in boundless joy. One can take the ferry ride by paying small amount across the
Gurupur river and reach
Tannirbhavi Beach.
Saavira Kambada Basadi: Built by the
Vijayanagar ruler Devaraya Wodeyar in 1430, this historical temple is situated 34 km northeast of Mangalore in the town of Moodabidri. Moodabidri is noted for its eighteen Jain temples but Saavira Kambada Temple is considered the finest among them.[13]
Amusement parks
Manasa Amusement & Water Park: Manasa Amusement & Water Park is located within a 370 Acres tourism project of District administration “Pilikula Nisargadhama”, an eco-educational tourist park at Vamanjoor, just 12 km from Mangalore City. It is a 15 minutes drive from city centre.[14]
Pilikula Theme Park: Pilikula has a theme park which attempts to showcase the rich native heritage and coastal culture of the people of Dakshina Kannada district and is one of the one-stop educational and recreational destinations in India.
Nature
Adyar falls: Adyar waterfalls at the outskirts at about 12 km drive from the city. There are two waterfalls here at a distance of about 200 meters on two extreme ends of the hillock. These waterfalls can be enjoyed only up to October–November.[15]
Karinja Cliff: Karinja Cliff is a popular tourist spot in
Bantwal 40 km away from
Mangalore with people visiting this cliff to enjoy the fresh air, lush green.[16]
Pavoor Uliya: It is an Island, located just 12 km away from Mangalore
[2]. The island has 35 houses with a chapel
[3].
Netravathi River has been surrounded by four sides. During Summer a temporary wooden bridge connects to the outer world.
Garden
Pilikula Arboretum: An
arboretum (a garden comprising woody species of plants, i.e. trees and shrubs) extending over an area of 35 hectares has been established at
Pilikula Nisargadhama where about 60,000
seedlings belonging to 236 taxa of flowering plants of
Western Ghats, spread over 60 families have been planted randomly as well as family clusters. They include 70 taxa endemic to the Western Ghats region. The arboretum has a focus on the conservation of the plants of the Western Ghats. It not only contains a number of
threatened species, but also a few Re-discovered species that were considered to be extinct earlier. The arboretum also includes 6 acres devoted to medicinal plants with more than 460 varieties, often visited by students of botany and
Ayurvedic medicine.
Wildlife
Pilikula Zoo: The speciality of this zoo is that the wild animals are not kept in cages. They are in the open. However, there are partitions like wide trenches or wire mesh, in order to avoid direct contact with visitors. There are tigers, leopards, bears and other wild animals inside the park.
Hampankatta: This place is the heart of the city, as most of the public utilities are located here the locality boasts the most buzzing commercial activity in the city.
City Centre Mall: City Centre encompasses over 850,000 sq ft of retail space. The mall boasts a wide diversity of outlets spreading across five floors with over 149 retail stores and services.
City Central Library: This is located close to
St Aloysius college. This library is run by the
Mangalore city corporation. There are several branches of city central library within the city.
Mangalore Dasara: It is a ten-day festival at Kudroli Temple attracts thousands of devotees from various states of India who visit Mangalore to witness Dasara and the century-old Sri Gokarnatheswara temple which shimmers with a golden glow. The
Mangaladevi temple from which the city inherited its name. It is yet another temple which attracts devotees from all over India during Navaratri. "Mangalore Sharadotsava" or "
Sharada Mahotsava" is the 9 days celebration during the Navaratri in Sri Venkatramana Temple, Dongarekeri.
Around Mangalore
A short distance from the city is various tourist places likes of
Karkala,
Kundapur,
Kasaragod and the temple town
Udupi. The neighbouring town of
Udupi, is an important Teerthasthal (pilgrimage place) with its historical Krishna Temple is the cultural center of
Karnataka.[19] Mangalore shares its border with
Kerala in the south. A distance of 50 km away from Mangalore is a town in Kerala,
Kasaragod which still shares cultural links with
Mangalore and is often named as land of Lords and Forts.
Bahubali Gomateshwara monolith is the 12.8 metre or 42 feet tall monolith of Bahubali, the Gommateshwara. Built in 1432 CE, this 583-year-old monolith in Karkala is the second largest monolith of Gommateshwara. This is about 51 km away from
Mangalore.[20]
St. Marys island, are a set of four small islands in the
Arabian Sea off the coast of
Malpe in
Udupi,
Karnataka, India. They are known for their distinctive geological formation of columnar basaltic lava.
Chandragiri Fort built in the 17th century, is in
Kasaragod District of
Kerala, south
India. This large squarish fort is 150 feet (46 m) above sea level and occupies an area of about seven acres.
Ballarayanadurga fort of
Charmadi can be accessed from 2 sides - the shorter route from Sunkasale, located on the way from
Horanaduor the longer route from Bandaje. In the Charmadi ghat, there is a waterfall named Bandaje Arbi (Arbi in Tulu means waterfall) which falls from a height of 200 feet. Gadaikallu peak has an elevation of 1700 feet
Overview of tourist attractions in Mangalore, Karnataka, India
The city of
Mangalore is proclaimed as the gateway to
Karnataka[1] and lies nestled between the blue waters of the
Arabian Sea and the green, towering hills of the
Western Ghats. The 184 square km city is spread out over the backwaters of the two rivers,
Netravati and
Gurpura.
Beaches
The city has the benefit of numerous golden-sand beaches:[2]
Panambur beach: It is credited as one of the clean and neatly maintained beaches in India and attracts most number of tourists.[3][4] Panambur beach has Jet ski rides, Boating, Dolphin viewing, Food stalls, besides Trained Beach Lifeguards and Patrol vehicles to ensure the safety of the visitors.
Mukka beach: Situated 20 km from the heart of the
Mangalore, one can experience variety of
shells on this beach. Mukka beach is covered with the golden sands and tall
pine trees with an old
light house situated on this beach.
Ullal beach: a beach in
Ullal town 12 km south of the city of
Mangalore,
Karnataka,
India. The beach with a stretch of
Coconut trees and the
fishermen's lane make it picturesque, creating a lovely
coastal experience. The ruined fort of
Abbakka Devi and Jain temples of the 16th century are other attractions for tourists. The Dargah of Sayed Mohammed Shereful Madani, who is said to have come to
Ullal from
Madina 400 years ago, is a famous
dargah in this region.[7]
Sasihithlu Beach: This beach has hosted the Indian Open of Surfing tournament in 2016[8] and 2017.[9]
Places of worship
The temples and religious buildings that have given Mangalore its character are
Mangaladevi temple: The temple is dedicated to Hindu god
Shakti in the form of
Mangaladevi. The city is named after the presiding deity, Mangaladevi. As per another legend, the temple is believed to have been built by
Parashurama, one of the ten
avatars of Hindu god
Vishnu and later expanded by Kundavarman.
Kadri Manjunatha temple:It is located at Kadri, It is said to be built during the 10th or 11th century and Buddhism was practised here till the 10th century AD. The idol of Lord Manjunathaswamy of the temple is called as oldest of the South Indian Temples. There is a natural spring at an elevated location at the back of the temple. It is called Gomukha. The water from this spring is let into 9 ponds of different sizes adjacent to it.
St Aloysius Chapel: The chapel built by Jesuit Missionaries in 1880 and its interiors painted by the Italian Jesuit
Antonio Moscheni in 1899, is an architectural marvel that could stand comparison with the chapels of Rome. The interior of the chapel decorated with paintings by Antonio Moscheni (1854 –1905) that cover almost all of the walls, which is unusual in chapels in India. The paintings are preserved by a recognized board of the nation which maintains and restores all historic artefacts.
Gokarnanatheshwara Temple: This century-old temple shimmers with golden glow during the Navaratri. This is the centre of attraction during the
Mangalore Dasara celebration.
Srimanthi Bai Memorial Government Museum: Established in 1960, this museum is located just a kilometer east of the KSRTC bus stand, also known as Bejai Museum which houses a variety of antiquities including wooden carvings of divinities such as
Bhairava and
Hanuman, stone sculptures dating back to 13th century, porcelain and an outstanding bronze bell with a miniature Lakshmi shrine. It also exhibits materials of art, archaeology, ethnology, palm leaf photographs, paper paintings, manuscripts, sculptures, oil paintings, metal objects and paper manuscripts.
Aloyseum: The museum houses several items with historic significance including the first car of
Mangalore and Mangalore's first electric generator dating back to 1930, the Old Missal with the size of a broadsheet newspaper, animal and fish bones, skulls, horns and skins, mineral specimen, old radios, telegraphic equipment, antique telephone sets, manuscripts on palm leaves, Portuguese statues, an old pulpit from Cordel Church, copies of paintings by old European masters, swords, daggers and other weapons, postal stamps, coins and medals, priestly vestments dating back to 1878.[12]
Manjusha Car Museum: Located to the south of the
Dharmasthala Temple, it houses a vast collection of objects, antiques, paintings, artifacts, temple chariots collected from temples across Karnataka, and also vintage and classic cars. Terracotta coins from the Mauryan period are still preserved in the museum, which dates around 1st century BC.
Historical places
Sultan Battery: The Sultan Battery
watch tower, constructed in 1784 by
Tipu Sultan is situated in Boloor,4 km from the
centre of
Mangalore city. If one climbs to the top of the watch tower by stairs, he can get a panoramic view of
Arabian Sea which leaves nature lovers in boundless joy. One can take the ferry ride by paying small amount across the
Gurupur river and reach
Tannirbhavi Beach.
Saavira Kambada Basadi: Built by the
Vijayanagar ruler Devaraya Wodeyar in 1430, this historical temple is situated 34 km northeast of Mangalore in the town of Moodabidri. Moodabidri is noted for its eighteen Jain temples but Saavira Kambada Temple is considered the finest among them.[13]
Amusement parks
Manasa Amusement & Water Park: Manasa Amusement & Water Park is located within a 370 Acres tourism project of District administration “Pilikula Nisargadhama”, an eco-educational tourist park at Vamanjoor, just 12 km from Mangalore City. It is a 15 minutes drive from city centre.[14]
Pilikula Theme Park: Pilikula has a theme park which attempts to showcase the rich native heritage and coastal culture of the people of Dakshina Kannada district and is one of the one-stop educational and recreational destinations in India.
Nature
Adyar falls: Adyar waterfalls at the outskirts at about 12 km drive from the city. There are two waterfalls here at a distance of about 200 meters on two extreme ends of the hillock. These waterfalls can be enjoyed only up to October–November.[15]
Karinja Cliff: Karinja Cliff is a popular tourist spot in
Bantwal 40 km away from
Mangalore with people visiting this cliff to enjoy the fresh air, lush green.[16]
Pavoor Uliya: It is an Island, located just 12 km away from Mangalore
[2]. The island has 35 houses with a chapel
[3].
Netravathi River has been surrounded by four sides. During Summer a temporary wooden bridge connects to the outer world.
Garden
Pilikula Arboretum: An
arboretum (a garden comprising woody species of plants, i.e. trees and shrubs) extending over an area of 35 hectares has been established at
Pilikula Nisargadhama where about 60,000
seedlings belonging to 236 taxa of flowering plants of
Western Ghats, spread over 60 families have been planted randomly as well as family clusters. They include 70 taxa endemic to the Western Ghats region. The arboretum has a focus on the conservation of the plants of the Western Ghats. It not only contains a number of
threatened species, but also a few Re-discovered species that were considered to be extinct earlier. The arboretum also includes 6 acres devoted to medicinal plants with more than 460 varieties, often visited by students of botany and
Ayurvedic medicine.
Wildlife
Pilikula Zoo: The speciality of this zoo is that the wild animals are not kept in cages. They are in the open. However, there are partitions like wide trenches or wire mesh, in order to avoid direct contact with visitors. There are tigers, leopards, bears and other wild animals inside the park.
Hampankatta: This place is the heart of the city, as most of the public utilities are located here the locality boasts the most buzzing commercial activity in the city.
City Centre Mall: City Centre encompasses over 850,000 sq ft of retail space. The mall boasts a wide diversity of outlets spreading across five floors with over 149 retail stores and services.
City Central Library: This is located close to
St Aloysius college. This library is run by the
Mangalore city corporation. There are several branches of city central library within the city.
Mangalore Dasara: It is a ten-day festival at Kudroli Temple attracts thousands of devotees from various states of India who visit Mangalore to witness Dasara and the century-old Sri Gokarnatheswara temple which shimmers with a golden glow. The
Mangaladevi temple from which the city inherited its name. It is yet another temple which attracts devotees from all over India during Navaratri. "Mangalore Sharadotsava" or "
Sharada Mahotsava" is the 9 days celebration during the Navaratri in Sri Venkatramana Temple, Dongarekeri.
Around Mangalore
A short distance from the city is various tourist places likes of
Karkala,
Kundapur,
Kasaragod and the temple town
Udupi. The neighbouring town of
Udupi, is an important Teerthasthal (pilgrimage place) with its historical Krishna Temple is the cultural center of
Karnataka.[19] Mangalore shares its border with
Kerala in the south. A distance of 50 km away from Mangalore is a town in Kerala,
Kasaragod which still shares cultural links with
Mangalore and is often named as land of Lords and Forts.
Bahubali Gomateshwara monolith is the 12.8 metre or 42 feet tall monolith of Bahubali, the Gommateshwara. Built in 1432 CE, this 583-year-old monolith in Karkala is the second largest monolith of Gommateshwara. This is about 51 km away from
Mangalore.[20]
St. Marys island, are a set of four small islands in the
Arabian Sea off the coast of
Malpe in
Udupi,
Karnataka, India. They are known for their distinctive geological formation of columnar basaltic lava.
Chandragiri Fort built in the 17th century, is in
Kasaragod District of
Kerala, south
India. This large squarish fort is 150 feet (46 m) above sea level and occupies an area of about seven acres.
Ballarayanadurga fort of
Charmadi can be accessed from 2 sides - the shorter route from Sunkasale, located on the way from
Horanaduor the longer route from Bandaje. In the Charmadi ghat, there is a waterfall named Bandaje Arbi (Arbi in Tulu means waterfall) which falls from a height of 200 feet. Gadaikallu peak has an elevation of 1700 feet