Dakshina Kannada district General information
The district of Dakshina Kannada(Mangalore) is situated on the western coast of India, about half way between Bombay and Cape Comorin. From North to South, it is a long narrow strip of territory and from east to west it is a broken low plateau, which spreads from the Western Ghats to the Arabian Sea. The major part of its length lies along the seaboard. The area is intersected by many rivers and streams and presents a varied and most picturesque scenery.
Area, Location & Population
Dakshina Kannda (Erstwhile South Kanara) is the southern coastal district of Karnataka State with an area of 4866 sq. KM. The district lies between 12 57' and 13 50’ North Latitude and 74 and 75 50’ East Longitude. It is about 177 kms, in length and 40 kms in breadth at its narrowest and about 80 kms at its widest part. It has a population of 18,97,730 with a density of 389 per square KM. Mangalore is the district head quarters of Dakshina Kannada district.
Division
The district is divided into five talukas, Mangalore, Bantwal, Puttur, Sullia, and Belthangady.It used to include three northern talukas, Udupi, Kundapur and Karkal, but these were separated in August 1997 to form Udupi district. Dakshina Kannada , Udupi and Kasargod districts are often called Tulu Nadu, as Tulu is the majority language in the region. However, Tulu language and its people have been closely associated with Kannada language as Tulu has been written in Kannada script for many centuries. The Alupas who ruled this region between the 8th and 14th century CE as a feudatory of all the major Kannada empires of those times ecncouraged and made Kannada their official language. It is for this reason that the Tulu speaking districts are a part of Karnataka state.
Before 1860, Dakshina Kannada was part of a greater district called Canara, which was under a single administration in the Madras Presidency.
In 1860, the British split the area into South Canara and North Canara, the former being retained in the Madras Presidency, while the later was made a part of Bombay Province in 1862. Coondapur taluka was earlier included in North Canara, but was re-included in South Canara later.
After independence, South Canara was divided to Dakshina Kannada and Udupi districts. The then undivided Dakshina Kannada district consists of the present day borders of Dakshina Kannada, Udupi and Kasaragod.
During the Reorganisation of States in 1956, Kasaragod was split and transferred to the newly created Kerala state and Dakshina Kannada was transferred to Mysore state (present day Karnataka).
Later, the Karnataka Government, for the purpose of administration, split the greater Dakshina Kannada district into Udupi and present day Dakshina Kannada districts in the year 1997 A.D.
The district is famous for red clay roof tiles ( Mangalore tiles ),cashew nut & its products banking , education and of course for its exotic cuisine.
The mainstream Kannada speakers are a minority in this district. However, three dialects of Kannada, namely Havyaka, Kundapura kannada and Are Bhashe are spoken along with majority Tulu language and Konkani language. There is also a sizeable population of Muslims called Bearys, who speak their own dialect namely Beary bashe.
Some Malayali literature describe the region stretching from Chandragiri River in Kasaragod District of Kerala to Gokarna in Uttara Kannada as Tulu Nadu. However, present day Tulu cultural boundary is limited to Udupi taluk of Udupi district.
The people of Dakshina Kannada worship serpent god ( Subramanya ).According to Legend ,The district was reclaimed by Parashurama from sea.Hence worship of Serpent is done to original inhabitats.Many rituals like nagaradhane are performed.Worship of spirits is prevalent in these areas. Rituals like Bhuta Kola are done to satisfy the spirits. Kambla a form of buffalo race in muddy track in the paddy field is organised.Cock fight ( Kori Katta in Tulu ) is another past time of rural agarian people,but unfortunately has turned in to gambling .
Transportation
Dakshina Kannada is one of the few districts in India which has excellent network of roads connecting to almost every village of the district. Even though network is present,the condition of roads are not good. Bus services run mostly by private operators runs efficiently. This is complemented by state run KSRTC. The district had public limited (public listed) companies running transport business even before independence of India in 1947. The district has three national highways connecting to different parts of Karnataka state and India. NH-17 connects district with Udupi, Karwar, Mumbai, Goa and Kochi. NH-13 connects Shivamogga and Sholapur with the Dakshina Kannada. NH-48 connects district with Bengaluru,Hassan and Sakleshpura.
The Konkan Railway connects South Canara with Maharastra, Goa, Gujarat, Delhi, Rajasthan and Kerala by train. There are direct trains from Mangalore to Mumbai, Thane,Chennai,Goa and Trivandrum. Many trains starting from Kerala to Gujarat, Rajasthan and Delhi pass through this district. Recently train services have started to Bangalore via Hassan and Kukke Subramanya.
The Dakshina Kannada has a seaport at Panambur.It is major sea port of western coast of India.
The district is connected by air through Mangalore International Airport at Bajpe.
Agriculture, Commerce and Industry
Agriculture once a major occupation of the people of this district, has now taken back seat because of influx of money from natives settled in other districts, states and countries. Significant people from this district work in gulf (middle east) countries and other states of India. Farms and fields are converted into residential plots and commercial complexes.Horticulture though made some strides, has not prospered because of high labour cost and non availability of labour. Automation is not possible because of small holding of lands by farmers.The main crops of Dakshina Kannada district are Paddy, Coconut, Arecanut,Black Pepper and Cocoa.The district has APMC market in various taluks for the procurement of agriculture produce.The Karnataka Milk Federation has a milk processing plant at Kulshekar in Mangalore.The plant process milk procured from the farmers of the district.
The district is called as Cradle of Indian banking. Major nationalised banks like Canara Bank, Corporation Bank, Syndicate Bank, Karnataka Bank and Vijaya Bank evolved from this district.
Red clay tile (Mangalore Tiles),Cashew processing factories and Beedi industry once flourished in this district. Service sector is booming with setting up of professional education institutes and information technology related services (IT & ITES).
As the district is on the shore of Arabian sea, fishing is one of the major occupation of many people.The major fishing places are Bunder (Old harbour),Panambur,Surathkal, Kotekar and Sasihitlu.
The major industries in Dakshina Kannada are concentrated around Mangalore viz. Mangalore Chemical and Fertilizers Ltd. (MCF), Kudremukh Iron Ore Company Ltd. (KIOCL), Mangalore Refinery and Petrochemicals Ltd (MRPL), BASF, ELF GAS, etc. There is a chocolate manufacturing plant at Puttur run by co-operative CAMPCO.
Major information technology and outsourcing companies have started locating their facilities in Mangalore. viz. Infosys, Lasersoft infosystems Ltd., MPhasis BPO, etc Wipro also plans to set-up its development facility soon in Mangalore. Three dedicated IT parks are currently under construction. Two such parks are under construction, one Export Promotion Industrial Park (EPIP) at Ganjimutt and a second IT SEZ near Mangalore University. A third IT SEZ is being proposed at Ganjimutt. Another IT SEZ of 2 million square feet (180,000 m2) is under construction at Thumbe by the BA group. This will include a business centre, convention centre, mall and helipad facility.[7]
The Oil and Natural Gas Corporation ONGC plans to setup a multiproduct SEZ (Special economic Zone) with an investment of over Rs. 35,000 crore.[8]
Education and Research
The Dakshina Kannada district is in fore front in education.Primary and secondary education has reached every section of society. The district's literacy rate is far above national average. In the higher education (Degree and above), Dakshina Kannada district has made tremendous progress. The professional education has made a mark in the country. Students from different parts of India flock to Dakshina Kannada and Udupi districts because of high standards of education. A host of educational institutes offering courses in Medicine,Engineering ,Pharmacy,Nursing ,Hotel & catering,Law and Management are located in this district. There is college of fisheries located at Jeppina mogaru near Kankanady.
The district is home to many research institutes like National Research Centre for Cashew at Puttur. Another is a Central Plantation Crops Research Institute at Vitla.
Places of interest
Moodabidri: Site of the ancient Jain temples and the Bhattaraka seat.
Krishnapura matha : one of the matha (monastery ) belonging to ashta matha of udupi.
Dharmasthala : Popular temple of Lord Sri Manjunatheshwara is located here
Karinje: famous ancient temple of lord Shive Parvati on a huge rock
Kukke Subramanya : Famous ancient temple of the serpent lord Subramanya is located here.
Mulki: Durgaparameshwari Temple
Mangala Devi Temple : Mangalore has the ancient, 10th century Mangala Devi temple that has given the town its name. Situated Just 2 Kms from the heart of the city.
Kadri: The Kadri Hill is famous for the 11th century Kadri Manjunatha Temple, with the surrounding tanks with natural springs and laterite caves, also knows as the Pandava Caves. The bronze image of Lokeshawara and Guatama Buddha in the Dhyani posture point to its Buddhist origins. The Kadri Kambala(Buffalo race) takes place here in December. Situated Just 2 Kms from the heart of the city.
Kudroli Gokarnatheshwara Temple :Kudroli Gokarnatheshwara Temple is set by Shri Narayana Guru, the great Philosopher, Saint and social reformer from Kerala. The temple is built in the Chola Gopuram Style. The main deity of this temple is Shiva.Situated Just 1 Kms from the heart of the city.
Dharmasthala Manjunatha Temple: Seventy five Kms. East of Mangalore, set in sylvan surroundings on the lower slopes of the Western Ghats, this well known pilgrimage center is an interesting amalgam of faiths. The Manjunatha Temple is a prominent Shaivaite Center, that has Madhwa Vaishnavaite priests and is administered by a hereditary Jain family, the Heggades. The Jain influence can be seen in the 39 ft. statue of Bahubali, erected in 1980 on the hill near the temple. Opposite the temple is the Manjusha Museum which houses a wide rage of objects, including ancient scripts on palm leaves, silver jewellery and religious statuary. Charity is a way of life here and pilgrims that throng the temple are given free food and lodging for three days. During the annual festival, Laksha Deepotsava held in November-December, one lakh lamps are lit and literary and religious discourses held.
Kukke Subrahmanya Temple : Nestled between hills, this pilgrim center, 104 Kms. from Mangalore is famous for the temple of Kukke Sri Subrahmanya. The epics narrate how the divine serpent Vasuki and other snakes took refuge under God Subrahmanya, in the caves. Here God Subrahmanya is worshipped as a snake, which is the god's divine power. A ritual dance called Nagamandala is performed during the worship, where the dancer wears the attire of Ardhanarishwara(half man, half woman), symbolising the concept of female(prakruthi) and male(purusha) forces being one.
Kateel Durga Parameshwari Temple:Twenty Kms East of Mangalore is the Durga Parameshwari Temple, located on an island in Nandini river. The chief deity is in the form of an udhbhava(naturally formed) linga. The pillars of the temple bear beautiful sculptures.
Sri Rajarajeswari Temple, Polali, Bantval Taluk : Placed at 20 Kms away from bantval city and 20 KMs away from Mangalore city and 10 Kms away from Mangalore Airport(Bajpe Airport)
Sri Mahalingeswara temple, Puttur : Placed at main city of Puttur near police station. It is one of the well known temples of Dakshina Kannda.
Sri Karinjeshwara Temple, Karinje, Bantval Taluk : Situated at a place called Karinja of Kavalamudur village of Bantval taluk. 38 Kms away from Mangalore and 14 Kms away from Bantval. Could be reached from(2 KMS) a place called VAGGA on Mangalore-Belthangady route.
Sri Somanatha Temple, Someswara, Mangalore : Placed at 13 Kms away south of Mangalore via Mangalore to ULLALA and half KM away from ULLALA railway station.
Sri Sahasralingeshwara Temple, Uppinangady: Uppinagady is at a distance of 55 KMs away from Mangalore. The temple is placed at junction of two rivers NETHRAVATHI and KUMARADHARA.
Anantha Padmanabha Temple Kudupu: Located at 10 KMs away from Mangalore city, near Mangalore-Karkala highway.
Narahari Parvatha Sadashiva Temple, Bantval taluk: Loacted at 28 Kms away from Mangalore city. Placed near Pane-mangalore city of Mangalore Taluk.
Surathkal Beach :This picturesque beach is known for its clean surrounding and it's light house. This beach is few minutes away from National Institute of Technology, Karnataka.
Tannirbavi Beach: This is one of the best beaches of Dakshina Kannada. One can enjoy the sunset view here. It is about 12 Kms away from Mangalore.
Panambur Beach :10 Kms from Mangalore, to the left of the harbour and about 1Km fro NH.17 A good place for a short picnic.
Someshwar Beach :9 Kms to the south of Mangalore, and 1/2 Km from the Someshwara Bus stand, this beach is well known for the large rocks called "Rudra Shile". The historical
Somanath Temple : constructed during the regime of the famous queen Abbakka Devi is situated in the north side.