Genral Information - Mangalore

To the south by the shores of Arabian Sea is located the port town of Mangalore, a rambling, green, friendly town that is a serene getaway, a little off the beaten track and ideal for those who want a slightly laidback sort of vacation. The approach of Mangalore by road or rail is as eye-filling as by air, with rolling hills, verdant vistas, sparkling streams gurgling to rendezvous with the sea, and the smell of salt water getting ever stronger as the coast draws nearer. The landscape is dotted with tiled-roof buildings, topped with the famous Mangalore tiles made with the local hard red clay, and built with laterite, a soft rock easily sliced into large building blocks Some of the old houses even have elaborate wood-work. The exceptionally fine location of Mangalore on a narrow coastal strip between the towering Western Ghats on one side and the azure Arabian sea on the other has attracted settlers form afar. The city is virtually a Tower of Babel, with the sounds of several languages mingling on the streets. Mangalore is known for the industriousness of its people and natural splendour. The place also has a history of maritime activities.

This city of Mangalore is said to have been named after the famous Mangaladevi Temple. This temple, also a tourist spot, is situated 3 km away from main city area. This temple was built by the Ballal family of Attavar in memory of a princess of Kerala. Not much history could be found about this area though the local museum would be a right place to go for the history of this place.

There are several places of tourist attractions in Mangalore.

Kadri is another ancient historic spot in Mangalore. The Kadri Temple dating back to about 1068 A.D. with its nine tanks, its square temple, nestling at the foot of the highest hill, draws to Mangalore hundreds of visitors annually. The Lokeshwara bronze statue of the Kadri Manjunatha Temple is tipped to be the best bronze statue in India. On top of the hill King Kundavarma Bhupendra built a mutt, which came to be called 'Jogimutt'. There are some stone caves on top of the hill, which are known as the caves of the Pandavas.

St. Aloysius Church is situated 1 km away from the city's main center. The walls of the church are covered with the paintings of the artist Antony Moshaini of Italy. The church was built in the year 1899-1900. St. Aloysius College Chapel, an architectural gem, comparable with the Sistine chapel in Rome, is situated on lighthouse hill. The special beauty of the chapel is the wonderful series of paintings that virtually cover every inch of the interior roof and walls.

Shri Sharavu Mahaganapathi Temple of Mangalore is known as a pilgrim center and boasts of many sacred temples like Sharavu, Kadri, Mangaladevi, and Kudroli etc. Out of these Sri Sharavu Sharabeshwara - Sri Mahaganapathi Kshetra is an outstanding, pious center of great illustrious history of marathon 800 years.

Kudroli Gokarnath Temple is situated 3 km away from main city area. Recently, this temple has been renovated and now it is one of the tourist attraction places in Mangalore.

Sultan Battery is situated in Boloor 4 km away from Mangalore City. It was built in Black stones by Tipu Sultan to prevent warships to enter Gurupur river. Now the remaining part of the fort is called as Tipu's Well. It is today a deserted spot but its construction is bafflingly exquisite. Although it is a watchtower, it gives the impression of a miniature fortress with its arrangements for mounting cannons all round.

By Air
Mangalore city is accessible by almost all the transportation systems. The airport is 20 km from the city center. One can take the locally available road transport medium to reach the airport to catch a flight.

By Rail
The Mangalore train station is on the southern fringe of the city center. However, some of the trains stop at the Kankanadi Station situated 5 km east of the Mangalore main city.

By Road
The road network is well maintained in the state, which connects it with the nearby places of importance. touristplacesinindia can arrange for you all types of land transport for your comfortable journey in Mangalore and throughout the Indian state of Karnataka.

In order to make the travel tour to Mangalore even more joyful you need to choose just the right kind of accommodation for you and your family or friends in Mangalore. The various hotels packages in Mangalore offer the best of facilities. The well-furnished rooms make excellent place to stay in Mangalore, with most of the comforts at your feet. You may enjoy the luxuries of life on your stay at the Mangalore hotels. You may take your pick from a range of luxury and budget hotels in Mangalore besides the star categorized accommodation hotels around the landmarks of Mangalore offer excellent view of the landmarks through their suites. Most of the places to stay in Mangalore are strategically located in the tourist centers.

Shopping in Mangalore is one of the prime concerns for the visitors to the city of Karnataka. The city of Mangalore offers ample shopping opportunities for the tourists who come here to spend a vacation. The people who visit this city on a work-related tour, also drops in a shop or two to take home a shopping item that specially belongs to this region.

There are a lot of Mangalore shopping malls, which offer a variety of articles that are worthy buying. The names of some major shopping centers of the city are Hampankatta, Kankannady, Balmatta and Falnir. A couple of malls are being constructed on the MG Road. One of the most popular shopping centers of the city is the Empire Mall. This market houses the Coffee Day, the Nilgiris supermarket, the Dollar store and the Pizza Corner.

Another famous mall that offers good opportunities for shopping at Mangalore is the Bharath Mall. This shopping mall of Mangalore has shops of Big Bazaar, Adlabs 3 screen Multiplex, Planet M, Food Bazaar, Pantaloons, Pizza Hut, Subway, Coffee Day, Reebok, Adidas, Planet Sports, Provogue, Lewis and Swawroski.

The Mohtisham City Centre Mall is one of the most talked about centers of shopping within Mangalore that will be established in the city in the near future. This mall is to be set up on the KS Rao Road. This shopping mall of the city is expected to increase the opportunities for shopping in Mangalore to a great extent. Other important projects for shopping in Mangalore are the Mischief Mega Mall, the Excel Mall and the Time Square.

Dussehra and Sri Krishna Janmashtami are two of the festivals that are celebrated with notable festivity and enthusiasm in Mangalore. Sri Krishna Janmashtami witnesses the exuberant enactment of the God's childhood endeavors to steal butter and curd from earthen pots beyond his reach. A matka or pot containing these is suspended high above the ground and groups of young men and children form human pyramids to try and reach the pot and eventually break it.

Tiger Dance is a unique form of folk dance in Dakshina Kannada that fascinates the young and the old alike. Since tiger is considered as the favored carrier of Goddess Sharada (the deity in whose honor Dussehra is celebrated), this dance is performed during the Dussehra celebration. It is also performed during other festivals like Krishna Janmashtami.

Aati festival is also one of the festivals especially celebrated in Mangalore. Aatikalanja is a ritualistic folk dance performed by the Nalke community. Kalañja is the name of a minor spirit who is in charge of the protection of the village folk during the month of July-August rainy season. And that was Aati (Tulu for the month of Aashadha), wherein, according to the Hindu almanac, nature was at her vicious best. Aati commences from July 17 and runs up to August 15.

Along with the other Hindu festivals, Ganesh Puja and Navaratri are also celebrated here.