The Coastline - the shine of Karnataka

When have the beaches not looked beautiful? When have, the people stopped going to sea shore? When have the water bodies stopped providing peace of mind? It hasn’t happened, has it? Well, that’s why they say ‘sea removes your headache, leaves your troubles behind and it gives you peace of mind’. And that’s the same reason why I would like to take you through the shine and pride of the state of Karnataka - the coastal Karnataka.

A part of the Malabar coast along the west coast, spreading across 300km is the coastline of Karnataka.

Starting from the Port Capital of the state, Mangalore up till Karwar – another major place, the line includes many places of interest. Cultural, scenic, business, defense and fun activities can all be seen through the coast. I would like to take through some of the important places and how to reach them in this snippet.

Mangalore:

Popularly known as the port capital, this is India’s one of  the major harbor location. One of the most beautiful and clean cities, Mangalore hosts itself as a big business hub. Along with that, the city also harbors many beaches viz, Ullal, Panambur, Thannerbhavi, Suratkal to name a few.

Mangalore derives its name from the local deity called the ‘Mangala Devi temple’. The temple is well worshipped and one of the most visited places in the city. Other temples in and around the city is the Gokarnanatha Temple and the Kateel temple.

How to reach:

Mangalore is around 350kms from Bangalore. A lot of buses ply from Bangalore to Mangalore which traverses through the western ghats – inside a dense jungle and multiple unnamed waterfalls on the way making it a beautiful journey altogether. There are trains which ply to Mangalore. There are frequent flights to Mangalore from Bangalore, Goa, Mumbai and other important cities. A car journey is worth a shot.

Places to visit:

1. Mangala Devi Temple
2. Gokarnanatha Temple
3. Summer Sands beach resort
4. Kateel (20 kms)
5. Kukke Subramanya Temple (105 kms)
6. Dharmasthala (75 kms)
7. Kasargod (50 kms)
8. Bekal Fort (70 kms)

(Gokarnanatha Temple)

(Bekal Fort)

(Beach at Summer Sands)

(Kukke Subramanya temple)

Food specialties:

The whole of the coastal region has a different variety of delicacies. They are very different from the normal stuff available elsewhere. Some of them include Neer Dosa, Goli Baje (Mangalore Bajji), Patrode, Jackfruit kheer and other jackfruit related recipes among others.

P.S – Please do not miss Ideal Cream Parlor for the best ice cream in the city.

Accommodation and shopping:

Since Mangalore is a big city, you get lot of resorts and good hotels too. Accommodation is never a problem here. Hampanakatta and State Bank areas have markets where all shopping can be done. 

(Ideal Cream parlour)

Udupi:

Around 56kms from Mangalore is another beautiful city – Udupi. Known for its cultural and academic importance, Udupi has always been the go-to place for most visitors. Udupi has one of the most revered temples in the country – Udupi Sri Krishna Math. This Math was found by the great Jagadguru Sri Madhwacharya in the 13^th century, where he found the Dwaita Sidhantha. Also, this temple has another story that one of the greatest devotees of Lord Krishna, Kanakadasa, once was denied entry to this temple and was tied behind the temple so he could not see the deity. Since he being an ardent devotee and seeing his devoutness, the idol of the Lord turned opposite so that this man could see the deity. Even today the entrance is on one side while the idol is on the side and a round must be completed to worship the idol.

(Udupi Temple)

(Car festival in Udupi)

Places to visit:

Udupi also has academic importance because of a place – Manipal. Prestigious university – the Manipal University – provides courses on all subjects and has a good hospital too. Just about 5kms from Udupi, this place has a good number of pubs too.

Malpe beach, 6kms from Udupi, is another tourist attraction here. One of the cleanest and safest beaches, one could enjoy playing the beach. There is an island – St. Mary’s Island – which is a star attraction. Boat rides from the Malpe beach takes you to the island. You do have a lot of activities like the jet skiing, para sailing etc available on the beach.

Around 20kms from Udupi is another beach called the Caup or Kapu beach. This has a lighthouse and one could see an estuary here. The view of waves hitting the rocks is mesmerizing.

(Kapu beach)

Other places include Karkala (40 kms), Kollur (75 kms), Kundapur (32 kms).

Accommodation:

A lot of hotels are available, and they are quite near to the main temple. 

Murdeshwara:

This is a small village around 120kms from Udupi. However, the history behind this place dates back to the Tretha yuga during Ramayan. It is said that once Raavan procured the AtmaLinga – the true form of Lord Shiva through pious worship and devotion. Lord Shiva had warned him that if this AtmaLinga were to put down in any place, then it cannot be removed from that place. Having the AtmaLinga was like having Lord Shiva by the side. Thinking this might lead to end of the world, all the other demigods decided to pray Lord Ganesh for help. Lord Ganesh, disguised himself as a Brahmin boy, set for the task. Soon dusk was set and Raavan had to perform his evening prayers. He saw this Brahmin boy and asked his help to hold the AtmaLinga until he returns from the prayers. The boy accepted it on one condition that he counts 3 and if Raavan does not return, he would put it down. So, accepting the condition, Raavan set out on his prayers and before he could stop the boy had counted 1 and very quickly, he counted 3 too. Before Raavan could arrive, he placed the AtmaLinga down. And now it could not be moved. Raavan put all his might but was of no use. He pulled it so hard that the Linga was cut into 5 pieces. And one such piece fell in this place called Murdeshwar.

Murdeshwar not only has a temple but also a beautiful beach which is a very shallow beach. During on-season one can experience scuba diving too.

(Raja Gopura of the temple)

(Aerial view of Shiva statue)

Places to visit:

1. The Murudeshwar temple
2.  Lord Shiva statue which is the second tallest statue in the world
3. Murudeshwar beach
4. Idagunji temple (20 kms)
5. Apsarakonda (22 kms)
6. Maravanthe beach (50 kms)
7. Jog falls (90 kms)

On the way to Murdeshwar, is one of the spectacular views one can ever get. The highway surrounded by water bodies on both sides. Yes, this is in a place called Maravanthe beach, where one side is the beach and the other side is the river. This is one of the most riveting drives along the coastline.

(Maravanthe beach)

About 20kms from Murdeshwar is another wonderful, you could experience both waterfall and a beach very close by. The Apsarakonda falls and Apsarakonda beach is one such attraction and is one of the very secluded beaches.

(Apsarakonda beach - top view)

90kms from Murdeshwar is the world-famous Jog Falls. This is the second highest waterfall in India. A visit during the rainy season with the falls filled, makes it a spectacular view.

(Jog Falls)

Gokarna:

As mentioned in the story above about Raavan and AtmaLinga, the place where the Linga was placed was Gokarna. Situated 90kms north of Murdeshwar, this is where Raavan broke it into 9 pieces scattered all over. The name Gokarna comes up as a mix of 2 words – Govu and Karna. Govu meaning Cow and Karna meaning ears. Mythology says that Lord Shiva emerged from Cow’s ear to destroy two demons and hence the name.

Places to visit:

1. Gokarna Beach
2. Gokarna Temple
3. Om Beach (7kms)
4. Kudle Beach (7kms)
5. Yana (50kms)
6. Mirjan Fort (22 kms)

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(Om beach)

(Sunset at Gokarna)

(Mirjan Fort)

Yana is one such place which one does not see regularly. Situated at around 50kms from Gokarna, this is a single rock formation. Huge peaks, black rocks make it a good trekking place.

(Yana)

Accommodation and Connectivity:

Om Beach is one of the most beautiful beaches and you do get a lot of resorts around here. Gokarna is connected via train and road with buses plying from many places.

To conclude, the coastline of Karnataka is one of the best places to visit. Months from June to August is the peak Monsoon season and these places experience heavy rains. This is the off-season. However, this is the time when the waterfalls are filled and that becomes a mind-blowing experience. On the way to these places, one must pass through the Western Ghats. Here, there are some more exciting places as well like the Kodachadri hills, Sringeri, Horanadu etc which take you to a whole new different world. This blog is just my experience. I hope this blog would be of good help when touring these places and you could experience a better and an amazing trip yourself.