India Travel and Holiday Guide

Overview:

Named after the presiding deity Mangala Devi, Mangalore was once known as Mangalapara. This city of uncorrupted beaches and coconut trees, with its blooming business in everything from coffee to beedis, a form of cigarettes, Mangalore is a lovely town.

In the sixth century, Mangalore became famous overseas as a major source of pepper. By the mid-1400's, the Persian ambassador Abdu'r-Razzaq saw Mangalore as the "frontier town" of the Vijayanagar empire - which was why the Portuguese captured it in 1529. In Haider Ali's time, during the eighteenth century, the city became an important shipbuilding centre.

Mangalore today is a bustling city with business and pleasure living alongside each other with equanimity. As a visitor, you can get your fill of just about what your heart desires. There is mouth-watering cuisine, beautiful scenes and beaches, parties you can spend nights at and a lot of local culture. The people are warm and hospitable, with a zest for life that reaches out and embraces you.

Population: About 500000

Climate: Mangalore can get quite hot and sultry during the summers with temperatures ranging between 40ºC to 26ºC. Winters are warm but comfortably so with temperatures ranging from 35ºC to 22ºC.


Main Language(s): Tulu, Kanadda and English

Time Zone: GMT + 05:30

Phone Area Code: 0824

Best Time To Visit: While Mangalore is hot, the place sees visitors the year around, though it might not be a very good idea during the monsoons, which can be more than heavy.


Airport Distance from City Center: 20 kms

Taxi Rates from Airport to City: Rs. 300 (Approx)

Places To Visit:

St Aloysius College Chapel
The Chapel was built in 1899-1900 in the memory of Aloysius Gonzaga and resides within the college. Situated in the heart of the city, the Chapel is a must-see for more reasons than one. Italian artist Anthony Moscheni covers the walls of the Church with his paintings. Everywhere you look - the ceilings, the roof and the walls, there are exquisite paintings, which take your breath away. The central row of paintings on the ceiling depicts the life of Aloysius Gonzaga.

Bejai Museum
Browse around this relatively low profile museum and you will come away surprised. The Sreemanthi Bai Memorial Government Museum at Bejai is shaped like a ship for starters and houses some interesting pieces of art and artefacts. Built in 1955, the museum is treasured by those interested in sourcing outdated artefacts. For those that are more contemporarily inclined, there is quite a bit too.

New Mangalore Port
Shipping is nothing new to this city that has been the centre for trade. Mangalore has one of the largest ports in the country. Construction of the new port began in 1965 and today, the New Mangalore Port is reputed as one of the better-looking ports in the country.

Manjunatha Temple
This 10th century Shiva temple built during the Nayaka period is unique for its mix of deities. There is the shivalinga in the sanctum sanctorum and Buddhist deities in the verandah of the temple. Located atop the Kadri Hills, the temple is an example of the exchange of culture and a tolerance that existed in times gone by.

Sultan's Battery

This watchtower was originally built to be on the lookout for warships. The job of the watchtower also included warning concerned authorities and preventing the warships entering the River Gurpur. Built during the time of Tipu Sultan, standing atop this watchtower almost gives you a sense of suspense like it is only a matter of time before you spot a warship. The view is great, so make a trip.

Beaches

The best thing about Mangalore are its beaches. Laze in the warm sun and get a tan. The beaches here are wonderfully and pleasantly clean and make for an ideal holiday or getaway. Some of the more popular ones are the Tanirbhavi, the Suratkal, Sasihitlu, the Ullal and Someshwar Beaches.