PILIKULA
Pilikula literally means 'Pond of the Tigers' in Tulu.
Located 10 km from Mangalore at Moodushedde, it is a wild life sanctuary
cum a holiday paradise spread across 350 acres of gardens, mini forests,
herb gardens and other botanical gardens. There is also a zoo, an
amusement and a safari park. The project is at its initial stages and promises
to be a eco-tourism center of the future.
The Pilikula Golf Course is fully operational and ready
for use by golfers. Set in an area of 35 acres of undulating &
scenic land in the midst of sylvan surroundings the natural
topography and greenery has been preserved. |
ST.
MARY'S ISLAND
St. Mary's Islands are a group of islands lying to the
north of the port of Malpe, about 70 km north of Mangalore. Vasco-da-Gama
appears to have touched the island in 1498, and called them 'Padron De
Sante Maria'. It is noted for its famous rocks which have crystallised
into columns and split into hexagonal mosaic it is indeed a spectacular
view. |
BARKUR
Barkur, the traditional capital of Tuluvas, which is
about 74 km from Mangalore, was for long time the local seat of the representatives
of the Hoysala Ballalas of Dorasamudra, who were Jains by religion. Ruined
tanks, Jain shrines and sculptures are still extant. The place has several
temples, containing inscriptions of historical importance. |
MARAVANTHE
BEACH
Maravanthe lies about 9 km east of Kundapur, along the
sea coast. It is an enchanting place, where on the
western side, the Arabian sea is stretching, while on the
eastern side, runs the Sauparnika river and in between them passes the
west coast road with the Kudachadri Hills in the backdrop. |
MANIPAL
5 km to the east of Udupi is a small town, called
Manipal, a unique place for learning. Manipal is a successful experiment
in transforming itself into an international university town. It
is all the hard and sincere labour, love put in by a dedicated doctor,
Dr. TMA Pai. It also has the magnificent Venugopal temple. Hasta Shilpa,
a house built in traditional style by Mr. Vijayanath Shenoy and furnished
with antiquities which he collected over his lifetime, is something which
you should not miss. Kasturba Medical College Museum is yet another place
amidst beautiful surroundings, is the anatomy museum. Land's End,
as the name suggests, it is an extra-ordinarily picturesque view-point
which is at one end of Manipal. It overlooks the lush green fields and
a river far below, and one can view the scenery as far as your eyes can
explore. |
KARKALA
Karkala is about 45 kms from Mangalore, this place is
famous for Gomateshwara Betta and Venkata Ramana Temple. This temple is
famous for its beautifully carved stone pillars. Renovated
a few decades ago, the stone carved pillars were created by thefamous sculptor,
Sri Renjal Gopalakrishna Shenoy. The most unique feature of the stonecarved
pillars is that each pillar has a beautiful rose and each rose has a honey-bee
sitting on it. The carving is so delicate and intricate
that even the six legs of the honey-bee are clearly visible.
the Gomateshwara Temple is renowned for the 42 ft tall granite monolithicstatue
of
Gomateshwara built in 1432 AD. It was built by Pandya
Raja. The huge basadi in Karkala is the Chaturmukha basadi which
is also worth visiting. St. Lawrence Church, Athur is also a place of attraction. |
KOLLUR
88 km from Udupi, Kollur is famous for the Mookambika
Temple at the foot of the Western on the Kodachadri
peak. . The goddess is so called because she is said
to have slain the demon Mookasura. The Goddess is
described as incorporating the powers of both Shiva and
Shakti. The image of the goddess was consecrated by Adi Shankaracharya.Mookambika
is believed to be a very powerful deity and people with true faith
often have their dreams fulfilled here. |
MOODBIDRI
Moodbidri is about 35 km from Mangalore. This place
is usually described as 'Jaina Kashi' and is the seat of Jain
philosophy. You can find a lot of Jain temples here. It is known for the
18 basadis, the most famous of them being 'Savira
Kambada Basadi' (thousand pillar temple) built in 1430. The temple is intricately
carved and has an architecture that is peculiar to
Nepal! |
UDUPI
This place is around 50 kms from Mangalore. Udupi is
famous for Sri Krishna Temple. It is a holy Hindu shrine, the Sri
Krishna Temple attracts thousands of pilgrims
from all over India every year. The temple houses Lord Krishna. It wasbelieved
to be founded by the Hindu saint Sri Madhwacharya. The statue of Lord Krishna,when
established used to face a small tank, Madwasarovar named after the holy
saint who
founded the temple.It is said that the statue turned
towards Kanakadasa an ardent follower of Lord Krishna. Today the window
is called Kanakana kindi. Pilgrims first pay their prayers
from this window before entering the Temple. |
SUBRAHMANYA
Subrahmanya is situated about 104 kms from Mangalore.
The place was originally called Kukke (basket)
because the idol was concealed in a basket by a priest
who was afraid that it may be stolen if not protected.
It is said that the nagas offered protection of Sri Subbrahmanya
and lived in the caves there. Lord Kartikeya is worshipped
here in the form of a cobra. It is a peaceful place attracting people
from far and near during Subrahmanya Sashti. |
DHARMASTALA
Situated 75 km from Mangalore, Dharmasthala was formerly
known as Kuduma, the place where charity is predominant.
The Manjunatha Temple is an enchanting place
in the midst of green rice fields, arecanut and coconut plantations fringed
by hills abundant with greenery. About 3 km from Dharmasthala
flows down the Nethravati river in which the pilgrims take
a holy dip before entering the temple. Dharmasthala derives its sanctity
from the temple dedicated to Lord Manjunatha. The
striking feature of this Shiva temple is the family of Dr Veerendra Heggade
who is the Dharmadhikri of the place, are followers
of Jainism are known for Charity. The Dharmasthala Organisation under the
leadership of Veerendra Heggade has built many schools and colleges in
South Kanara. In 1973, a 39 ft statue of Bahubali
was installed here. |
Nagarhole
Recognised as one of the best wild life conservation
spots in Karnataka. This national park is 95 kms both from
Mysore as well as from Mercara. The sanctuary boasts of a large elephant
reserve and rich lush green bamboos. Sometimes
you can see elephants crossing the roads when you are on the safari. It
is an ideal habitat for bisons too. The sanctuary also boasts tigers,deer,
panthers and jackals, various insects, scorpions and several gorgeously
birds. Murkal which is 12 kms from Nagarhole
offers 2 beds / 3 beds cottages and dormitory accommodation. Safaris into
Nagarhole are charged at Rs.50/- per person.Nararhole is closed during
rainy season. |
KATEEL
Kateel is about 27 kms east of Mangalore
to Kinnigoli and is situated on the banks of the river
Nandini. The temple is dedicated to Durgaparameshwari. The templewas renovated
in 1944 after the original was washed away by floods. |
Bandipur
National Park
This is about 80 kms from
Mysore. It is a well maintained `Project Tiger' site. Thethick forests
and water reserves ensure that the eco-system is maintained.
Besides elephants and tigers, wild bear, sambar and
other wild animals can also been seen here. |
Madekeri
A few hours journey from Mangalore is Coorg (Kodagu)
district (south west of Karnataka), where the river Cauvery originates.
Mercara (Madikeri), the capital, has a wonderfully cool climate and is
a major coffee, Orange, Cardamom growing area. Raja's seat, Abi falls and
Sri Omkarshwara temple are the major tourist attractions. Talacauvery
which is about 50 kms from Madikeri is the source of the river Cauvery. |
Jog Falls
Is situated in Shimoga district about 380 kms from Bangalore.
During the monsoon months when the Jog falls are at their magnificentbest,
KSTDC conducts weekend tours to this place. At Jog, the river Sharavathy
flows over a rocky bed, splitting into four separate streams called
Raja, Rani, Rocket and Roarer. One of the highest waterfalls, the cascading
waters is so delightful to watch. |
