Dakshina Kannada - formerly known as South Canara

Mythologically, the name of the town Mangaluru is derived from the shrine of this temple. The history of this temple goes back to the 10th century, when Kundavarma, the most famous king of the Alupa dynasty was ruling with Mangalore as his capital. During this period, there were two holy saints of the Nath cult, Machhendranath and Gorakhnath, chose a place near the banks of the river Netravati to do a penance. That place was once the centre of activities of the sage Kapila. Hearing about their arrival, the king paid his respects and offered them patronage....

Kateel Durga Parameshwari Temple, Goddess Parvati as Durga Parameshwari has her temple in the middle of the sacred Nandini river. The legend begins with the battle between Goddess Shakti and demons under their ruler Arunasura, as mentioned in Markandeya Purana text. Arunasura was a demon king in this region who usually disturb the sages. Maharishi Jabali visited Lord Brahma and requested him to send Kamadhenu (a holy cow) as the guarding of the sages. Since Kamadhenu was unavailable at that time, he sent her daughter Nandini....

Kudroli (Gokarnath) Gokarnanatheshwara Temple, this Shiva temple at Kudroli was laid foundation in 1912 by Sri Narayana Guru, a social reformer and saint of Kerala. The Billava Community was traditionally suppressed by the upper caste treating them as ‘untouchables’ and they were not allowed to enter the temples at Mangalore during the 18th century. This issue was raised to Sri Narayana Guru, who was regarded as the uplifter of the downtrodden. Sahukar Koragappa, a prominent leader of that community had a meeting with the Guru in 1908....

The Manjunatheshwara temple is located in a beautiful hill of Kadri, at the outskirts of Mangalore. The temple was believed to be built around the 11th century by Vijayanagar emperors. Though the construction of a temple was done at that time, there are inscriptions about this place and the Lord in one ‘Bharadwaja Samhita’, a Sanskrit mythological Vedic compilation. The place was for the sages of Vaishnavism, who utilized this hill for their penances and rituals. It was Lord Parashuram, who requested Lord Shiva to have an abode in this mountain. It was also mentioned that Buddhism was practised for some time here....

Set in sylvan surroundings on the lower slopes of the Western Ghats, this well known pilgrimage center is an interesting amalgam of faiths, dedicated to Lord Shiva as Manjunatheshwara. The Manjunatha Temple is a prominent Shaivite Center, that has Madhwa Vaishnava priests and is administered by a hereditary Jain family, the Heggades. The history of the temples goes back to some 800 years ago, when the region was known as Kuduma. There lived a Jain Chieftain Birmanna Pergade and his wife Ammu Ballalthi in a house called Nelyadi Beedu....

Located amidst the nature’s lap, this Kukke Subrahmanya Temple is located in Subrahmanya village, dedicated to Lord Muruga. The temple is surrounded by the glories of nature on all sides overlooked by Kumara Parvatha hill. Shesha Parvatha, a mountain shaped like a six-headed serpent, adjacent to Kumara Parvatha seems to protect the temple, geographically. The temple is considered as the ultimate place to attain relief from any kind of 'naga doshas'. According to legends, Lord Muruga reached here with his brother Ganesh and a few others after having killed the demons Tharaka and Soorapadma....

St. Aloysius Chapel is located inside St. Aloysius College Ground situated at the heart of Mangalore. The college was built in 1880 by Jesuit Missionaries. The chapel inside it was built in 1885 to honour a wealthy and successful person, St. Aloysius Gonzaga, who gave up his worldly pleasures at a young age to serve the destitute. The construction was headed by Reverend Father Joseph Willy. This chapel is considered equivalent with those in Rome of Italy, because of its amazing architecture, extraordinary layouts and a well thought execution....

Established in 1680 by Bishop Thomas de Castro, Milagres Church is a Roman Catholic Church at the heart of Mangalore. The church is dedicated to Our Lady of Miracles. The church has come across a lot of hurdles every time when the dynasty changed. It was the Portuguese Franciscan Missionaries, who built a small church when they first landed at Mangalore. Late came the Dutch, who were not kind to any Catholic cause. The British East India Company was established in 1600 which resulted in the Portuguese and Goan priests being recalled to Goa....

The town gets its name from the combination of two Kannada words Mooda (East) and Bidiri (bamboo). Because of the luxuriant growth of bamboos in the region, the town got its name. It is situated at a beautiful spot in the midst of hills. Moodabidri witnessed an unprecedented growth as a center of Jain religion, culture, art and architecture during the 14th to 16th centuries. The town has a wonderful connection with the number 18. It houses 18 Hindu temples, 18 roads that connect the different villages to it, surrounded with 18 lakes, and also the home to 18 Jain Basadis (temples)....

Tannirbhavi Beach is located 10 km from Mangalore city centre. It is in a captivating location at the confluence of the Gurupura river and the Arabian Sea nearby New Mangalore Port. Compared with its neighbouring Panambur beach, this one is quite calm due to less crowd. It can be reached either through Kuloor bridge or a ferry ride via the Gurupura river, both are wonderful to experience. It is famous for water sports like boating, surfing, jet skiing, kayaks etc to explore the beautiful Arabian Sea. It is an ideal picnic spot with its calm atmosphere....

Reputed as one of the cleanest and safest beaches in India, Panambur beach, just outside Mangalore city centre is usually crowded for this fact. The word ‘panam’ refers to money. Since it is located close to Mangalore port where trading is very common, the beach is named Panambur. This is the first of its kind in Indian beaches, completely run and maintained by a private enterprise, the ‘Panambur Beach Tourism Development Project’....