Mangalore – All good things about Namma Mangaluru
Mangalore – It’s a “Magical Galore”!
You must be wondering; what’s new to know about Mangalore?
Scroll down further to know more. I am pretty sure once you have read this blog you will definitely visit Mangalore and make it your home and cherish the memories forever.
Manguluru, Mangalore, Kudla, Kodial, Maikala, Mangalapuram, and Manjarun so many different names, yet it’s all just one beautifully diverse city residing in the Dakshina Kannada district of the State of Karnataka. It’s also called as “Tulunadu”.
I am sure when people hear the name Mangalore the first thing that comes to one’s mind are its beaches. Indeed Mangalore is definitely home to the Arabian Sea and the Western Ghats; but there’s certainly more about Mangalore (kudla), being a Mangalorean myself I can say there’s still so much unexplored in Mangalore.
Well if it’s your first visit to Mangalore then I am going to tell you about first things first; that is to do, see and eat in Mangalore. Kudla has its beautiful beaches, serene rivers, historic heritage sites and shrines, mouth watering cuisine and diverse culture and tradition and not to forget it’s people with a big heart.
Let me get started about Mangalore (kudla), this place is said to be blessed; certainly because there are a number of religious sites with an amazing historical background.
When you are here visit these religious sites to get the divine blessings:
1- Kadri Manjunatha Temple
About the temple in brief, it’s the oldest temple of Lord Shiva and it has the River Ganga flowing from the north and reaching to the Shivalinga placed in the garbhagudi (sanctum) of the temple. Wonderful isn’t it? The bronze idol of Lord Lokeshwar (Brahma) is the oldest of the South Indian temples. The vicinity of the temple has many other temples within it and small ponds.
To reach this temple you can take a rickshaw, bus or car. it’s located in the heart of the city at the Kadri area and is easily identifiable and accessible. Don’t miss out to drink the water from there; it’s amrutha (pure).
The annual festival is held during the month of January starting on the day of Makara Sankranthi which is a nine-day long festivity. If you are here at that time then don’t miss out.
picture courtesy : Madime Pix
2- St. Aloysius Chapel
About this place in brief, Historic yet again as it’s built in the year 1884. The chapel is majestic and the interiors are picturesque with its paintings and architecture. Don’t miss out to see the painting on the rear wall of Jesus as the friend of children. It’s located at light house hill road, and easily accessible.
3- Ullal Dargah
About this place in brief, anyone who visits this place is amused knowing it’s history , which says that the saint came to Ullal around 500 years ago from the holy city of Medina in Saudi Arabia by floating across the sea and camped at a small masjid which is now the Ullal Juma masjid. It’s known for its miracles with the blessings of the saint! Go see it yourself.
The list is endless. To name another few religious sites :
a) Kudroli Sri Gokarnatheshwara temple at Kudroli.
b) Mangaladevi temple at Boloor.
c) Milagres church at Hampankatta
d) Shree Suryanarayana Temple, Maroli
e) Polali Rajarajeshwari Temple
picture courtesy : Sriphotography23
Once you have seen the religious sites and been blessed let’s go sightseeing.
1- The beach
We have the Panambur beach which is the biggest in Mangalore city, it’s always surrounded by people and you can have a view of the port from here Mangalore is also a port city and it exports cashews and fertilizers.
If you want a calm and quiet beach walk then visit the Thannirbhavi beach which is serene and has a tree park in the vicinity; also for the adventurous one’s you can get to this place by taking a ferry from Sulthan Bathery and reach this beach , however this beach is accessible by vehicle too.
But wait, in Mangalore and not seeing the lighthouse isn’t fair right! so the next beach to see the lighthouse is at Surathkal which is near Mangalore just 12km from the city, it’s also called as the NITK beach. There are many buses to reach here. The lighthouse can be visited too, between 4pm and 5pm.
Someshwar beach: This beach in Mangalore is known because of the golden sand on the sea shore. It has the Lord Somnatheshwara temple in its vicinity hence the name. It’s located at Ullal and it’s a must visit.
picture courtesy : Karthik Nekkar
picture courtesy : Nithesh A Salian
2- Sulthan battery
About this place, its name itself is historic! Because Tippu Sultan built this fort in 1784 to prevent the Portugese entering Mangalore via sea route.
It’s a watch tower which when climbed you get a beautiful panoramic view. The next thing to do here is catch the ferry ride across the sea and go visit the Thannirbhavi beach.
3- Pilikula Nisrargadhama and Biological park :
This place attracts the highest number of visitors in Mangalore apart from the beaches. You may ask why? The reply is this place has recreation for all.
A lake park combined with boating and botanical garden, amusement and Water Park, state of the art 3D planetarium, a science centre, a zoo, Heritage village, fish rearing, golf course and much more.
The name ‘Pilikula’ is derived from ‘pili’ in tulu is tiger and ‘kula’ in tulu means lake., which means earlier tigers would come and drink water from this lake. This place is located at Vamanjoor which is 9km from the city.
There are several buses commuting to this place and inside the park you can take a buggy ride and visit all the places by paying a minimal fee as per the park authorities.
Each of the places at Pilikula is different and I am very sure you will enjoy.
4- Shopping at Mangalore
It is often said the people of Mangalore are always stylish including both men and women, the reason being their dressing sense.
Shopping in Mangalore is fun and reasonable; we have both shopping malls and the Central market or Hampankatta where one can purchase all that they need from small house hold regulars to apparels and more.
As a Mangalorean i’d suggest the best place for shopping, for both men and women of all ages are at Hampankatta. There are a number of shops with a variety of apparels, accessories, electronic gadgets, shoes and what not; you name it you have it!
Specifically for the women out there we have the best saree and jewellery shops at Mangalore. Mangalore is the next best place to buy gold jewellery after Kerala. So when you are here do keep some time for shopping.
The Best takeaways are a saree from the famous saree shop at Mangalore, gold jewellery and fancy footwear. For the men out there don’t forget to takeaway the traditional mundu (dhoti) outfit which is the speciality of Tulunadu (Mangalore).
picture courtesy : Shakif
Now that you have had a glimpse of Mangalore let me tell you more about its culture and tradition.
Mangalore is very diverse in its culture, we have people co-existing there are Hindu’s, Muslims, Christians and Jains in this beautiful place called “Tulunadu”.
You can rather call it multicultarism.
1) The Yakshagana from the Tuluva culture is a night-long dance and drama performance practised by the Tuluvas with great fanfare. The interesting fact is that the performance for this beautiful form of art has been booked in advance in and across the country for the next 10 years. That’s the popularity of this dance form. So when in Mangalore don’t miss out to have a glimpse of it, because I am sure you will be gawked at this art form.
picture courtesy : Subraya Holla Kasargod
2) The piliyesa or pilivesha or tiger dance is a unique folk dance which is performed during the major festivals here. If you happen to visit Mangalore during navartri or Krishna janmashtami then I guarantee you will also want to be a part of the dance group and wouldn’t want to stop dancing for it’s beats.
picture courtesy : Sushan Acharya
3) Kambala also called the buffalo race. This particular race has been in practice since ages, it’s still popular here because the animals aren’t harmed. This race is a treat to the eyes. The buffaloes and its master run on a water filled paddy field ( kesaru gadhhe) against time and the winners are rewarded and the buffaloes are glorified.
picture courtesy : Amith Rai
4) Bhuta kola it’s called the spirit worship. Just like a god, Tuluvas also worship spirits and there are a number of miracle stories that are unbelievable but believe it! If you are lucky you can get to watch this at the temple of the holy spirits.
picture courtesy : Yathish Bandale
5) Nagamandala: Around the world India is known for worshipping snakes! But the fact is the Snake God worship all began here in the south and Mangalore is home to the very famous Kudupu Ananthapadnabha temple and also the Kukke Subramanya temple which has a record number of visitors. The Nagamandala or Naga aradhane is unique and only practiced and performed exclusively in Dakshina Kannada district. The Nagamandala is the divine union of both male and female snakes, generally performed by two priests only of a particular cast. If in case you are here and a nagamandala is held in the city, do not miss it!
I hope on knowing the culture now, you would plan you’re visit to Mangalore soon.
Festivals in Mangalore:
In Mangalore we have a number of temples and no person will stay hungry here because most of the temple offers food for all people. That’s a blessing indeed. On having stated that, here every month almost we have temples celebrating its annual feast, so there is never a day without celebration and festivals.
The Mangaluru Dusshera: The people of Karnataka celebrate the Dussehra as a state festival ( Nada habba) which happens in Mysuru and is world-famous. However, the next best Dussehra in Karnataka is here only at Mangalore. It’s celebrated with pomp and gaiety for all the 10 days and the entire city is illuminated and the people of Mangalore just never miss to be a part of the celebration. On the 10th day, the procession is held with multiple tableaus and dancers from different parts of the state and the idols of the goddesses are taken on the procession and it goes on till the early hours of the morning and is then submerged in the lake at the temple premises. If you also want to enjoy it then visit Mangalore during the festival of Navaratri or Dussehra.
picture courtesy : Truepics Prajwal
Sri Krishna Janmashtami: We have all heard about the Janmashtami and its popularity in Maharashtra; again Mangaloreans celebrating Krishna Janmashtami is just mindblowing. The pandals that are made and the human pyramid formed to break the matkhas ( earthen pots) which are generally filled with colored water or laddoos and murukkus are breathtaking to watch and its celebrated with a lot of fanfare and people from all religions take part in this festival.
Car festival or Kodial theru: The Car festival is celebrated with colors and the youth of Mangalore never miss this festival because it’s holi for us here. Its called okkuli in Konkani and people of all ages enjoy this festival happening usually during the end of January and the beginning of February and is certainly the most favorite of all other festivals celebrated here.
Now the most famous reason why people come to Mangalore, any guesses? Well it’s definitely the food! To the sea food lovers I am 100% sure you cannot stop ordering for more food when here. The must have’s are anjal tawa fry, Prawns golden fry, Disco fish, crab fry (you can select the crab of you’re choice) and pomphret. Remember you can taste all the other sea food dishes too as all are good and there are many restaurants serving the best sea food.
For the Non vegetarian and non sea food lovers, I bet you will love the cuisine here as it’s a mixture of the Konkani, Tulu and Maharashtrian, and Mughal flavors. The must have’s are the chicken ghee roast, shawarmas, mutton biryani, kori rotti and sanna along with any chicken curry. It’s simply superb.
picture courtesy : The Flavourists
The vegetarian lovers even you will love the cuisine here, there are so many things to taste, the must have’s are the Mangalore buns, goli bajje, neer dosa ,banana podi. These are the best appetizers and completely Mangalorean, served at most restaurants here or you can just enjoy them at any of the street food places.
picture courtesy : Sushma Maheshwar
The must have’s for all is the pathrodey a traditional tulunadu dish made from colocasseia leaves. As Mangalore monsoons are for about 3 -4 months and this dish is common in all households.
Pellakkai gatti ( jackrfruit idly) it’s again specialty of Mangalore, as we grow the best varieties of jackfruit and its another favorite dish here as its steamed and the flavors are to crave for.
picture courtesy : Foodie Shetty
The ice cream: The very famous gadbud ice cream originated from Mangalore. Dare to miss it when in Mangalore.
Street food: If chats are famous everywhere else then Mangalore is famous for churmburi. it’s made from puffed rice with tangy tomato and raw mangoes with a mix of spices, one is never satisfied without having it once.
That’s a delicious summary about Mangalore’s food isn’t it? I hope on your visit here you will go with a happy stomach.
Now that’s enough knowledge about all good things about Mangalore. I hope when you visit this beautiful city you will cherish a lot of memories and will always want to comeback and make this place your home.
The takeaways from mangalore’s cuisine.
Food preparation mix: Did you know the best masala or food preparation powder is made here at Mangalore is exported too. So the food lovers and cooking lovers you must definitely pick some of them.
Cashews : Mangalore is world-famous for its cashew export business. We have a variety of them and there are many licensed shops where you can buy them.
Sweets : For the sweet-toothed people this one’s for you, the best banana halwa and malpuri are only available in Mangalore. Do not forget to taste it and take home for your self.
Savouries: Well Mangalore has a bread factory and the best bakeries, so you can always have the variety of bakery products, cakes and pastries here. The best snack here is the corn mixture and the khara or masala biscuit and sweet banana chips, which you will find in most bakeries and shops and you, will not want to share it with anyone else for sure.
Interesting facts about Mangalore:
This small city is the fastest developing non-metro city in the country, and is considered under the smart city development scheme of the nation!
Mangaloreans are linguistic people, they definitely know more than 2 major languages. In Mangalore the local language is either Tulu or Kannada, but the people of this city know Hindi, English, Konkani, Malayalam, Beary , hence any visitor can communicate with the Mangalorean’s without a hiccup!
Next best thing about Mangalore is its transport system; though it’s a small city there are several ways to commute to places in and around Mangalore. It’s currently known for the city having all the ways of transportation which are the Roadways, Railways, Airways and Waterways! Proud moment for mangalorean’s isn’t it? Also there are rickshaws, cabs and buses for the people of Mangalore. Thus, one can travel hassle free!
To those who don’t know, the sea food of Mangalore specially the fish and prawns are exported outside India and hence fishing is one of the main occupations here in Mangalore.
I love Mangalore.
This blog is compiled and written by Shishira Rau
You can visit our Instagram Page @mangalorememories to know and see more about Mangalore.
July 16, 2020 @ 3:44 pm
No words to explain about Mangalore, it’s just equal to heaven I guess. But still while riding this I remembered about the things ….best memories passed away…. thank you Mangalore . Definitely I will comeback … permanently.
Thank you Shishra