Mangalore is a panorama of palm-fringed beaches, lush green fields and enchanting forests. It is sheltered by the soaring Western Ghats on the east and the mighty Arabian Sea roaring along its western shores. Mangalore is one of the most enchanting places to travel. Though known for its religious places of worship, the place is blessed with green fields, waterfalls and beautiful beaches and with rich variety of flora and fauna. One of the beaches in Mangalore, known as Tannirbavi Beach, is one of the beautiful beaches of Dakshina Kannada, which is famous for the imposing view of the sunset. Another beach that offers solitude to visitors is Surathkal Beach.
Mangalore has become a major tourism destination. You can visit various tourist attractions like Kudroli Shri Gokarnanatheshwara Temple, Kadri Manjunatha Temple, St Aloysius Church, Shri Sharavu Mahaganapathi Temple, Sultan Battery, Mangaladevi Temple, St. Mary's island Malpe and others.
Mangalore has emerged as an education hub with many distinguished institutions and a highly literate populace. Superior standards of professional education available here attract students from all over the country and abroad.
Some of the Holy places and Temples like Udupi Sri Krishna temple, Anegudde Siddhi Vinayaka temple, Hattiyangadi Sri Vinayaka temple, Kollur Mookambika temple, Murudeshwara temple, Dharmasthala Sri Manjunatheshwara temple, Subhramanya temple, Kateel Sri Durgaparameshwari temple and others.
Best Season / Best time to visit Mangalore
Mangalore offers hot summers and pleasing weather in winters. The best time to visit the place is during the months from September to February.
Winters (December to February) are very pleasant and during this period, the humidity and temperatures are low. During day times, temperature falls below 34°C and night time temperature falls below 20°C.
Summers (March to May) has hot summers with a maximum temperature of 39°C. The climate hot and humid and is not suitable for tourist visits and outings.
Monsoons (June to September) are very strong and offer very high rainfalls compared to other urban centers in India. The heavy showers in monsoon may disrupt you from indulging in tourist activities.
The months from December to February are pleasing and comfortable; this period is ideal for outings and enjoying at the sea beaches or sightseeing. Summer months are hot, which makes it difficult for tourist activities while heavy rains in monsoons months may obstruct you from going out.
Places to visit
The major tourist spots here are Moodabidri, Dharmasthala, Subramanya, Kollu, Udupi, Karkala and Venoor. And while you are here, don’t forget to get a taste of the local cuisine, rich with sea–food and coconut.
The adventure and the nature lovers have a lot to do in Mangalore. The Western Ghats offer quite a bit of trekking opportunities amongst its thick recesses. The lovely beaches peppering the coast are ideal for quiet relaxation.
Moodabidri is a Jain pilgrimage centre with numerous basadis of its own, the most reputed of which is the Savirakambha Basadi. The highlight of the Basadi is that it has no less than 1000 pillars, each of which is different from the other in some way or the other. A huge monolithic pillar situated right at the entrance welcomes visitors. The temple also contains a variety of carved idols of Theerthankaras done in metal and adorned with jewels.
Mangalore has its share of tall and beautiful churches, the most important of which is the St. Aloysius Chapel, which is around 100 years old. The inside of the church is covered with frescoes, done by an Italian artist Bro. Moscheni. The paintings depict events in the life of St. Aloysius.
How to Reach:
Air : Mangalore has an Airport of its own at Bajpe. Flights operate to Mumbai, Bangalore, Goa, Kochi and Calicut daily.
Road : There are buses running to Bangalore and other nearby towns. NH 17 and NH 48 pass through Mangalore.
Rail : Mangalore has two railway stations from where trains run to Bangalore and all major cities in South India.