Dakshina Kannada

Dakshina Kannada, also known as South Kanara, is a coastal district in the state of Karnataka in India. It is bordered by Udupi District to the north, Chikkamagaluru district to the northeast, Hassan

District to the east, Kodagu to the southeast, and Kasaragod District in Kerala to the south. The Arabian Sea bounds it on the west. Mangalore is the headquarters and chief city of the district.

Before 1860, Dakshina Kannada was part of a district called Kanara, which was under a single administration in the Madras Presidency. In 1860, the British split the area into South Kanara and North Kanara, the former being retained in the Madras Presidency, while the later was made a part of Bombay Province in 1862.

 Kundapura taluk was earlier included in North Kanara, but was re-included in South Kanara later.

Later, the Karnataka Government, for the purpose of administration, split the greater Dakshina Kannada district into Udupi and present day Dakshina Kannada districts on 15 August 1997. Three taluks of former DK district namely Udupi, Karkala and Kundapura were made into new Udupi district.

The district is famous for red clay roof tiles (Mangalore tiles), cashew nut & its products, banking, education (professional and non professional) and of course for its exotic cuisine.

The district is divided into five talukas : Mangalore, Bantwal, Puttur, Sullia, and Belthangady.

Mangalore :

Mangalore is the chief port city of the Indian state of Karnataka. It is located about 350 kilometres (220 mi) west of the state capital, Bangalore. Mangalore lies between the Arabian Sea and the Western Ghat mountain ranges, and is the administrative headquarters of the Dakshina Kannada (formerly South Canara) district in south western Karnataka.

Mangalore was named after the local Hindu deity Mangaladevi, the presiding deity of the Mangaladevi temple. According to local legend, Matsyendranath, the founder of the Nath tradition, arrived in the area with a princess from Kerala named Parimala or Premaladevi. Having converted Premaladevi to the Nath sect, Matsyendranath renamed her Mangaladevi. After her death, the Mangaladevi temple was consecrated in her honour at Bolar in Mangalore. The city got its name from the Mangaladevi temple.

In the epic Ramayana, Lord Rama ruled over the region, while in the epic Mahabharata, Sahadeva, the youngest of the Pandavas, governed the area.^[In the third century BCE, the town formed part of the Maurya Empire, ruled by the Buddhist emperor, Ashoka of Magadha. The region was known as Sathia (Shantika)

From second century CE to sixth century CE, the Kadamba dynasty ruled over the region. From 567 to 1325, the town was ruled by the native Alupa rulers.

The Alupas ruled over the region as feudatories of major regional dynasties like the Chalukyas of Badami, Rashtrakutas, Chalukyas of Kalyani, and Hoysalas. Mangalapura (Mangalore) was the capital of the Alupa dynasty until the 14th century.

The city, then an important trading zone for Persian merchants, was visited by Adenese merchant Abraham Ben Yiju. The Moroccan traveller Ibn Battuta, who had visited the town in 1342, referred to it as Manjarun, and stated that the town was situated on a large estuary. By 1345, the Vijayanagara rulers brought the region under their control.

Later, the Jain Kings and the Muslim Bangara Kings ruled the town as feudatories of the Vijayanagar Empire, and brought the town firmly under an efficient and centralised administration.

European influence in Mangalore can be traced back to 1498, when the Portuguese explorer Vasco da Gama landed at St Mary's Island near Mangalore. In 1526, the Portuguese under the viceroyship of Lopo Vaz de Sampaio succeeded in defeating the Bangara King and his allies and conquered Mangalore.

In 1640, the Keladi Nayaka kingdom defeated the Portuguese and ruled the town until 1762. Hyder Ali, the de facto ruler of the Kingdom of Mysore, conquered Mangalore in 1763, consequently bringing the city under his administration until 1767. Mangalore was ruled by the British East India Company from 1767 to 1783, but was subsequently wrested from their control in 1783 by Hyder Ali's son, Tipu Sultan; who renamed it Jalalabad.

The Second Anglo–Mysore War ended with the Treaty of Mangalore, signed between Tipu Sultan and the British East India Company on 11 March 1784. After the defeat of Tipu at the Fourth Anglo–Mysore War, the city remained in control of the British, headquartering the Canara district under the Madras Presidency.South Canara remained under Madras Presidency, while North Canara was transferred to Bombay Presidency in 1861.

As a result of the States Reorganisation Act (1956), Mangalore (part of the Madras Presidency until this time) was incorporated into the dominion of the newly created Mysore State (now called Karnataka). Mangalore is a major city of Karnataka, providing the state with access to the Arabian Sea coastline. Mangalore experienced significant growth in the decades 1970–80, with the opening of New Mangalore Port on 4 May 1974 and commissioning of Mangalore Chemicals & Fertilizers Limited on 15 March 1976. The late 20th century saw Mangalore develop as a business, commercial and information technology (IT) centre, although the traditional red tile-roofed houses are still retained in the city.

Bantwal :

Bantwal is a taluk in Dakshina Kannada district, Karnataka, India. It is also a town by the same name. The adjacent township of B.C.Road (Bantwal Cross Road) serves as the commercial center.

Bantwal town is reverentially called as Vatapura Kshetra by some communities. It is situated on the banks of River Nethravati on the National Highway - 48, 25 K.M East of Mangalore.

In the olden days, the town of Bantwal was known for trade. However, flooding caused by the river Netravathi during the monsoons compelled traders and newer settlements to move to the adjacent township of B.C.Road due to its higher altitude. Gradually, most Government offices shifted to B.C. Road.

Prior to 1852, Bantwal Taluk was the largest Taluk in the entire of Canara Province (then comprising North Canara, Udupi, Mangalore and Kasaragod Districts) with 411 villages and a total population of 1,69,416. In 1852, a portion of it was formed into the Taluk of Puttur. Bantwal was an enterpot for the produce of the province on its way to the Mysore Country and had derived great benefit of late years from the extension of the coffee trade. It contained about thousand scattered houses inhabited by Moplas, Bunts, Konkanis, and a few Jains.

Puttur :

Puttur  is a city in Dakshina Kannada district, in Karnataka state of India. It is the headquarters of the Puttur Taluk. The city is located 52 km from Mangalore, along the Mysore-Mangalore highway, in a hilly region between the coast and the Western Ghats. according to 2011 estimation city has a population of 53091. The major occupation of its inhabitants is agriculture. The National Research Centre for Cashew and main CAMPCO Factory is located in puttur.

As per one theory, Puttur got its name after pearl "Mutthu" in Kannada and town of pearl "Mutthur" slowly renamed itself to Puttur.The famous believed myth is Centuries ago,due to draught priests were performing rituals with rice as prasad in the Holy pond of Mahalingeshwara temple,suddenly the water started coming from all the corners to turn those rice into pearl. Other theory, is Puttur derived its name from "Puttha" in Tulu, meaning snake nests (ant hills/ mounds inhabited by snakes). Puttur is the birthplace and childhood home of the respected wildlife conservationist K. Ullas Karanth.

Sullia :

Sullia  is a taluk in the Dakshina Kannada district of the state of Karnataka, India. It is a small town, surrounded with evergreen wooded mountains in the Western Ghats range in South India. Sullia has plantations of rubber, areca nut, coconut, cashew nut, black pepper and banana. Education centers in Sullia offer a variety of education to students from around the world. The road connecting the two major cities of Karnataka – Mysore and Mangalore – runs through Sullia.

An historical revolution took place during 1837 when a majority of the Gowdas, and other castes from Amara Sullia, Madikeri and Bhagamandala went and fought for freedom against British.

They could hoist their flag in Mangalore and on their way back they were caught by the British due to the leakage of their hideouts by Kodavas. Due to the threat from Tippu Sultan, Kodava Rajas had become more loyal to the British and he then asked Coorgis/Kodavas to suppress the Kodagu Gowdas from rising against British in 1837. It was hence named after it as Amara Sullya Dhange.

The Academy of Liberal Education, founded in 1967 by Dr. Kurunji Venkatramana Gowda, garnered for Sullia nationwide recognition for its excellence in educational services.

Belthangady :

Belthangady is the headquarters of Belthangady taluk of the Dakshina Kannada (South Canara) district of Karnataka state in India. Belthangady taluk is mostly covered by forests. Western ghats provide scenic beauty, especially during the monsoon season that usually lasts from the month of June to September. Dharmasthala in Belthangady taluk is the pilgrim centre for Hindus.

Belthangady was plundered and destroyed by Kodava troops during the Third Anglo-Mysore War, and shortly after was captured by the British in October 1799.