St. Mary's Islands

St. Mary's Islands also known as Coconut Island, are a set of four small islands in the Arabian Sea off the coast of Malpe in Udupi, Karnataka, India. They are known for their distinctive geological formation of columnar basaltic lava
Scientific studies indicate that the basalt of the St. Mary's Islands was formed by sub-aerial subvolcanic activity, because at that time Madagascar was attached to India. The rifting of Madagascar took place around 88 Mya.

pandava cave kadri

pandava cave kadri near jogimut

Nellitheertha Cave Temple

Nellitheertha Cave Temple  is dedicated to the Indian deity Sri Somanatheshwara, or Shiva. The temple dates back to at least 1487 CE.
To the right of the temple is a natural cave, about 200 metres (660 ft) long. Access is restricted, forcing visitors to crawl in on their knees. Inside, there is a lake and a Shiva Lingam.
It is believed that the cave in Nellitheertha was used by Sage Jabali to perform a penance to appease Lord Durga Parameshwari. Lord Durga appeared in front of Sage Jabali and assured him that she would kill the demon Arunasura. She later took the shape of a wasp and killed Arunasura on the banks of the river Nandini. At that place today is a beautiful temple of Lord Durgaparameshwari and the place is very well known as Kateel.

Lord Durga also assured Sage Jabali that Shiva, Vishnu and Durga herself would grace that region and that there would be temples to worship all three of them in the vicinity. One can find a Vishnu temple near Nellitheertha at a place called Kompadavu. Lord Durga is worshipped in a place called Muchur, again near Nellitheertha. And Lord Shiva made Nellitheertha his abode

 

Jamalabad Fort

Jamalabad fort, located 8 km north of Beltangadi town, (65 km from Mangalore) is 1700 ft above sea level and was formerly called Narasimha Ghada, which refers to the granite hill on which the fort is built. It is also referred locally as 'Jamalagadda' or 'Gadaikallu'.
The fort was built by Tipu Sultan in 1794 and named after his mother, Jamalabee. He decided to built a fort there, as he was impressed by the facilities it provided for the construction of an impregnable fortThe fort is said to have been built over the ruins of an older structure.
The fort is inaccessible other than via a narrow path, with nearly 1876 steps to the fort that are cut out of the granite hill and lead all the way to the top through the fort to the summit. This would mean that a small but well armed group could indefinitely block a much larger force from entering the fort.
Inside the citadel there is only one tank to store water. There are the remains of a single cannon on the hillock. Nothing much of the fort remains but hints of the fort wall with parapets. In addition, there is also an unmanned microwave repeater station on top of the hill.
The fort was captured by the British in 1799 during the 4th Mysore war. Legend has it that those out of favour with Tipu were hurled down the edge to their death. (Such 'Tipu drop's are a feature in most hill-top forts built by Tipu.)
These days, Jamalabad is a trekking destination, with the climb up to the fort being classified as 'medium difficulty level' and the top of the structure offering good views of the surrounding landscape and the Kudremukh range.
At the base of the hill is a forest check post where visitors have to pay a nominal entry fee. Visitors should carry plenty of water since there is no potable fresh water available on top. The nearest town with any communication and medical facilities is Belthangady. (Beltangadi)
Officially entry to the fort is restricted to between 6am to 6pm. Overnight stay at the fort is prohibited. The hillock has only one room on top of it. It is not considered a tourist attraction but is a good destination for enthusiastic trekkers.

Manjarabad Fort

The Manjarabad Fort is located just outside Sakleshpura. This fort is reputed to have been constructed by Tipu Sultan, the ruler of Mysore as a strategic defensive location as it commands the approach to the plateau beyond. It is constructed at a height of 3420 feet above sea level with stone and mud in the form of an 8-pointed star with a large moat around it as you see in this Google Earth Image. The fort is constructed in a nice location above a hill and is not visible from the main road. We need to ask the locals for the way to go up. My cab driver was well versed with the area, so i did not had to ask anyone. After a short muddy path uphill, there are a fleet of 250 stairs to the fortified walls.
The wall of the fort spans the entire hill and one can have a glimpse even when climbing the stairs. After the stairs, there is a muddy road with walls on either side and the path turns narrow and zig-zag as we move along. This is a very good defensive strategy so that the enemy, not knowing what lay ahead can be attacked by surprise. This kind of construction can be found in forts like Daulatabad (Maharashtra) as well. After passing around 100 metres further, we reach the main entrance of the fort.

Coral Island near Mangalore

Netrani (also known as Pigeon Island) is a tiny island in the Arabian Sea.  It is situated approximately 10 nautical miles (19 km) from the temple town of Murudeshwara.
The clear waters and rich marine life around the island make for superlative diving - Visibility around the island is usually in the 15-20 metre range. The dive sites are from 10 to 30 metre deep, and consist of coral reefs on the eastern side of the island and rock walls on the west and north western side of the island. Expect to mingle with schools of Barracuda, Jacks, Snappers, Red tooth trigger fish, Indian Banner fish, large shark- like Cobia, Groupers, Honeycomb Moray Eels, Puffer fish, Napoleon Wrasse.
Due to recently imposed security restrictions, official permits need to be arranged for diving at the island. Divers booking for the trip will need to provide us with their names and passport numbers, and will need to carry their passports with them. Indian citizens will need to provide details of any government photo identity card such as driving license, which they will need to carry along with them.
This island offers diving suitable for professionals. The island adjacent to Netrani is used by the Indian navy for target practice. One could see empty shells rusting around Netrani and adjacent island. It is not recommended to visit Netrani without permission.
The best time to visit is between December and January. The resort stops taking tourists for snorkeling and scuba diving during June-September because the sea becomes rough.

Mangalore

Mangalore is the administrative headquarters of the Dakshina Kannada district in the southwestern corner of Karnataka.Mangalore is located at 12°-52’N latitude and 74°-49’E longitude. It developed as a port on the Arabian Sea – to this day it remains one of the major ports of India. Lying on the backwaters formed by the Netravati and Gurupura rivers, hree National Highways viz., NH-17 linking Panvel and Kanyakumari, NH-48 linking Mangalore and Bangalore, NH-13 linking Mangalore and Solapur pass through the city. A domestic Airport is located at Bajpe, which is 15 km from city connecting it to Mumbai and Bangalore. Mangalore is also linked by rail to all major cities of India and is also having all weather harbor.it has long been a roadstead along the Malabar Coast. Its port handles 75% of India’s coffee exports and the bulk of its cashew nuts. Mangalore is known for its beaches, temples and industries. There are several languages spoken, including Tulu, Konkani, Kannada, and Beary. The landscape is dominated by the characteristic coconut palms accompanying rolling hills and streams flowing into the sea and dotted with tiled-roof buildings, topped with the well-known Mangalore tiles made from the local hard red clay and typically walled with laterite blocks. Older houses are commonly found with elaborate woodwork.
The topography of the city is from plain to undulating with four hilly regions natural valleys within the city. The ambient temperature varies minimum from 17°c to a maximum 37°c. There is a heavy rain fall of about 4000mm per annum of which about 90% received in the monsoon months June – September. The relative humidity is generally very high reaching saturation levels during the monsoon months. The geology of the city is characterized by hard laterite in hilly tracts and sandy soil near seashore. Its port handles 75% of India’s coffee exports and the bulk of its cashew nuts.
Mangalore is known for its beaches, temples and industries. There are several languages spoken, including Tulu, Konkani, Kannada, and Beary. The landscape is dominated by the characteristic coconut palms accompanying rolling hills and streams flowing into the sea and dotted with tiled-roof buildings, topped with the well-known Mangalore tiles made from the local hard red clay and typically walled with laterite blocks. Older houses are commonly found with elaborate woodwork.

For more info clicl: http://mangalore.co.nr/