Mangaluru

Lore & Background

Mangaluru was named after the Hindu deity Mangaladevi, the presiding deity of the Mangaladevi Temple. According to local legend, a princess named Parimala or Premaladevi from Malabar renounced her title and became a disciple of Matsyendranath, who renamed her Mangaladevi. She settled near Bolar in Mangaluru after falling ill, and upon her death the temple was consecrated in her honour. During the Alupa dynasty period it was referred to as Mangalapura, and in Kannada the city is known as Mangaluru, a reference to Mangaladevi. The city has been ruled by several major powers, including the Mauryan empire, Kadambas, Alupas, Vijayanagara Empire, and Keladi Nayaks. The city's diverse communities have different names for it: in Tulu it is called Kudla, in Konkani Kodiyal, in Byari Maikala, and in Malayalam Mangalapuram.

Reader's Guide

Mangaluru's significance lies in its role as a major industrial port city and commercial hub in Karnataka. The city is also one of the locations of the Indian strategic petroleum reserves. Mangaluru is one of the fastest developing cities in India and is included in the Smart Cities Mission list. The Dakshina Kannada district, with its administrative headquarters at Mangaluru, has the highest per capita income and gross state domestic product in Karnataka after Bengaluru. The city serves as a commercial, industrial, business, educational, healthcare, and startup hub. Its historical importance is highlighted by references from foreign travellers such as Pliny the Elder, Ptolemy, Cosmas Indicopleustes, Ibn Battuta, and others, indicating its long-standing role in Indian Ocean trade on the Malabar coast.

Did You Know?

• Mangaluru is the only city in Karnataka with all four modes of transport—air, road, rail and sea.
• The city's port handles 75 percent of India's coffee and cashew exports and is the country's seventh largest container port.