Dakshina Kannada District is a district of the Indian state of Karnataka. It lies in the southern part of the state. The habitants here are `Tulu language` speakers and hence it is also known as `Land of Tuluvas`. This district has lots of beautiful tourist places. Some of them are given here:

Mangalore in Dakshina Kannada District
Mangalore is now the headquarters of the Dakshina Kannada district. It was earlier known as Mangalapura. It was in the past the long time capital of the kings known as Alupas. This is a port city situated at the confluence of the beautiful Netravati River and Gurupura River. It was also the headquarters of Canara under the British in the 18th century. Mangalore is a beautiful palm fringed west coast city. It is accessible from Madikeri, the headquarters of Coorg district by a road filled with wonderful sceneries. With its lagoon, enchanting palm grooves and interesting landscape, Mangalore has a typical coastal climate. A number of ancient temples, churches and mosques can be seen here. The city consists of a number of places of tourists` interests with good accommodation facilities.

Mangaladevi Temple in Dakshina Kannada District
This beautiful temple is situated about 3 km from Mangalore. Goddess Mangaladevi is the presiding deity of this temple. The city owes the origin of its name to this deity. This temple was built in the 10th century.

Ullal in Dakshina Kannada District
The enchanting beach marked by abundant fir trees makes this place one of the tourists` attraction in Dakshina Kannada. The Sayed Mohammed Shenphul Madani Mosque sanctifies this place. It is pilgrim spot as well as a good picnic spot. It is situated 12 km from Mangalore.

Karkala in Dakshina Kannada District It is situated about 50 km from Mangalore. This place is a sacred worship centre of the Jains. It was the seat of the Bhairasas or Shantarsas, the royal Jain dynasty. Two huge statues of `Sri Gomatheshwara` or Bahubali can be seen here. One measure 13 meter in height and the other is of 11 m. There are four entrances to the shrine here and is known as `Chathurmuka Basti`. The other important monuments here include temples and bastis and St. Lawrence church. The Ananthasayana temple and Venkataramana Temple dedicated to Lord Vishnu also attract a large number of devotees.


Udupi in Dakshina Kannada District
Udupi is a place in Dakshina Kannada district of Karnataka state. It is situated about 58 km from Mangalore. Udupi is on a national highway and has easy road access from Mangalore and Karkala which is just 32 km away.

The famous ancient temple dedicated to Lord Sri Gopalakrishna is found here in Udupi. Sri Madhvacharya who propounded the Dvaita philosophy was the founder of the temple. The icon of the acharya can also be seen in this temple.

There is a fine beach resort in the Maple port near Manipal in Udupi. The Vadabhandeswara Temple dedicated to Lord Balarama is very famous here in Udupi. Manipal is also noted as an important centre of education. The cuisines of Udupi and the wonderful coastal town are popular among the tourists. The lip smacking delicacies of the Udupi cuisines are much sought-after. The city offers good accommodation facilities.

Agumbe in Dakshina Kannada District
It is situated about 50 km from Udupi. This is an ideal spot for sunset watchers. The best season here to have a glorious view of the red sun disappearing in the west is between November and December.

Dharmasthala in Dakshina Kannada District
It is situated about 75 km from Mangalore. It is a beautiful sacred island formed by the magnificent river Netravathi. This place is famous for the ancient Manjunatha temple and the Modern Sri Gomatheshwara statue. This grand statue was carved out of a single stone to a height of 14 meter in the year 1973. Here `Annadhana` or `free meals` is provided. The pilgrims are also offered accommodation free of charge.

Kollur in Dakshina Kannada District
This place is about 147 km from Mangalore. It is encompassed with vast green woods. Kollur is famous for its temple dedicated to Goddess Mookambika, the goddess of arts and learning. The high green clad mountains and the ravishing rivulet Sowparnika makes it a beautiful tourist place. The beautiful temple is situated on the scenic hill called Kodachadri. The trek up hill is also considered sacred and believed to confer prosperity, health and fame.