Dakshina Kannada is a coastal Karnataka district in the state of Karnataka in India. As boundaries, it has the Udupi District to the north, the Chikmagalur District to the northeast, the Hassan District to the east, the Kodagu District to the southeast, and the Kasaragod District in Kerala to the south. The Arabian Sea bounds it on the west. Mangalore is the administrative headquarters of the district.

According to the 2001 census, the district has 1,897,730 people. The district is divided into five talukas, namely Mangalore, Bantwal, Puttur, Sullia, and Belthangady. The Alupas who reigned in this region between the 8th and 14th century CE made Kannada their official language.

Significant towns in the district are Mangalore, Munnur, Surathkal Adyar, Bajala, Belthangadi, Kannur, Kotekara, Mulur, Mudushedde, Mulki, Pudu, Puttur, Someshwar, Sullia, Thumbe, Kokradi and Ullal.

Before 1860, Dakshina Kannada was part of a greater district called Canara, which was under the administration of the Madras Presidency. In 1860, the British split the area into South Canara and North Canara, the former being retained in the Madras Presidency, while the later was made a part of Bombay Province in 1862. After Indian independence in 1947, South Canara was divided into Dakshina Kannada and Udupi districts. The then undivided Dakshina Kannada district consists of the present day borders of Dakshina Kannada, Udupi and Kasaragod. Later in the year 1997, the Karnataka Government, for facilitating administration, split the greater Dakshina Kannada district into Udupi and the present day Dakshina Kannada districts in the year. The district is famous for red clay roof tiles, cashew nuts and unusual cuisine. Tulu is the main dialect of the Dakshina Kannada district. Kannada, Havyaka Kannada, Kundapura kannada, and Konkani are also spoken by a substantial. English and Kannada being the administrative languages are understood by majority of the population.

Dakshina Kannada is a land of culture, tradition and rituals. The district has many temples of Hindu gods and goddess, which lend an aura of spiritualism to the place. The people of Dakshina Kannada worship the serpent god ( Subramanya ). As a legend goes, Parashurama from sea reclaimed the district. Many native rituals like nagaradhane and Bhuta Kola are performed here. Kambla is a form of buffalo race organized on the muddy track in the paddy field. Moreover, cockfights are also held.

The places of tourist interest in the Dakshina Kannada district are Moodabidri (Site of the ancient Jain temples and the Bhattaraka seat), Krishnapura matha (one of the matha (monastery ) belonging to ashta matha of udupi), Dharmasthala (the renowned temple of Lord Sri Manjunatheshwara is located here), Kadri, Kateel, Ullal and Subramanya (the famous prehistoric temple of the serpent lord Subramanya is positioned here). The district is connected by road, rail, air and sea. There is a seaport at Panambur and an international aerodrome at Bajpe. The district is known as the Cradle of Indian banking because it has a dense network of branches of nationalized banks.

The Dakshina Kannada district has made substantial progress in academics. Primary and secondary education has reached every segment of society. The district`s literacy rate is considerably above the national average. A large number of educational establishments offering courses in Medicine, Engineering, Pharmacy, Nursing, Hotel and catering and Management are located in this district.