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Karkala ( ) ( ) is a town and the headquarters of eponymous Karkala taluk in the
Udupi district Udupi district (also Udipi () in Kannada or Odipu () in Tulu language) is an administrative subdivision in the Karnataka state of India, with the district headquarters in the city of Udupi. It is situated in the Canara old north Malabar c ...
of
Karnataka Karnataka ( ) is a States and union territories of India, state in the southwestern region of India. It was Unification of Karnataka, formed as Mysore State on 1 November 1956, with the passage of the States Reorganisation Act, 1956, States Re ...
state in
India India, officially the Republic of India, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, seventh-largest country by area; the List of countries by population (United Nations), most populous country since ...
. It lies near the foothills of the Western Ghats, Karkala has a number of natural and historical landmarks, and is a major tourist and transit destination due to its strategic location along the way to Hebri,
Sringeri Sringeri (IAST: Śṛṅgerī; ) also called Shringeri is a hill town and Taluk headquarters located in Chikkamagaluru district in the Indian state of Karnataka. Sringeri is the site of Sri Sharadamba temple, a part of the Sringeri Sharada Pe ...
,
Kalasa Kalasa is a taluk located in Chikmagalur district in Karnataka. Kalasa is home to the Kalaseshwara Temple dedicated to Shiva. Kalasa lies 92 Kilometres West of Chickmagalur and is located on the banks of the Bhadra River. Kannada language is s ...
, Horanadu,
Udupi Udupi () also known as 'Odipu' () is a city in the Indian state of Karnataka. It is the administrative headquarters of Udupi district, and one of the fastest-growing cities in Karnataka. Udupi is one of the top tourist attractions in Karnataka an ...
, Kollur, Subrahmanya and Dharmasthala.


Etymology

Black granite is abundant in the area, and used widely in the local architecture. Hence, the name of the town is derived from ''kari-kal'', meaning black stone. There is still a place called as ''Kariya Kall'' in the city which means 'Black Rock' in Tulu and
Kannada Kannada () is a Dravidian language spoken predominantly in the state of Karnataka in southwestern India, and spoken by a minority of the population in all neighbouring states. It has 44 million native speakers, and is additionally a ...
languages. The name 'Kariya Kall/ ಕರಿಯಕಲ್ಲ್ changed to 'Karikal/ಕರಿಕಲ್' and eventually to 'Karkal/ಕರ್ಕಲ್/ಕಾರ್ಕಳ್'. However, some studies assert that the original name was 'Kari Kola' meaning 'elephant lake' in Tulu and
Kannada Kannada () is a Dravidian language spoken predominantly in the state of Karnataka in southwestern India, and spoken by a minority of the population in all neighbouring states. It has 44 million native speakers, and is additionally a ...
languages, which today is known as 'Anekere'. The current official name "Karkala" is in use since the times of the British, while it is still referred to as "Karla" by the local Tulu population.


History

Karkala dates back to the beginning of the 10th century. The town was called ''Pandya Nagari'' during the period of Jain rule. The Alupas were the first to rule the region, and their rule was followed by the Santaras, who were the feudatories of Alupas for many years. The town attained political and cultural importance from the time of the Kalasa-Karkala kingdom that was established by King Bhairava between 13th and 16th centuries. The royal family of Karkala rose to prominence from the time of the rule of the
Hoysalas The Hoysala Kingdom was a kingdom originating from the Indian subcontinent that ruled most of what is now Karnataka, parts of Tamilnadu and South-Western Telangana between the 11th and the 14th centuries CE. The capital of the Hoysalas was i ...
. During the
Vijayanagara Vijayanagara () is a city located in Vijayanagara district of Karnataka state in India.Vijayanagara
period this family reached new heights of glory as their kingdom extended over a wider area comprising
Sringeri Sringeri (IAST: Śṛṅgerī; ) also called Shringeri is a hill town and Taluk headquarters located in Chikkamagaluru district in the Indian state of Karnataka. Sringeri is the site of Sri Sharadamba temple, a part of the Sringeri Sharada Pe ...
, Koppa, Balehonnur and
Mudigere Mudigere is a Town and Taluk in Chikmagalur district in the Indian state of Karnataka. It is 30 km from the district headquarters. Mudigere is known for its coffee and black pepper production. Geography and climate Mudigere town is loca ...
in Chikamagalur and most of the Karkala taluk. King Veera Bhairava,constructed the basadis at Karkala and endowed land and money to numerous temples and basadis. Ramanatha and Veerapandya were his two sons and Ramanatha died early during his father's time. So In his memory, a scenic lake called Ramasamudra was created, which still survives to this day. King Veera Pandya, at the insistence of his Guru Lalitakeerti, the pontiff of Karkala Jaina Math, installed a large statue of Bahubali on the rocky hill of Karkala. The date of the installation has been ascertained as 13 February 1432. He also installed the Brahmadeva Pillar in front of the statue in 1436. His successor, Abinava Pandya installed a carving of manastambha in front of the Neminatha Basadis in Hiriyangadi in 1457 AD. An intricately carved 54-foot-high (16 m) pillar stands in front of the Basadis. Abhinava Pandya's successor was Pandya VI, who is attributed to the construction of the Kere Basadis in the middle of a lake called Anekere in 1545 AD. Immadi Bhairava (Bhairava II), who ruled after him, constructed the
Chaturmukha Basadi Chaturmukha Basadi is a symmetrical Jain temple situated in Karkala, Karnataka, India. It is one of the most famous monuments in Karkala. History The Chaturmukha Basadi, was built in the late 16th century by Immadi Bhairarasa Vodeya of the ...
on top of a small rocky hill in 1586 AD. This Basadis has four identical entrances from the four directions leading to the Garbagriha and hence is popularly known as Chaturmukha or Four-Faced. It is also referred to as Tribhuvana Tilaka Jina Chaityalaya and Ratnaraya Dhama in some inscriptions. The
Chaturmukha Basadi Chaturmukha Basadi is a symmetrical Jain temple situated in Karkala, Karnataka, India. It is one of the most famous monuments in Karkala. History The Chaturmukha Basadi, was built in the late 16th century by Immadi Bhairarasa Vodeya of the ...
is built in the form of a square hall with a lofty doorway and pillared porticos on each of its four sides along with a pillared verandah. The roof is flat and is made of massive granite slabs. It has life size statues of three Jain Theerthankaras on each side and small images of 24
Tirthankara In Jainism, a ''Tirthankara'' (; ) is a saviour and supreme preacher of the ''Dharma (Jainism), dharma'' (righteous path). The word ''tirthankara'' signifies the founder of a ''Tirtha (Jainism), tirtha'', a fordable passage across ''Saṃsā ...
. In all, there are 108 pillars inside and outside the temple. There are 18 Basadis of antiquity, including Mahaveera
Basadi A Jain temple, Derasar (Gujarati: દેરાસર) or Basadi (Kannada: ಬಸದಿ) is the place of worship for Jains, the followers of Jainism. Jain architecture is essentially restricted to temples and monasteries, and Jain buildings ge ...
, Chandranathaswamy
Basadi A Jain temple, Derasar (Gujarati: દેરાસર) or Basadi (Kannada: ಬಸದಿ) is the place of worship for Jains, the followers of Jainism. Jain architecture is essentially restricted to temples and monasteries, and Jain buildings ge ...
, Adinathaswamy
Basadi A Jain temple, Derasar (Gujarati: દેરાસર) or Basadi (Kannada: ಬಸದಿ) is the place of worship for Jains, the followers of Jainism. Jain architecture is essentially restricted to temples and monasteries, and Jain buildings ge ...
, Ananthanatha
Basadi A Jain temple, Derasar (Gujarati: દેરાસર) or Basadi (Kannada: ಬಸದಿ) is the place of worship for Jains, the followers of Jainism. Jain architecture is essentially restricted to temples and monasteries, and Jain buildings ge ...
, Guru Basadi
Basadi A Jain temple, Derasar (Gujarati: દેરાસર) or Basadi (Kannada: ಬಸದಿ) is the place of worship for Jains, the followers of Jainism. Jain architecture is essentially restricted to temples and monasteries, and Jain buildings ge ...
, and Padmavati
Basadi A Jain temple, Derasar (Gujarati: દેરાસર) or Basadi (Kannada: ಬಸದಿ) is the place of worship for Jains, the followers of Jainism. Jain architecture is essentially restricted to temples and monasteries, and Jain buildings ge ...
. However, the rulers of Karkala were tolerant towards other religions, with temples of other religions being constructed, including the temples of Anantashayana and Venkataramana, Mahamaya Mukhyaprana, and Sri Aadi-Shakthi Veerabhadra Swamy. After the rule of the Pandyas, the region was annexed by
Tippu Sultan Tipu Sultan (, , ''Sultan Fateh Ali Sahab Tipu''; 1 December 1751 – 4 May 1799) commonly referred to as Sher-e-Mysore or "Tiger of Mysore", was a ruler of the Kingdom of Mysore based in South India. He was a pioneer of rocket artillery ...
, and thereafter passed on to British rule. The St Lawrence Church was built in 1845 in a village called Nitte (Attur hamlet) where people of all religions congregate every year in January for the feast of St Lawrence.


Landmarks

Karkala is an important pilgrimage location for Jains. There are several
Hindu Hindus (; ; also known as Sanātanīs) are people who religiously adhere to Hinduism, also known by its endonym Sanātana Dharma. Jeffery D. Long (2007), A Vision for Hinduism, IB Tauris, , pp. 35–37 Historically, the term has also be ...
temples, Jain Basadis,
mosque A mosque ( ), also called a masjid ( ), is a place of worship for Muslims. The term usually refers to a covered building, but can be any place where Salah, Islamic prayers are performed; such as an outdoor courtyard. Originally, mosques were si ...
s,
church Church may refer to: Religion * Church (building), a place/building for Christian religious activities and praying * Church (congregation), a local congregation of a Christian denomination * Church service, a formalized period of Christian comm ...
es, and lakes in Karkala. Karkala has famous educational institutions like NITTE College, Shri Bhuvanendra College, Christ King Educational institutions, and Jnanasudha Educational College. ASI protected sites in Karkala are: * Ananthapadmanabha Temple, Ananthashayana *
Chaturmukha Basadi Chaturmukha Basadi is a symmetrical Jain temple situated in Karkala, Karnataka, India. It is one of the most famous monuments in Karkala. History The Chaturmukha Basadi, was built in the late 16th century by Immadi Bhairarasa Vodeya of the ...
*
Gommateshwara Statue The Gommateshwara statue is a high monolithic statue on Vindhyagiri, also known as ''Indra-giri'' in the town of Shravanbelagola in the Indian state of Karnataka. Carved of a single block of granite, it is one of the tallest monolithic statues ...
* Manasthamba * Hiriyangadi * Sri Venkataramana Temple, Karkala * St. Lawrence Shrine * Parashurama Theme Park, Karkala


Geography

Karla is located at . It has an average elevation of 81 metres (265 feet). It has a large number of picturesque lakes, such as: * Ramasamudra Lake, * Kamala Kere, * NagarBavi, * Anekere, * Sigadi Kere, * Matadha Kere, * Shivathi Kere and * Jogina Kere. Situated at the foothills of the Western Ghats, Karkala has an undulating landscape, dotted with black granite outcrops, while the western part of the town is predominantly coastal plains that stretch about 25 km west towards the Arabian Sea.


Meteorological Details


Demographics

India
census A census (from Latin ''censere'', 'to assess') is the procedure of systematically acquiring, recording, and calculating population information about the members of a given Statistical population, population, usually displayed in the form of stati ...
, Karkala town had a population of 25,118. Males constitute 51% of the population and females 49%. Karkala has an average literacy rate of 82%, higher than the national average of 59.5%: male literacy is 85%, and female literacy is 79%. In Karkala, 9% of the population is under six years of age. According to recent statistics by town municipality, 25,635 people currently reside in this town, while as per the recent statistics Karkala
taluk A tehsil (, also known as tahsil, taluk, or taluka () is a local unit of administrative division in India and Pakistan. It is a subdistrict of the area within a district including the designated populated place that serves as its administrative ...
has a population of 2.10 Lacs (previous 2001 census is 2,04,571). Hinduism is the largest religion in Karkala, with Sthanika Brahmins,
Rama kshathriya Rama (; , , ) is a major deity in Hinduism. He is worshipped as the seventh and one of the most popular avatars of Vishnu. In Rama-centric Hindu traditions, he is considered the Supreme Being. Also considered as the ideal man (''maryāda'' ...
, Bunts, Sapaliga/Sapalya,
Billava The Billava, Billoru, Biruveru or Bhil, Bhillava people are an ethnic group of India. They constitute 18% of the total Karnata population. They are found traditionally in Tulu Nadu region and engaged in toddy tapping, Agriculture, cultivation an ...
s, Ganigas, Rajapura Saraswat Brahmins (RSB), Goud Saraswat Brahmins (GSBs), Chitpavan Brahmins,Shivalli Brahmins, Vishwakarma Brahmins, Devadiga and
Mogaveera Mogaveera is a fishermen community in the Tulunad region of South West India. They dominated the maritime business of the region. History The Mogaveeras are the fishermen community of Tulu Nadu. The Mogaveeras have also been porters or pa ...
forming the major communities. There is also a significant Roman Catholic and Protestant Christian presence, and sunni Hanafi Muslim communities settled in the town, Muslims Of Karkala Speak
Urdu Urdu (; , , ) is an Indo-Aryan languages, Indo-Aryan language spoken chiefly in South Asia. It is the Languages of Pakistan, national language and ''lingua franca'' of Pakistan. In India, it is an Eighth Schedule to the Constitution of Indi ...
as their mother tongue.


Culture and Tradition

The people of Karkala follow the Tuluva culture. Distinctive features of this culture include rituals of Bhuta Kola, Nagaradhane and
Yakshagana Yakshagana is a traditional theatre, found in Dakshina Kannada, Udupi, Kasaragod district and Uttara Kannada, Shimoga and western parts of Chikmagalur district, Chikmagalur districts, in the state of Karnataka and in Kasaragod district in Keral ...
. Tuluva New Year is called Bisu. Pilinalike or Tiger Dance is a unique form of folk dance in Tulu Nadu. The tiger is considered as the mount of Goddess
Durga Durga (, ) is a major Hindu goddess, worshipped as a principal aspect of the mother goddess Mahadevi. She is associated with protection, strength, motherhood, destruction, and wars. Durga's legend centres around combating evils and demonic ...
, and the dance is performed during the Dasara and Krishna Janmashthami festivals. Bhuta Kola or spirit worship is practised across the region, usually at night, invoking the spirits via an oracle, accompanied by traditional music and practices. The most popular local sport is Kambula, or buffalo racing, which is conducted in paddy fields. Koridakatta (
Cockfighting Cockfighting is a blood sport involving domesticated roosters as the combatants. The first documented use of the word gamecock, denoting use of the cock as to a "game", a sport, pastime or entertainment, was recorded in 1634, after the term ...
) is another sport for village people. The Tuluva people have a high regard for nature and snakes in particular, so Nagaradhane, or snake worship, is also practised with the belief that the Naga Devatha (Snake God) will protect their communities.


Language

Karkala is a multilingual town. Tulu is the native language of the people, while the official language is
Kannada Kannada () is a Dravidian language spoken predominantly in the state of Karnataka in southwestern India, and spoken by a minority of the population in all neighbouring states. It has 44 million native speakers, and is additionally a ...
.
Konkani __NOTOC__ Konkani may refer to: Language * Konkani language is an Indo-Aryan language spoken in the Konkan region of India. * Konkani alphabets, different scripts used to write the language **Konkani in the Roman script, one of the scripts used to ...
and
Urdu Urdu (; , , ) is an Indo-Aryan languages, Indo-Aryan language spoken chiefly in South Asia. It is the Languages of Pakistan, national language and ''lingua franca'' of Pakistan. In India, it is an Eighth Schedule to the Constitution of Indi ...
are also widely spoken in the town.


Administration and Transportation

Being a part of Udupi district, Karkala is in the Udupi-Chikkamagalur Lok Sabha Constituency.The Karkala Town Municipal Council (ಕಾರ್ಕಳ ಪುರಸಭೆ) is the municipal corporation of the town, responsible for all public works and development. Roadways are the main mode of transportation in Karkala. The town is well connected to Udupi, Moodabidri and Padubidri, and to Sringeri and Kalasa on the Western Ghats. The main roadways serving Karkala are: *National Highway NH 169 (Solapur—Mangalore) *Karnataka State Highway SH 1 (Karkala-Padubidri) which connects to National Highway 66 at Padubidri *Karnataka State Highway SH 37 (Karkala-Bailur-Manipal-Udupi) *Karnataka State Highway SH 1 (Karkala-Hebri) The nearest railhead is at
Udupi Udupi () also known as 'Odipu' () is a city in the Indian state of Karnataka. It is the administrative headquarters of Udupi district, and one of the fastest-growing cities in Karnataka. Udupi is one of the top tourist attractions in Karnataka an ...
while the airport closest to Karkala is at Bajpe in
Mangalore Mangaluru (), formerly called Mangalore ( ), is a major industrial port city in the Indian state of Karnataka and on the west coast of India. It is located between the Laccadive Sea and the Western Ghats about west of Bengaluru, the st ...
. There is an extensive public transport system connecting Karkala to Udupi and Mangalore.


Photo Gallery

Image:Karkala anathapadmanabha temple.jpg, Ananthapadmanabha Temple, Karla Image:Chaturmukha Basadi.jpg, Chaturmukha Basadi Image:Karkala 1.jpg, Padmavati Basadi File:Koti Chennaya Theme Park Karkala 39.jpg, Gururaya basadi, Karkala File:Anekere lake (cropped).jpg, Anekere Basadi at the center of pond in Karla File:Veeramaruti temple, Karkala.JPG, Veeramaruthi Temple, Karla File:St Laurence chrurch view.JPG, St lawrence Church, Karla File:Sri Venkataramana Temple Karkala.jpg, Venkataramana Temple, Karla File:The deepa vahi Venkitaramana temple,.JPG , The Deepadhaari at Venkataramana Temple, Karla


See also

* Bedra * Kere Basadi *
Mangalore Mangaluru (), formerly called Mangalore ( ), is a major industrial port city in the Indian state of Karnataka and on the west coast of India. It is located between the Laccadive Sea and the Western Ghats about west of Bengaluru, the st ...
*
Shravanabelagola Shravanabelagola (pronunciation: ) is a town located near Channarayapatna of Hassan district in the Indian state of Karnataka and is from Bengaluru. The Gommateshwara Bahubali statue at Shravanabelagola is one of the most important tirthas ...
* Kukke Subramanya Temple * Dharmasthala * Siddakatte * Horanadu *
Sringeri Sringeri (IAST: Śṛṅgerī; ) also called Shringeri is a hill town and Taluk headquarters located in Chikkamagaluru district in the Indian state of Karnataka. Sringeri is the site of Sri Sharadamba temple, a part of the Sringeri Sharada Pe ...
* Udupi Krishna Temple * Perdoor * Mundkur * Kanthavara *
Jain Bunt The Jain Bunt are the Jains of Bunt caste from Tulunaad area of India. They have a feudal and martial race heritages, because of ties to the erstwhile royalty of the area. They are classified as Other Backward Class (OBC) by the Governm ...


References


Works cited

*


External links


About Karkala

Mahamastakabhisheka

All about The Mahamastakabhisheka of Lord Bahubali at Karkala, 21-31 January 2015

All about Karkala

Info about Padutirupathi



St. Lawrence Church, Attur, Karkala

Shree Venkataramana Temple (Kannada Website)

Shree Venkataramana Temple (English Website)
{{Authority control Cities and towns in Udupi district Jain temples in Karnataka 15th-century Jain temples Colossal Jain statues in India