Kaup, is a town in Udupi district of Karnataka, India. It lies on the way between Udupi and Mangalore beside National Highway 66. A road from Kaup goes to interior places like Manchakal and Shirva. It is 13 km south of Udupi and 40 km north of Mangalore. It is famous for its lighthouse and the three Mariamma temples and a fort built by Tippu Sultan. Kapu is declared as one of the Taluks in Udupi district by Govt of Karnataka. Kapu was renamed as Kaup by the British. There is a beach on the shore of the Arabian Sea and a lighthouse. Many films have been shot at this location. Kaup has three Marigudi which attracts devotees from far away places. The sea is much more rougher and intimidating compared to the gentler Malpe beach in Udupi. It is about 15 km from the university town of Manipal and is a favorite hangout for the students. The beach also sports a shack and a bar with seating in the open sky. Though the sea is mostly calm all year round, there have been isolated cases of drowning in this beach
Kapu Lighthouse
The Kapu light house was built in 1901 and has for these many years stood on the rocks guiding thousands of sailors and warning the presence of dangerous rocks. It stands 27.12 m above the base. The lighthouse is open for visitors between 5:30 AM to 6:30 AM and the panoramic view offered is magnificent. The stairs keep getting steeper and steeper as you ascend. At the last spiral there is a room where there are wooden steps, it's more like a ladder to be precise where you will have to snug yourself thru and arrive at the balcony of the Light house. You are allowed for just a few minutes before the ticket checker starts asking people to vacate space for more who are waiting. Remember its best to get up as one of the first batch of people as this will give you a few minutes extra to enjoy the view from the top and may be take a few photos for keeps. ARLHS World List of Lights IND-091
Logistics
Kapu is located around 13 km from Udupi and 45 km from Mangalore. It takes almost 25 minutes to reach Kapu from Udupi. Numerous buses ply to Kapu from the servicebus stand at Udupi. Once you disembark from the bus-stop at Kapu, you need to travel a distance of 1.5 km to reach the beach. You can take one of the auto-rickshaws or car which are conveniently parked near the bus-stop. From Bangalore, one can reach Kapu by taking a bus to Mangalore and then take a bus from Mangalore for Udupi. The best time to visit Kapu beach is either during sunrise or sunset. It gets too hot during the day. It's better if one visits in the monsoons. During mornings, the beach is generally empty, so preferable to visit then.
