Kundapur


Kundapur, also spelt as Kundaapra, Kundapura & Coondapoor is a coastal town in the South Canara area of the Indian state of Karnataka. It is administered by the Kundapur Town Municipal Council and serves as the headquarters of the Kundapura Taluk of Udupi district.
Kundapura railway station, along the Konkan railway, is very useful for Kerala pilgrims who visit Kolluru Mookambika Temple as best transport connection to Kollur along with facilities like lodges, and many more tourist attraction such as beaches, temples, and resorts are very near to the station.

History

The name Kundapura can be traced to the Kundeshwar temple built by Kundavarma in the vicinity of the Panchagangavalli river. The name of the town may be derived from Kundavarma who ruled the area. Kunda means 'pillar' in kannada, which refers to the traditional method of constructing houses. Pura means town.In additional the word "Kunda" also refers to the flower Jasmine.Where the Majority people of Kundapura grow flower Jasmine in this region which came to be called as kundapura. Kundapura is surrounded by water from three sides. To the north lies the Panchagangavali river. To the east lies the Kalaghar river. To the west lie the Kodi backwaters and the Arabian Sea, leaving the south side as the main connecting land mass. All connecting roads to Kundapura enter the city from the southern direction. North side of the town is vast backwaters of Panchagangavali river and a bridge has been constructed across it.

Language

The town mainly consists of speakers of Kundagannada dialect of Kannada. Also, there are few Konkani and Tulu speakers. Hindus belonging to Saraswat Brahmin, Mestha, Kharvi, and goldsmith castes, and Mangalorean Catholics speak Konkani.

Demographics

India census,
Kundapur is well connected to other parts of the country by NH66. SH52 is the main State Highway that connects to Shimoga District. This Highway connects cities and towns of different states. Kundapur is also connected to the Konkan Railway, which runs from Mumbai to Mangalore. The railway station is about from the town. The nearest airport is Mangalore International Airport, situated at Bajpe around from Kundapur.
Kundapur is located at a distance of from Udupi, from Manipal, from Bhatkal, from Mangalore and from Karwar, which are the other major cities/towns in Coastal Karnataka.
The major part of transportation around the town are private local buses and some out of the town is serviced by government owned. A High frequency of buses can be found for Udupi and Mangalore, and there are multiple bus stands in the town. The main bus stand where all the buses to Udupi and Mangalore are available is called "New bus stand", and is located near the police station. Another frequently used mode of transportation is auto rikshaw.