Tourist rush in coastal Karnataka during Dasara holidays

Mangaluru/Udupi: The extended holidays and the weekend have resulted in a significant influx of visitors at major tourist spots in the undivided Dakshina Kannada district on Sunday.

Popular destinations such as Dharmasthala, Kukke Subrahmanya, Mangaluru city, Panambur Beach, Malpe Beach, St. Mary’s Island, Maravanthe, Trasi, Kodi Beach, and Kollur Sri Mookambika Temple witnessed a large number of tourists.

The Kudroli Temple Dasara procession in Mangaluru and the Navaratri Rathotsava at the Mangala Devi Temple also drew large crowds on Sunday, with an additional rush of tourists arriving at these venues.

Malpe Beach saw heavy tourist activity with visitors from Bengaluru, Mysuru, Mandya, and Hassan districts flocking in, leading to traffic congestion on the access roads. The crowd had been steadily increasing over the past three to four days.

At Kollur, more than 10,000 devotees visited the Sri Mookambika Temple on Sunday. Dignitaries like the Chief Minister’s personal secretary Manjunath Prasad, Malayalam actor Jayasurya, and others were among those who offered prayers at the temple.

The Kamalashile temple, Someshwara Beach near Byndoor, and Ottinene Nisargadhama also saw a surge in tourists from the Kundapur region.