Tulunadu, the land of TULUVA’S is a region on the southern coastal belt of Karnataka, India. Tuluva’s are the predominant ethnic group of this region, and the speakers of Tulu, a Dravidian language. Geographically, Tulunadu consist of two districts of Karnataka, Dakshina Kannada and Udupi and one district from Kerala, Kasaragod, Mangalore being the largest city. My home town, Puttur is a part of Tulunadu. I am a proud TULUVA. Today, I will take you through this beautiful costal land and introduce to its history, rich cultural heritage, food and most importantly its people.
The history of Tulunadu is dated back to 5th century C.E. ruled by Alupa dynasty, Kadamba, Hoysala and Vijayanagara Empire. Geographically Tulunadu is bounded by Arabian Sea on the west and Western Ghats on the east. The costal belts of Karnataka are geographically very rich comprising of rainforest and backwaters. Tulu culture, tradition and rituals are unique and the land is having rich cultural heritage. Yakshagana being the most prominent art form. It’s the mixed form of dance and drama performed by Tuluva’s. There are also other unique art forms performed in Tulunadu like Pilivesha, Karadi Vesha, Bharatanatyam and Tulu folk dances. Kambala, Korikatta, Chana-mane are the favorite sports of Tulu people. Daivaradhane (Boothakola), Koragajja aradhane are some of the spiritual worship rituals of Tulunadu. The traditional attire of Tuluva women is Sari, and men is Lungi-Shirt.
Tuluva’s are foodie by nature. They have their own delicious cuisines, the most famous are cuisines made by fish, Bangude Pulimunchi, Boothai Gasi, Pomfret fry, Marwai pundi, Denji Sukka. Other famous Tulunadu cuisines includes, Neer Dose, Semeda Adde, Kori Rotti, Patrode, Golibaje, Gheru Beeja-Manoli Upkari, and Mude. Kali (toddy) is the most famous country liquor prepared from Tari Mara (Toddy Palm).
There are lot of places to visit for travel lovers! Tulunadu is on the coastal belt, so definitely there are lot of beaches. The most famous beaches (Top attractions) are, Panambur beach, Someshwara, Sulthan Bathry, Kapu beach, Sasihitlu beach, Malpe beach, Bekal beach and Maravanthe Beach. There is a small island beach i.e. St Mary’s island are a set of four small islands in the Arabian Sea off the coast of Malpe in Udupi. Apart from beaches, there are forts, hills for trekking and hiking; Kumara parvatha, and Narahari parvatha.
Tulunadu the land of devotions, you will find many temples, basadi’s, churches and darghas. The famous Hindu temples of Tulunadu are Kudroli, Subramanya, Dharmasthala, Kateel Durgaparameshwari, Puttur Mahalingeshwara, Anegudde Ganapati, Southadka Ganapati temple, Kolluru Mukambike, and Udupi Krishna Temple. Jainism also flourished in Tulunadu during the kingdom of Chalukya, Kadamba and Hoysala. Today you can find number of Jain monuments, such as temples, Gommata Statues and Stambhas. The famous among are Savira Kambada basadi Moodbidri, Chathurmukha basadi Karkala. Gommata Statues can be find in Karkala, Dharmasthala, and Venur. There are numerous churches Attur church, and Milagris Church. Darghas, of the Muslim community and the famous one is Ullal Dargha.
The most popular city is Mangalore, the central hub of Tulunadu. You can reach here by Road, Water and Air! Yes, it’s well connected with all means of transportation. The Mangalore International Airport, railways and road connects Tulunadu to all major cities of the country. You also have direct International flights from Dubai, Doha, Abu Dhabi, Kuwait, Bahrain, Dammam and Muscat. Mangalore is connected by water ways to national and international destinations. In Mangalore one can enjoy their day by visiting beaches, temples and churches. When in Mangalore don’t forget to taste the best ice creams at Pabbas and Ideal.
This fact may also interest you that Tulunadu is the most prominent Educational Hub of India. There are hundreds of professional colleges and thousands of students from all over India and abroad study in these institutions. Mangalore and Manipal are the major hubs. NITK, KMC Manipal, Alva’s College, Mangalore University are some of the top educational institutes of Tulunadu.