Kumta

Kumta

Taluk: Kumta

District:Uttara Kannada

State:Karnataka

Country:India

Coordinates: 14.42°N 74.4°E

Kumta is a town and a taluk in the Uttara Kannada district of Karnataka, India. Kumta is about 142 km south of Margao and 58 km north of Bhatkal. It is one of the important stations along the Konkan Railway line running between Mumbai and Mangalore. The nearest international airport is Dabolim Airport (Vasco da Gama) which is 167 km away.

History

During the British Raj, Kumta was a part of the North Kanara district of the Bombay Presidency. Crafts made out of Carving in sandalwood is a specialty. The city came under the rule of Maratha Empire in the 1800s, who ceded it to the British at the conclusion of the Third Anglo-Maratha War in 1818. The British established Kumta city as a part of the Bombay Presidency. During the American Civil War the cotton from the southern states that fed mills in England stopped supplying and the mills started importing a variety of cotton known as 'Kumta Hatti’ this resulted in development of Kumta port.

After India's independence in 1947, Bombay Presidency was reconstituted as Bombay State. In 1956 the southern portion of Bombay State was added to Mysore State, which was renamed Karnataka in 1972. Kumta was an ancient site of sea trade visited by the Arabs, Dutch, Portuguese, French and later the British. Famous Moroccan traveler Ibn Battuta is said to have stayed for a time in the district under the protection of Nawayath Sultan Jamal Al-Din. Ibn Battuta passed through this route during one or more of his journeys.

The renowned Bengali poet and Nobel laureate Rabindranath Tagore, who visited Kumta in 1882, dedicated an entire chapter of his memoirs to this city. The 22 year old Rabindranath Tagore stayed with his brother, Satyendranath Tagore, who was the district judge in North Kanara. There is a substantial amount of Chardo families in this area as they had migrated due to the persecution by the Portuguese in Goa.

Attractions

During the British Raj, Kumta was a part of the North Kanara district of the Bombay Presidency. Crafts made out of Carving in sandalwood is a specialty. The city came under the rule of Maratha Empire in the 1800s, who ceded it to the British at the conclusion of the Third Anglo-Maratha War in 1818. The British established Kumta city as a part of the Bombay Presidency. During the American Civil War the cotton from the southern states that fed mills in England stopped supplying and the mills started importing a variety of cotton known as 'Kumta Hatti’ this resulted in development of Kumta port.

After India's independence in 1947, Bombay Presidency was reconstituted as Bombay State. In 1956 the southern portion of Bombay State was added to Mysore State, which was renamed Karnataka in 1972. Kumta was an ancient site of sea trade visited by the Arabs, Dutch, Portuguese, French and later the British. Famous Moroccan traveler Ibn Battuta is said to have stayed for a time in the district under the protection of Nawayath Sultan Jamal Al-Din. Ibn Battuta passed through this route during one or more of his journeys.

The renowned Bengali poet and Nobel laureate Rabindranath Tagore, who visited Kumta in 1882, dedicated an entire chapter of his memoirs to this city. The 22 year old Rabindranath Tagore stayed with his brother, Satyendranath Tagore, who was the district judge in North Kanara. There is a substantial amount of Chardo families in this area as they had migrated due to the persecution by the Portuguese in Goa.

Attractions

Gokarna Beach,Mahabaleshwara Temple,HalfMoon Beach,Fullmoon beach,Paradise beach, Nirvana Beach,Om beach,Heaven Beach,Idagunji,Karinammma Temple etc.. are major attractions

Major Religion : Hindu

Other Religions: Christian,Muslim

Official Langauage:Kannada

Other Languages:Hindi,Konkani,Urdu,Marathi

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