Kumta
Kumta | |
|---|---|
 Kumta Sunset at Beach | |
| Country |  India |
| State | Karnataka |
| Region | Konkan |
| District | Uttara Kannada |
| Named for | Beauty |
| Government | |
| • Type | Janata Dal (Secular) |
| • Mayor | Dinkar Shetty |
| • Assistant Commissioner | G. Anuradha KAS |
| Area | |
| • Total | 15.34 km2 (5.92 sq mi) |
| • Rank | 9th |
| Elevation | 2 m (7 ft) |
| Population (2011) | |
| • Total | 32,598 |
| • Rank | 2nd |
| • Density | 1,957.2/km2 (5,069/sq mi) |
| Languages | |
| • Official | Kannada |
| Time zone | UTC+5:30 (IST) |
| PIN | 581 343 |
| Telephone code | +91-(0)8386 |
| Vehicle registration | KA-47 |
| Lok Sabha constituency | Kanara Lok Sabha constituency |
| Climate | Mansoon (Köppen) |
| Website | www |
Kumta is a city and a taluka in the Uttara Kannada district in the state of Karnataka, India. Kumta It is a coastal city and is about 142 km south of the city Margao and 58 km north of Bhatkal. The city lies on NH 66 running between Panvel and Edappally and its one of the major 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 of the Portuguese in Goa.
Geography
Gokarna is just 30 km. Yana is just 20 km from Kumta. Places around Kumta include:
- Gorkana Beaches,
- Kadle Beach (For image click link-[1])
- Dhareshwar Beach,
- Kudle beach,
- Holanagadde Nene Beach (Guide: Vivek Hegde),
- Tuin Beach (Guide: Miltry Gopala),
- Kumta Beach,
- Baada Temple and Beach,
- Mangodlu Beach,
- Mirjan Fort.
Demographics
As of 2011[update] India census Kumta had a population of 32,598. Males constitute 51% of the population and females 49%. Kumta has an average literacy rate of 77%, higher than the national average of 59.5%: male literacy is 82% and female literacy is 73%. In Kumta, 10% of the population is under 6 years of age. Kannada is the main language spoken in this City and Konkani is also widely spoken.
The city of Kumta features diverse population including Namadhari Naiks, Halakki Vokkaligas, Havyaka Brahmins, Lingayathss, Daivadnya Brahmins, Saraswat Brahmins, Gudigars, Siddis, Fishermen, Muslims (Nawayath), and Christians. Beaches, Lakes and Mountains provide a lot of recreational opportunity.
Festivals
Religious
Diwali is celebrated by Hindus as the return of Rama, King of Ayodhya, with his wife Sita and brother Lakshmana to Ayodhya after 14 years exile, and a war in which he killed Ravana. It is also called the Festival of Lights. All homes, shops, establishments & offices are decorated & special arrangements are made at night for lighting.
The traditional Islamic festivals of Eid ul-Fitr (Ramadan) and Eid ul-Adha (Bakrid) are celebrated. Special Eid prayer is offered during these two occasions. Usually in the central Eidgah the Qadhi leads the Eid prayer and delivers Khutba. Colourful costumes, delicious Food, exchanging the Eid greetings – Eid Mubarak (Arabic/Persian/Urdu: عید مبارک), Fasting (Roza), generous charity to the poor and needy are part of Eid celebration. Other occasions celebrated are 12th Rabi' al-awwal of the third month of Islamic calendar.
Notable Events
Rotaract, Boogie Voogie (state level dance craze)
Kumta Youth Festival (3 days annual programme of Kumta by singers of Bollywood)
Kumta Utsav (dance competition and other cultural activities)
Climate
This part of Karnataka has very hot Summer with temperature rising of maximum of 35-36 degree Celsius and the Rainfall here is seasonal, but heavy and is above 6000 mm. in a year. The impact of winter is less in this part of Coastal Karnataka. Since the city is located on the coast, it has an extreme climate, with temperatures in the range of 360C to 280C during summer and 260C to 200C during winter. The rainy season witnesses heavy rains by the South-West Monsoon.
The Monsoon period is from June to September with rainfall averaging more than 4000mm every year and heavy winds.
| Climate data for Kumta | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Mean daily maximum °C (°F) | 32.8 (91.0) |
33 (91) |
33.5 (92.3) |
34 (93) |
33.3 (91.9) |
29.7 (85.5) |
28.2 (82.8) |
28.4 (83.1) |
29.5 (85.1) |
30.9 (87.6) |
32.3 (90.1) |
32.8 (91.0) |
31.5 (88.7) |
| Mean daily minimum °C (°F) | 20.8 (69.4) |
21.8 (71.2) |
23.6 (74.5) |
25 (77) |
25.1 (77.2) |
24.4 (75.9) |
24.9 (76.8) |
24 (75) |
24.1 (75.4) |
24.1 (75.4) |
24.4 (75.9) |
24.2 (75.6) |
23.9 (74.9) |
| Average precipitation mm (inches) | 1.1 (0.04) |
0.2 (0.01) |
2.9 (0.11) |
24.4 (0.96) |
183.2 (7.21) |
1,027.2 (40.44) |
1,200.4 (47.26) |
787.3 (31.00) |
292.1 (11.50) |
190.8 (7.51) |
70.9 (2.79) |
16.4 (0.65) |
3,796.9 (149.48) |
| [citation needed] | |||||||||||||
Economy
Agriculture
The chief crops of the city are Rice and Arecanut along with a great diversity of other crops. Tree crops include Coconut, Sugar Cane, Cocoa, Cashew, Areca nut, Betel Leaf, Turmeric, Mango, Pineapple, Garcinia, and Sapota Banana cultivations and Fisheries; vegetables include Onion, radish, Cucumber, Cauliflower, Sweet Potato, Brinjal, and Amaranth; spices include Pepper, Cardamom, Ginger and Nutmeg. Millet and Cotton are grown in the drier portion of the city east of the Western Ghats. But the most significant produce is Areca nut and Betel leaves. It has its very own Areca nut trading centre and shandy market at APMC.
Industries
The major products of small scale industries in Kumta are Roofing Tiles, Coir Products, Jewelry, Food Products, Wood and Steel Furniture, Glass and Ceramics and Seafood. Some of these SSI and Tiny industries provide Job Works, components and spares required for large and medium scale industries, both within and outside the city. Eight large and medium scale industries in the city produce a variety of products like Paper, Duplex Board, Caustic Soda, Ferro Alloys, Transmission Gears, Food Concentrate, Herbal Medicines and Pharmaceuticals.
Educational Institutes
- Konkan Polytechnic Education Trust, Kumta
- Saraswati Teaching Training College, Kumta
- Saraswati Vidya Kendra, Kumta
- St. John Baptist Nirmala Convent Nursery School, Kumta
- St. John Baptist Nirmala Convent Primary School, Kumta
- St. John Baptist Nirmala Convent High School, Kumta
- St. John Baptist Nirmala Convent Science and Commerce Girls College, Kumta
- Dr. A. V. Baliga College of Arts and Science, Kumta
- Dr. A. V. Baliga College of Commerce and Business Administration, Kumta
- H V Benne's Nellikerri Govt. School, Kumta
- H V Benne's Nellikerri Govt. College, Kumta
- Gibb Boys High School, Kumta
- Gibb Girls High School,Kumta
- Gibb English Medium School, Kumta
- Ideal Islamic Urdu School, Kumta[1]
- Govt. First Grade College, Kumta
- Indian Institute of Science, Kumta
- Pragathi Vidyalaya, Kumta
- Kendriya Vidyalaya, BGS, Kumta
- Anandashram High School, Bankikodla, Kumta
- Mahatma Gandhi High School, Chitrigi, Kumta
- Bhadrakali Composite Pre University College, Gokarna, Kumta
- Shri Vidyadhiraj Polytechnic, Kumta
- Shri Shantikamba High School, Hegde, Kumta
- Shri Babrulingeshwara High School, Masur, Kumta
- Shri Sadguru Nityanand High School, Sanikatta, Kumta
Transportation
Road
North West Karnataka Transport Corporation (NWKRTC) is the state transport agency in the city. The NWKRTC covers all towns & villages of Kumta. There is a good network of public transport which connects the villages to the city of Kumta. There are regular intra state services to major cities & towns of the state like Bangalore, Mysore, Mangalore, Hubli-Dharwad & Belgaum. The Kadamba Transport Corporation (KTC) buses of neighboring Goa state provides regular service from Karwar to Mangalore and all part of Goa state. Kumta is the main hub for public transport which provides services to intra-district & intrastate round the clock.
National Highway 17 passes through Kumta. It connects Kumta with Mumbai, Panvel, Ratnagiri, Margao, Karwar, Bhatkal, Kundapur, Udupi, Mangalore and Edapally. It can be reached by even State Highways connecting Kumta to Sirsi and to Hubli via Yellapur.
Rail
Kumta [KT] is well connected through Konkan railways which has rails plying from Delhi, Mumbai, Ahmedabad, Mangalore, Cochin, Margao, Karwar towards Mangalore (Mangalore Central [MAQ] and Mangalore Junction [MAJN]), Kumbakonam and also vice versa. The journey between Margao & Kumta takes not more than 2 hours. The Railway Station is very near to city situated about a kilometer away from National Highway.
Air
The nearest international airport is Dabolim Airport (Vasco da Gama) which is 156 km away. The next nearest international airport Mangalore International airport which is 210 km away. Hubli Airport and Belgaum Airport are two nearest domestic Airports.
Hotel
Lodging
There are three main options one can go for.
- Hotel Panduranga International (1 km from the bus stand) Clean rooms & helpful staff & a good vegetarian restaurant. a/c rooms are available.
- Hotel Vaibhav (200 meters from the bus stand) a/c and non-a/c rooms are available.
- Kamat Hotel (500 meters from the bus stand)
- Hotel Purnima, NH 17 (near bustand) Rooms from 250 to 500/- available with very good food. You can also opt for guest house maintained by the Government.
- Hotel Varda Near Railway station Bridge
Cuisines
Kumta (for that matter entire Konkan) is famous for fish. You can have different types of fish items.
- Taj Hotel. For delicious Biryani near Jamia Masjid in market area.
- Hotel Moonlight on Kumbeshwar road which serves great fish delicacies in this part of the world. Their Masala Fry is lip-smacking. Sweets like ghanti (also called as ghati), saati, misal bhaaji are famous in Kumta. You can also have gad bad (it's a sundae, served with different types of fruits).
The traditional foods of the Nawayathis are Rice, Fish, and Meat. The people of Nawayaths of Kumta have adopted most of their foods from the surrounding regions including Kerala and other parts of India. Seafood has been the mainstay of the Nawayathi diet for centuries. Meat and Rice are other staple foods; Beef and Poultry are the more favoured Meats, then goat and lamb. Popular beverage is tea, which can be supplemented with cardamom or mint to give them a distinct flavour. Muslims are strictly prohibited from eating pork, so it is not included in local menus. Alcohol is also strictly prohibited in hotel.
Medical Facilities
- Kumta Nursing Home,
- Canara Health Care Center,
- Pandit Hospital,
- Government Hospital,
- Ramaleela Hospital,
- D D Nayak Dental Clinic.
Newspapers and Media
Deccan Herald, Vijaya Karnataka, Prajavani, Samyukta Karnataka, Udayavani and The Times of India (all published from Hubli) are the major News Papers popular here.
- Janantharanga,
- Konkani Vruththaa,
- Agnashini Dhwani,
- Karavali Aley.
- Canara Vijay.
In kumta there is FM relay station set up by AIR, this station relays FM Rainbow, Bangalore programmes till 6 AM to 11PM.
Geography
Places adjacent to Kumta | |
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References
External links
