Dakshina Kannada District of Karnataka is tucked between the Arabian Sea and the Western Ghats. It has an area of 4,866 sq km with a population of over 1.5 million. Normal rainfall in the area is 400 cm. The district is a tropical paradise of sun drenched beaches, rampant greenery and gushing rivers such as the Netravathi and Gurpur. Mangalore is the district headquarters. Kannada,
Tulu and
Konkani are the main languages.
Dakshina Kannada has a wide range of interesting places such as Dharmasthala, Karkala, Venoor, and Moodabidri. The main temples are Mangala Devi, Kadri Manjunath Temple, Sri Gokarnanatheshwara, Dharmasthala Bahubali, and Kukke Sri Subramanya. Dakshina Kannada District is famous for Yakshagana- a fabulous costumed dance drama form, Kambala- the sport of buffalo racing by farmers, Korikatta (cock fight), and Bootha Kola.