Mangalore
According to Hindu Mythology, the region covering Mangalore is part of Parashurama
Shristi, the coastal belt reclaimed from the sea by the legendary sage Parashurama.
He crowned a king known as Bhanu Vikrama, who appointed one of his brothers,
Udayavarma to rule the territory between Payaswini river in the south and
Gokarna in the north.
As for other mythological associations, Rama was the Lord of Tuluvanad during
the days of the Ramayana; and Sahadeva, the youngest of the Pandavas, was
the Governor of this place during the days of the Mahabharatha. The Pandavas
lived in Banavasi during their exile visiting Sarapadi near Mangalore. Arjuna,
the hero of Mahabharata also appears to have visited this place when he
travelled from Gokarna to Adur near Kasargod.
Early History: Under the rule of Ashoka, the land of Tuluva was called Sathia
(Shantika) and the Kadambas ruled this place from 200 to 600 AD. From the
earliest references in documented history, it is clear that the region covering
Mangalore was a part of the Kingdom of Alupas, whose unbroken dynastic rule
from 567 to 1325 AD is perhaps the longest in Indian history.
Some of the prominent Alupa rulers were Alva Rananjaya (10th century), Kavi
Alupendradeva (1113-1115 AD) and Vira-Bhutal Pandya Deva (1254-1277 AD),
who enforced the matrilineal law in this region. Kulashekaradeva Alupendradeva
was the last Alupa king.
The Vijayanagar Kingdom was founded in 1346 and Tuluvanad was absorbed by
the kingdom. Harihara Raya, the founder of the Vijayanagar Empire, appointed
deputies to command the military force and collect revenue from the Jain
rajas and other tributaries. After Harihara Raya, twelve other Vijayanagara
princes possessed the kingdom for a period of about three centuries.
The Jain Rajas were held as feudatories. While the Alupas (567 to 1325 AD)
ruled independently, the Bangara kings after them (1325 to 1556 AD) ruled
firmly under an efficient and centralised administration of the Vijayanagar
Empire.
Portuguese Invasion and after: Portuguese depredations started in the reign
of Kamaraya II (1491-1533 AD) In the year 1498 Vasco-Da-Gama landed on the
west coast of India near Udupi and set up a cross on St. Mary?s Isles. The
region had longstanding trade relations with the Arabs and Portuguese made
forage raids towards the Arab junks.
In 1526, the Portuguese viceroy Lapaz-De-Sampayo succedded in defeating
the Bangara king and his allies and the trade passed out of Muslim hands
into Portuguese hands. During the 16th and 17th centuries, the Portuguese
commanded the Arabian Sea and they intruded actively in the affairs of the
local chieftains.
The Portuguese gradually made themselves the masters of the whole of the
trade and then proceeded to collect a levy. The levy was opposed by Abbakka
Devi II, the famous queen of Ullal, who was the first woman to raise the
banner of revolt against foreign rule. She faught against the Portuguese
for almost three decades, in the course of which the Portuguese repeatedly
attacked Mangalore and wreaked wanton destruction.
Following the final subjugation of the valiant queen in 1568, the Portuguese
ruled the place without opposition till 1640. Then in the middle of the
17th century, Venkatappa Nayaka, Raja of the Ikkeri family stormed the Portuguese
bastion and defeated them. Thereafter the Bangara chieftains continued as
rulers with the Portuguese only allowed trade relations until their final
expulsion by the Ikkeri kings on 27 May 1805.The Dutch and the French relationship
was restricted to trade.
The Ikkeri King?s rule started during the 16th century, when King Sadashiva
Nayaka of the Ikkeri family, who rose in the service of Krishna Deva Raya
of Vijayanagar, obtained the grant of the Gornment of Barkur in 1560 as
an underlord. When Raja Venkatappa Nayaka defeated the Portuguese in 1640,
the Rajas of Ikkeri family were ruling Mangalore and this continued till
1762.
Mysore Rule and the advent of the British : The Mysore kings entered the
region in the 18th century with Nawab Hyder Ali Khan, who regarded Mangalore
as of great importance as a naval station. In 1763, his troops took possession
of the dominions of the Ikkeri rulers including Mangalore, which gave him
a valuable tract of land containing a port of great commercial and strategic
importance to Mysore. He ruled for 21 years till his death in 1784 and he
was succeeded by his son Tippu Sulthan. He personally interested in developing
Mangalore as a naval station as was designed by his father.
He built the Sulthan Battery at Boloor, a light house and an Idgah. The
English who had trade relations with Mangalore watched with apprehension
the rise of Hyder Ali the conversion of Mangalore as his naval base, which
was a threat to their mastery of the sea. The English sent an army under
Admiral Watson from Bombay in 1768. This led to the first Mysore War when
Mangalore was captured by the English. However, Hyder Ali soon routed the
English and took them prisoners.
In the Second Mysore War, the English again captured Mangalore in 1791,
but Tippu besieged it in 1793 and the English under Col. Campbell surrendered
in 1794. Then in 1799, after the fall of Tippu Sulthan at Srirangapatna,
the entire Kanara region including Mangalore came into British Hands and
continued till Indian indepence in 1947. Captain (later Sir) Thomas Munro
was appointed as the first Collector of South Kanara in June 1799 and
Mangalore has remained the administrative headquarters since then.
The city had a peaceful administration under British rule and permanent
visible improvements effected during this period. It flourished gradually
in education and in industry and became a commercial centre for export and
import trade. The linking of Mangalore, in1907, with the South Indian Railway
and later the advent of motor vehicles further increased the trade and communication
with the rich hinterland. The opening of the Basel Mission in 1834 brought
many industries into the city.
The Roman Catholic missions, from the beginning, have
done important work
in education, health and social welfare. South Kanara, which was under the
administration of the Madras Presidency continued under the Madras state
even after Indepedence until the state. However at the time of reorganisation
of states in 1956, a portion of South Kanara was annexed to the then Mysore
State (now Karnataka) and a portion went to Kerala. Therafter Mangalore
gained a very important position in the state since it gave the erstwhile
Mysore state the benefit of a coastline. Mangalore is now a fast growing
city.
Mangalore Tourism Reservation Form
