Bhatkal

Bhatkal is one of the oldest ports in India and is located in the district of Uttar Kannada in Karnataka. It is about 130 km from Karwar and shares its boundaries with the Arabian Sea. The native language of this place, which is spoken widely throughout the town, is Kannada. Bhatkal is located on the National Highway-17 that operates between Mumbai and Mangalore. 

Bhatkal is one of the oldest towns in the state of Karnataka and is a popular tourist destination in India, where many historical events have taken place. Bhatkal has a long history of several dynasties being perished and some coming to power with time.

Some of the predominant communities in Bhatkal are the Muslim Nawayath and Hindu Namadhari communities. The literacy rate of this region is 75 percent, which is also high compared to the nearby regions.     

Bhatkal was earlier a part of the Hoysala Empire from 1291 to 1343 and later was under the control of the Vijayanagara Empire. After the downfall of the Vijayanagara Empire, the Jain rulers of Hadwalli took control of this undiscovered town. After that many Jain temples and shrines were built that can be seen even today. In the year 1799, Bhatkal was handed over to the British after the death of Tipu Sultan.

Bhatkal is famous for its ancient Vijayanagara style carvings.  It has numerous tourist attractions including mosques, ancient temples of the Vijayanagar Kingdom and Jain Chandranath Basadi. Other than the ancient temples and locations, there are also white sand beaches that are visited by tourists all round the year.

Some of the popular destinations in Bhatkal include popular mosques like Jamia Masjid, Sultani Masjid, Noor Masjid and Khalifa Masjid, which are all very ancient and date back to many centuries. Throughout the town, many educational institutions are managed by Anjuman Hami-e-Muslimeen, which is an educational trust that was founded in the year 1919.

One of the ancient temples here is the Kethapayya Narayan Temple, located in Mud Bhatkal, which is popular for its cultural importance. Other ancient structures of this place include Jain Chandranath Basadi and Parshwanath Jain Basadi, which is located on the main bazaar road. Bhatkal receives visitors in large numbers, especially in the months of August, September and October because of the moderate monsoon.