Karnataka · Travel

Karwar: a day of coastal bliss

The coastal port city of Karwar, located a little over 500 km from the capital city of Bangalore is a great place to spend a few days away from the hustle and bustle of urban life.  Lying about 15 km south of the Karantaka Goa border this city is famous for its fish-curry, coconut and cashew.  The affable nature of the people and scenic locales and attractions close by make the place a great holiday option.  While in the city we did visit a number of interesting sites.

Fish market: being a coastal and port city, Karwar has a significant fisheries industry.  We took an early morning stroll to witness the fish market in the centre of the city.  As expected there was a flurry of activity with the place is teeming with people and fish sellers displaying a wide variety of fish, oysters and prawns.  The colorful and lively site was a great way to experience the pulse of the locals and we were given to understand that the Sunday market offers a number of ‘special’ kind of fish.

Fish market2 Fish market3

Sadashivgad Fort: history has it that this fort was built in 1715 AD by Rajah Basavalinga of Sonda dynasty.  Located on the northern bank of the Kali river, the fort houses a temple of Goddess Durga whose history can be traced to Chatrapati Shivaji.    Though nothing much is left of the fort now, it being built on a hillock and offers stunning views of the landscape including the Kali river.  The sunset from this point is truly panoramic.

Sadashivgad Fort

Kali River Bridge and Estuary point:  Karwar is situated on the banks of the river Kali and the bridge built over this river in 1986 connects Karnataka with Goa.    It is one of the few places where the estuary i.e. the place where a river joins the sea is clearly visible.  The sight of the placid waters of the river Kali becoming one with its ultimate destination i.e. the Arabian Sea is truly magnificent and stunning.  The gentle waters slowly merging into the more rough waters of the sea with subtle changes in color is indeed one of natures’ innumerable wonders.  This is a sight not to be missed and clearly my favorite in the city!

Kali river bridge and estuary point

Warship Museum: situated near the Tagore beach in the city, the museum houses the INS Chapel that played an important role in the 1971 Indo-Pak war.  The ship now rests on the shores of the Tagore beach. It is a good place to visit especially for children as the old war ship has now been converted to a small museum.  It is one of the 3 ship museums in India.

Warship museum

 Rabindranath Tagore beach: Located in the heart of the city, we spent the evening here witnessing the beautiful sunset which is indeed a great way to unwind and relax.  The famous “Karavali Utsav” that is held every year takes place on the beach.

Rabindranath Tagore beach2

This article was published in Happy Trips; check out this link for more details and other exciting places around Karwar.

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