Port 31 Mangalore, India

by Ed · February 1, 2026

Aashamsakal (Malayalam), Eddeppulu (Tulu), Subhāśayagalu (Kannada), Shubhechchha (Konkani), Greetings!

There are multiple languages spoken in this part of India, including English!

Today is May 5th, 2024!

The sky is hazy as we approach the port of Mangalore, India. The water is calm, and the weather is pleasant!

This port has the nicest port control center we’ve ever seen! Welcome to the New Mangalore Port Authority!

They even rolled out the red carpet for us! Plants line the walk! A columned entry awaits us! Nice!

A drumming band greets us! They are much happier than the drummers at yesterday’s lunch!

Inside we get a peek at some of the ceremonial garb! Beautiful!

Today I have a tour to “Karkala & Moodbidri Temple,” and Joy has a tour to the “Highlights of Mangalore.” On the bus I see the most interesting layout – an emergency bed? or does the bus driver sleep here? Interesting!

On the road there are a few intriguing sights. Here is a little concrete factory that makes large vases, benches, and an assortment of chickens, ducks, geese, and what must be an egret!

We pass the Bapparadu Shree Durgaparameshwari Hindu Temple. There is construction underway, but this gate near the road is beautiful! I thought this shows Vishnu riding a lion because the figure has four arms, but I believe this is really Parvati since she rides a lion! Parvati is typically shown with eight arms!

I am a little surprised to see the cooling towers appear from behind the trees! This is the Adani Nuclear Power Plant.

We are accustomed to seeing dogs in a yard, but these dogs are really large! This looks like a brahma bull family – daddy on the left, mommy on the right at the bucket, and the little one in between!

We arrive at our first stop – the Karkala Temple built in 1432 CE (AD). This is my introduction to Jainism!

The temple is built on top of a large granite outcropping, so we have a bit of a climb!

The Jains believe in tolerance, non-violence, non-attachment (no earthly belongings), and respecting all life forms. They do not even kill insects!

On our right we see a couple of Bonnet Macaque monkeys! They totally ignored us!

This blow-up of the lead monkey (apologies for the blurry image) shows you why these are called “Bonnet” Macaques! Nice part in the hair, huh?

After 212 steps I arrive at the top of the granite hill, the plateau home of the Karkala Temple. Fortunately, I could power up the 212 steps, so a few of us reached the top before the rest of the bus, giving us almost unimpeded views for a few minutes!

The first thing we see is a column (called a “manastamba”) with a small statue at top. This is the Brahmayaksha, a god that is a soul subject to the cycle of birth and can intervene in human affairs. The Jains strive to break the cycle and not be reborn into another life cycle, achieving nirvana as soon as possible!

Jainism is based on the teachings of twenty four prophets, known as Tirthankaras. Inside the temple walls are small shrines for two of the prophets, the 10th and 23rd. Here’s the sign for the 10th Tirthankara, Shitalanatha, also known as Sheethalnath Swamy.

The shrine inside is small, with beautifully polished granite. The shrine for the 23rd Tirthankara, Parshva, also known as Parshnavatha, on the other side is similar.

Jainism is broken into two major sects. One sect wears white, and are beggars, largely vegetarians, but do not eat anything from underground (no root vegetables). The other sect goes nude with nothing more than a begging bowl. So, all of the statues, as you will soon see, are all shown in the nude!

Leaving the shrines, I enter the courtyard. It is dominated by the large, 42-ft-tall Bahabali (strong shoulders) statue!

Closer to the Bahabali statue, you can see the ivy twining around the legs and arms, and cobras behind his ankles! The peaceful face and relaxed arms are signs of royalty!

Behind the Bahabali are statues of all 24 prophets that were recovered during conservation efforts.

An ascetic monk, or “muni,” arrives to give us blessings and apply a third eye with a red paint. He applies mine but I am sweating so much it just ran across my brow.

What did I just say about either wearing white or going nude? He doesn’t adhere to either description. Hmmm… monks wear saffron-colored fabrics to either indicate they are initiates or affirm detachment from the material world. I don’t believe this gentleman is a novice initiate…

Before I head down the hill to the bus, I walk around to the edges of the plateau to see the view. Most of the area is residential – small farm-like lots, but the Temple seen to the north across the valley is another Jain temple, Chaturmukha. It is built with 108 columns and no mortar in the construction! It is reported to host three statues, of the 19th, 20th, and 21st prophets. But this is as close to it as we get.

We move on to our next stop, Soans Farm. We’re going to see samples of a lot of the fruits grown in the area!

Near the entrance to the farm property is this pile of bricks. Laterite bricks are used for construction all around this area. This is the same kind of brick used in Angkor Wat! It is soft red material that is easy to mine and hardens in the air to a waterproof finish!

This labyrinth on Soans Farm was inspired by a labyrinth in Crete! This has a single path that leads to the center, and another single path that leads to the exit. (Another in Chartes Cathedral in France is similar, but is not designed with a single path in and out.) This labyrinth was created by Dr. Soans as a tool for healing. It symbolizes the journey back to the womb at the center, and a rebirth to new life at the exit.

We take a nice walk through the farm, and see so many different trees! This is more like a museum of trees than a farm for crops.

Here we see the beautiful blooms of the Amherstia Nobilis tree from Burma! They look like leaping ladies in red!

These fuzzy pods of the Achiote tree produce seeds that are used to create red food color!

This Hylocereus Undatus Cactus is the plant that produces dragonfruit! Too bad this one is not producing fruit right now.

This ashoka tree’s blooms have medicinal value and are used in Ayurveda meditation.

Durian fruit is an aquired taste. Don’t bother aquiring it! Many hotels ban durian because they can’t get the smell out of the room!

These Velvet Apples look more like peaches, but they are related to persimmons!

Cocoa fruit grow directly off the main trunk, like papaya!

Bilimbi sours are fruit-like pickles related to star fruit.

We see a tall thin tree – it is a balsa tree! It grows fast, so its wood is very soft and lightweight! (I’ve made many airplane models, and even a few boat models, with balsa!)

These small, yellow fruit are on a nutmeg tree and produce the nutmeg stone we all love, as well as the red, lacy mace!

Jackfruit grow on the main trunk just like the cocoa fruit and papaya!

Remember this? This is a cashew fruit!

Next, we see a Wild Jack fruit. It is not similar at all to the regular Jack Fruit. Wild jack fruit is small and sweet, but more fibrous, while jack fruit is very large, rubbery, and less sweet.

Finally, we see mangosteens! You squeeze these between your palms to pop them open, revealing the sweet white fruit segments under the rind!

We move on to the Moodbidri Temple, known as the Thousand Pillar Temple.

This is another Jain temple, built in 1430 CE, about the same time as the Karkala Temple we visited earlier! You can begin to see why this is called the Thousand Pillar Temple!

The main steps are flanked by these two cute fellas.

You can see some of the many interior pillars. Every pillar is unique! The netting keeps birds from nesting in the rafters!

Here is an example of one of the elaborately carved pillars!

And here is another example! Some are of simpler designs, as you can see in the background on the left!

Toward the center of the Temple is a locked room with a shiny gold thing in the distance!

I’m not quite sure, but I believe this is Lord Chandraprabha, the 8th Tirthankara. This is a 2.5-meter tall statue at the far end of the locked hall.

Time to head back to the ship! We pass through an interesting part of town that has multiple lanes of traffic, all going different directions! I’m glad I don’t have to drive here!

Crossing a bridge, I spot these boats lined up on the far shore! Dragon boats?

Back at the port, there is a wonderful dance performance in the cruise terminal! The dancer in the middle has her eyes locked on me as I take this photo! Her intense look is almost scary!