Kundapur

This article is about the town in India. For its Taluk, see Kundapur Taluk.

Kundapur ಕುಂದಾಪುರ
Clockwise from top: Kundapur River, Main Road, Shastri Circle, Coconut Tree, Anegudde Sri Vinayaka temple, Kollur Mookambika temple. Clockwise from top: Kundapur River, Main Road, Shastri Circle, Coconut Tree, Anegudde Sri Vinayaka temple, Kollur Mookambika temple.
Kundapur Town
Coordinates:
Country	India
State	Karnataka
Region	Kundapura karavali
District	Udupi
Zone	Kundapur, Karnataka
Municipality	Kundapur Town Municipal Council
Settled	1912
Headquarters	Udupi
Area
• Total	23.06 km2 (8.90 sq mi)
Elevation	80 m (260 ft)
Population (2011)
• Total	30,450
• Density	2,415.11/km2 (6,255.1/sq mi)
Languages
• Official	Kannada
Time zone	IST (UTC+5:30)
PIN	576 201
Telephone code	91-(0)8254
Vehicle registration	KA-20
Nearest city	Udupi, Byndoor, Mangalore
Sex ratio	1.09 ♂/♀
Legislature type	Bicameral
Lok Sabha constituency	Udupi Loksabha Constituency(15th)
Vidhan Sabha constituency	Kundapur Vidhansabha Kshethra(124th)
Website	www.kundapurtown.gov.in

Kundapur is a coastal town in the Indian state of Karnataka. It is administered by Kundapur Town Municipal Council and the town is also a headquarters of Kundapur Taluk.

History

The name Kundapur can be traced to the Kundeshwar temple built by Kundavarma in the vicinity of the Panchagangavalli river. The name of the town may be derived from Kundavarma who ruled the area. Kunda means 'pillar' in Kannada, which refers to the traditional method of constructing houses. Pura means town. Kundapur is surrounded by water from three sides. To the north lies the Panchagangavali river. To the east lies the Kalaghar river. To the west lie the Kodi back waters and the Arabian Sea, leaving the south side as the main connecting land mass. All connecting roads to Kundapur enter the city from southern direction. North side of the town is vast backwaters of Panchagangavali river and a bridge has been constructed across it .

Transport

Kundapur is well connected to other parts of the country by NH66. SH52 is the main State Highway that connects to Shimoga District. This Highway connects cities and towns of different states. Kundapur is also connected to the Konkan Railway, which runs from Mumbai to Mangalore. The railway station is about 4 kilometres (2.5 mi) from the town. The nearest airport is Mangalore International Airport, situated at Bajpe around 87 kilometres (54 mi) from Kundapur.

Demographics

As of the 2001 India census,

• Kundapur has a population of 30,450 .
• Males constitute 49% of the population and females 51%.
• Literacy rate of 92%, higher than the national average of 59.5%: male literacy is 94%, and female literacy is 88%.
• 9% of the population are under 6 years of age.

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Culture

The town consists mainly of Hindus of many communities such as Shettigars,Sherigars,Kotegars, Vishwakarmas, poojarys, Kota Brahmins, Havyaka Brahmins, Shivalli Brahmins, Goud Saraswat Brahmins, Mogaveeras, Kulals, Bunts, Vokkaligas, Devadigas, Billavas Namadhari Naiks, Ganigas, Ramakshatriyas, Daivajnas, Kunabis, Chitrapur Saraswat Brahmins, Kharvis, Christians and Muslims.

The town mainly consists of Kannadigas who speak Kundagannada (82%). Others are Konkanis (12%) and Tuluvas. The Goud Saraswat Brahmins, the Kharvi community, the Christian community and some Muslim community people speak Konkani Language. A dialect of Kannada called Kundaganna or Kundapur Kannada is predominantly spoken in Kundapur town and Kundapur Taluk. Tulu is also spoken by some people.

In the olden days, Tulu language was widely spoken in the region and the historical town of Barkur served as the capital city of Tulunadu.