Mangalore Beaches Series : Someshwara Beach

This is a series on unexplored beaches in Mangalore. As such these beaches are being frequently visited by only locals but never got developed into full time tourism destinations. In that sense none of the beaches in Karnataka coastal region caught the attention of domestic or international tourists. Karnataka tourism department have a lot to do if they want to convert these into tourism destinations and boost the economy of this region.

First one in this series is Someshwara beach, 13 kms from Mangalore city and 3 kms from Ullala. Someshwara beach is a tourist’s delight. Those rocks near the sea, those coconut plantations facing the sea and of course clean surroundings make it a perfect spot for the photo enthusiasts and nature lovers. You will surely agree after seeing the photos I have included in this post. The place is most frequently visited by Mangaloreans to get relieved from the mechanical way of life in the city. If you are film buff you might notice that this is the place where some of the popular Kannada films were shot. Most precisely on the rock called Rudrapaade song sequeces, romantic scenes are shot. There is lot of scope for improvement for making this place a prime tourism destination.

There is only one beach resort called Summer Sands, 2 km away from Someshwara. In one of the programmes on DD9 or Chandana (Kannada TV channel owned by Govt.) about tourism called Thaana Yaana, one of the European tourists here revealed that Karnataka is not much known in the Europe for tourism and there is a need to market this region for the same. This should serve as a eye opener for the tourism department to wake up and take necessary steps.

Historically, this region, Ullala was ruled by Queen Abbakka. She is the one who started the battle against the Europeans in this part of India. She fought and defeated the Portuguese. In her honor there is a statue of her on way to Someshwara.

There is Somanatha temple on the sea shore from which this place derives its name from. Presiding deity here is Somanatha or Shiva. In the temple premises there is the statue of great sage Parusharaama. As per mythology, the coastal region of Karnataka was the creation of Parusharaama (as they say in Kannada it is Parusharaama Srushti).

So next time you visit Mangalore don't forget to visit Someshwara beach.

Here is how you can reach Someshwara?
Distance from Mangalore City – 13 kms
Mode of transport – city buses between Ullala and Mangalore, auto rikshaws, taxi
Where to Stay – Summer Sands beach resort, Ullala or hotels in Mangalore city

Photos from Ullala and Someshwara Temple:

Statue of Queen Abbakka in Ullala

Somanatha Temple, Someshwara

Parashuraama Statue

To see the complete set of photos of Someshwara Beach, Ullala, Mangalore click the below link....