About Karwar City OR Karwar Sightseeing

About Karwar is about 70km from Gokarna.  It is the mouth of river Kali is the deep water port of Karwar surrounded by five islands and four pristine beaches.  It is the administrative headquarter of the Uttar Kannada district, only about 10km from the southern border of Goa. Binaga Bay is the naval base, which carries out its operations here at Karwar for the Sea Bird project of Indian Navy.

With gentle waves, miles of ivory sands, a tranquil ambience, and acres of emerald foliage, Karwar makes for a perfect gateway.  Hills ranges, thick woods and valleys envelop the captivating landscape.  One can go snorkeling in the blue waters of the sea and watch dolphins at play.

The Karwar's most famous beach is named after India's first Nobel Laureate, Rabindranath Tagore who stayed at Karwar around 1882-1883. The blue sea and the pristine beach inspired him to write Prakritir Pratishoota (Nature's Revenge).  This poem was the genesis of his whole literary career.  There is a staue of the poet on the beach.  The sight of big ships sailing and the view of the sun dipping into the sea at Tagore Beach are exciting.

Karwar has a number of temples, among them the Venkataramana Temple with some fine 300 years old ochre paintings and the Naganatha Temple in Sunkeri are worth visiting.  The temple of Naganatha attracts thousands of devotees during the annual jatra held every year in early January.  A Roman Catholic Church in village built in 1801 with its unique octagon shaped architecture is other attraction.

Around Karwar, 5km in the small town of Sadashivgad on the banks of the river Kali lay the remains of a historic.  Sadashivgad Fort.  Raja Sadashivanayaka of Sonde built it in 1698 atop a 60m high hillock.  The great Maratha Shivaji is said to have visited the nearby Durga Temple. It is 4km off the Karwar mainland is the tortoise shaped island of Kurumgad famous for its Narasimha Temple perched on a hillock, the remains of the fort built in 1705, and the crescent shape beach.

The airport at Dabolim in Goa is just 90km away.  Karwar is a main station of the Konkan Railway, 7km away.  Buses ply regularly between Dabolim (Goa, 105km) and Karwar.  State Buses also connect Karwar to Bengaluru (489km), Hubli (135km), Gokarna (60km), Mangalore (273km), Udupi, and Belgaum (164km).

Devbagh Island

Devbagh Island is the most enchanting of the five islands along the Karwar coast, the other four being islands of Sanyasi, Oyster, Kurumgad, and Anjidev.  However, a visit to Anjidev is restricted as it is now part of a navy port.

From Devbagh on the cruise to other islands you may even spot dolphins frolicking gracefully in the azure waters. It is about 3km away from Karwar is the most serene and unspoilt beach of Devbagh.  It is a mesmerizing experience for the beach buffs collecting seashells, chasing crabs in the sands, beach volleyball or just lazing in the shade and watching the shimmering sea.  Devbagh offers a host of exciting water sports and fishing activities.  The view of the sunset from Devbagh is just splendid.