Kumta

Kumta is a city and a taluk in the Uttara Kannada district in Karnataka. Kumta It is a coastal city and is about 142 km south of the city Margao and 58 km north of Bhatkal. its one of the major stations along the Konkan Railway line running between Mumbai and Mangalore. The nearest international airport is Dabolim Airport (Vasco da Gama) which is 167 km away.

During the British Raj, Kumta was a part of the North Kanara district of the Bombay Presidency. Crafts made out of Carving in sandalwood is a specialty. The city came under the rule of Maratha Empire in the 1800s, who ceded it to the British at the conclusion of the Third Anglo-Maratha War in 1818. The British established Kumta city as a part of the Bombay Presidency. During the American Civil War the cotton from the southern states that fed mills in England stopped supplying and the mills started importing a variety of cotton known as 'Kumta Hatti’ this resulted in development of Kumta port.

After India's independence in 1947, Bombay Presidency was reconstituted as Bombay State. In 1956 the southern portion of Bombay State was added to Mysore State, which was renamed Karnataka in 1972. Kumta was an ancient site of sea trade visited by the Arabs, Dutch, Portuguese, French and later the British. Famous Moroccan traveler Ibn Battuta is said to have stayed for a time in the district under the protection of Nawayath Sultan Jamal Al-Din. Ibn Battuta passed through this route during one or more of his journeys.

The renowned Bengali poet and Nobel laureate Rabindranath Tagore, who visited Kumta in 1882, dedicated an entire chapter of his memoirs to this city. The 22 year old Rabindranath Tagore stayed with his brother, Satyendranath Tagore, who was the district judge in North Kanara. There is a substantial amount of Chardo families in this area as they had migrated due to the persecution of the Portuguese in Goa.

How to reach Kumta

By Road
North West Karnataka Transport Corporation (NWKRTC) is the state transport agency in the city. The NWKRTC covers all towns & villages of Kumta. There is a good network of public transport which connects the villages to the city of Kumta. There are regular intra state services to major cities & towns of the state like Bangalore, Mysore, Mangalore, Hubli-Dharwad & Belgaum. The Kadamba Transport Corporation (KTC) buses of neighboring Goa state provides regular service from Karwar to Mangalore and all part of Goa state. Kumta is the main hub for public transport which provides services to intra-district & intrastate round the clock.

National Highway 17 passes through Kumta. It connects Kumta with Mumbai, Panvel, Ratnagiri, Margao, Karwar, Bhatkal, Kundapur, Udupi, Mangalore and Edapally. It can be reached by even State Highways connecting Kumta to Sirsi and to Hubli via Yellapur.

By Rail
Kumta is well connected through Konkan railways which has rails plying from Delhi, Mumbai, Ahmedabad, Mangalore, Cochin, Margao, Karwar towards Mangalore (Mangalore Central [MAQ] and Mangalore Junction [MAJN]), Kumbakonam and also vice versa. The journey between Margao & Kumta takes not more than 2 hours. The Railway Station is very near to city situated about a kilometer away from National Highway.

Air
The nearest international airport is Dabolim Airport (Vasco da Gama) which is 156 km away. The next nearest international airport Mangalore International airport which is 210 km away. Hubli Airport and Belgaum Airport are two nearest domestic Airports.

Beaches in Karnataka
Dabbe Falls
Kumta
Murudeshwara
Simsha
KSRTC Bus Timings in Bhatkal
Hotels, Boarding, Lodging & Accomodation in Bhatkal