Surathkal

Infobox Indian Jurisdiction
native_name = Surathkal
ಸುರತ್ಕಲ್ | type = village| latd = 12.9833 | longd = 74.7833
locator_position = right | state_name = Karnataka
district = Dakshina Kannada
leader_title =
leader_name =
altitude = 0
population_as_of =
population_total = | population_density =
area_magnitude= sq. km
area_total =
area_telephone = 0824
postal_code = 575014
vehicle_code_range =KA-19
sex_ratio =
unlocode =
website =
footnotes =

Surathkal (Tulu:ಸುರತ್ಕಲ್ ) is a locality under the city corporation of Mangalore located in the Dakshina Kannada district, Karnataka state, India.Surathkal is home to one of India's best technical institutes - The National Institute of Technology Karnataka (NITK), formerly known as "Karnataka Regional Engineering College" (KREC). Surathkal is a suburb of Mangalore city located on National highway 17. Surathkal also houses Vidyadayanee High School and Govindadasa College run by Hindu Vidyadayanee Sangha, Surathkal, which has provided education to thousands of students since pre-independence period. The town boasts of Industries like The Mangalore Refinery and Petrochemicals Limited MRPL, Mangalore Chemicals and Fertilizers Limited (MCF) and a port The New Mangalore Port Trust (NMPT). The nearest airport is Mangalore (Bajpe), 15 kilometres from Surathkal.The New Mangalore sea port is 6 km away. The railway station at Surathkal, on Konkan railway, is an important one due to the presence of several educational institutes,sea port,air port and industries.

Surathkal town can be easily accessed by various bus services from Mangalore City by both city buses and the Mangalore-Udupi Express buses.

Background

Surathkal was once a Grama panchayat, then town panchayat, municipality now merged with Mangalore city corporation. According to legend, the name Surathkal is derived from "shiradakal" meaning "headstone" in Tulu. When Lord Ganapathi kept a shiva linga belonging to Ravana on ground, Ravana tried to pull the linga from the ground but could not. The place where the linga is supposed to have been is now known as Gokarna. Due to the force exerted by Ravana, some pieces were scattered. One such piece from the head of the linga is said to have fallen in present day Suratkal.

Geography

Surathkal is located at 12°58'60 N 74° 46' 60E. [ [http://www.fallingrain.com/world/IN/19/Suratakal.html Falling Rain Genomics, Inc - Surathkal] ]

Industry and Education

Some of the major industries in and around Surathkal are MRPL, BASF and [http://www.mangalorechemicals.com MCF] .There is Baikampady Industrial Estate about 6 kilometres from Surathkal which houses small and medium factories. Educational institutions like NITK (formerly KREC),Vidyadayanee High School and Govindadasa College are all nearby or within Surathkal.

Important information

*Pincode : 575014 (It was previously 574158).
*Assembly constituency : Surathkal (Karnataka Legislative Assembly 144).Currently "Suratkal". As per new notification, Suratkal shall fall under the new "Mangalore Urban North" Legislative Assembly constituency in Karnataka state assembly elections held in month of May 2008. [cite news
url=http://www.daijiworld.com/news/news_disp.asp?n_id=35701&n_tit=M%27lore%3A+Assembly+Constituencies+Revised+%2D+Bye+Bye+Ullal%2C+Suratkal+++|title=
date = 2007-07-14
title = New Assembly constituencies
accessdate = 2007-09-22
publisher = DaijiWorld.com] [cite news
url = http://www.hindu.com/2006/05/05/stories/2006050522990400.htm
date = 2006-05-05
title = Assembly constituencies proposed by Delimitation Commission
accessdate = 2007-09-22
publisher = The Hindu]
*Loksabha constituency:Currently belongs to Udupi Loksabha constituency. As per new notification, Suratkal shall fall under the new Dakshina Kannada Loksabha constituency from next General elections.
*STD code : 0824.
*Railway station : Surathkal (Station code SL) on Konkan Railway.

Places of interest

* Beach - Surathkal is on the shore of Arabian sea and boasts of having beautiful beaches. There is a beach in front of the Sadashiva Temple; the picturesque beach is known for its clean surrounding and its lighthouse. NITK has its own private beach north of Surathkal beach which is open to the public too. Near Sasihitulu village which is about 5 km from Surathkal there is an estuary formed by the joining of Pavanje river to the Arabian Sea. It is a seldom visited spot but it is really beautiful and worth many visits.

* Krishnapura matha, one of the ashta matha established by Sri Madhwaacharya is 3 kilometres from Surathkal. The structure of the building is mostly made of wood. This type of structure is rare in the age of concrete buildings nowadays.

Localities in and around Surathkal

* Iddya - Mahalingeshwara Temple is situated on west side of NH-17 opposite Govindadasa college.
* Agaramelu - West of Surathkal Railway station
* Krishnapura - 3 kilometres from Surathkal Bus stand.
*Katipalla- 5 kilometres from Surathkal.
* Kaikamba or Ganeshpura
* Chelairu or Chelaru
* Madhya or Madya or Madyapadav
* Tadambail or Thadambail - In between Surathkal and NITK Campus on NH-17 highway.
* Mukka - North of NITK ( formerly KREC )Campus en route to Udupi on NH-17.
* Chokkabettu : Lies en route to Krishnapura.
* Kaverthottu : East ( Behind ) the NITK campus.
* Katla : East of Surathkal Railway station.
* Munchuru: East of NITK towards Krishnapura Matha and Madhya.
* Kana
* Kandige:situated in Chelairu village on the bank of the river Nandini.A historical temple dedicated to a deity called Sree Dharmarasu Ullaya
* Jokatte: This is another way to Mangalore International Airport in between Bajpe-Baikampady- Surathkal. Distance is 13 Kilometer from Surathkal.

Distances by road to different places of India from Suratkal

*Hampankatta ,Mangalore - 20 km
*Udupi- 40 km
*Bangalooru - 370 km
*Panaji - 350 km
*Dharwad- 360 km
*Mumbai- 1015 km
*Mysore- 320 km
*Shimoga- 190 km
*Manipal- 50 km
*Cochin- 310 km

External links

* [http://surathkal.com/ Surathkal]
* [http://www.nitk.ac.in/ National Institute of Technology-Karnataka]
* [http://www.konkanrailway.com/ Konkan Railway]
* [http://www.vidyadayinee.org Vidyadayanee]
* [http://www.kar.nic.in/gazetteer See Dakshina kannada district Gazetteer 1973 ]

References