St Mary's Island, Karnataka

Infobox Indian Jurisdiction
native_name = St. Mary's Isles
type = town
latd = 13.3795 | longd = 74.6730
locator_position = right
state_name = Karnataka
district = Udupi
leader_title =
leader_name =
altitude =
population_as_of =
population_total =
population_density =
area_magnitude= sq. km
area_total =
area_telephone =
postal_code =
vehicle_code_range =
sex_ratio =
unlocode =
website =
footnotes =

St. Mary's Isles (Kannada : ಸಂತ ಮೇರಿಯ ದ್ವೀಪಗಳು) (popularly called St. Mary's Island) are a set of small islands in the Arabian Sea off the coast of Malpe in the Udupi district, Karnataka, India.

History

According to folk legend, in the year 1498 Vasco da Gama landed at St. Mary's Isles on his voyage from Portugal to India and named one of these islands "El Padron de Santa Maria". It is from this name that the islands have got their current name.cite web|url=http://www.hindu.com/2006/03/31/stories/2006033108730400.htm|work=Online Webpage of The Hindu, dated 2006-03-31|author=Prabhu, G.|title=A beach and an island to relax on|publisher=The Hindu|accessdate=2007-07-03]

Geography

These islands are rock projections arising out of the sea near Malpe. It has a coconut plantation. The major attraction of these islands are the basalt rocks which have crystallized into whole columns and split into a horizontal mosaic.cite web|url=http://www.portal.gsi.gov.in/portal/page?_pageid=127,529572&_dad=portal&_schema=PORTAL&linkId=1068|title=Columnar Basalt|publisher=Geological Survey of India|accessdate=2008-07-26] Considering the importance and rarity of such an occurrence, these islands have been classified as a National Geological Monument by the Geological Survey of India. The western coasts of the islands are a seashell haven with seashells of various shapes and sizes littered along the coast.

Transportation Access

The only way of getting to the islands is by boat. Regular boats ply from the Malpe harbor to the islands. However, the frequency of these boats may vary depending on the number of tourists visiting.

References