Daijiworld Media Network – Mangaluru/Udupi

Mangaluru/Udupi, May 2: Tourist destinations and pilgrimage centres across the twin coastal districts witnessed heavy crowds as a long holiday weekend drew visitors despite the scorching summer heat.

With summer vacations underway, Friday being Labour Day holiday, and only one working day on Saturday before Sunday, tourists and pilgrims thronged several popular spots in Dakshina Kannada and Udupi districts.

Despite the intense heat, large numbers of tourists from Mysuru, Tumakuru, Kolar and Bengaluru arrived in Mangaluru with their families to spend the summer holidays. As a result, rooms in most hotels are fully occupied. Beaches such as Panambur, Tannirbhavi, Surathkal and Someshwar also saw large crowds.

The number of tourists has been rising since April 15 and is expected to continue until May 15, said a hotel supervisor.

As many tourists from Bengaluru and Mysuru are arriving in private vehicles, traffic congestion was witnessed on highways and within the city. This year, as the additional lunar month begins from May 17, ceremonies such as weddings, upanayanas and housewarming functions will not be held thereafter for some time. Hence, many such functions are being conducted now.

Apart from Mangaluru, temples including Subrahmanya, Dharmasthala, Kateel, Bappanadu and Mangaladevi were crowded with devotees. Beaches at Someshwar, Surathkal and Tannirbhavi also remained packed with visitors. In Udupi too, pilgrimage centres including Sri Krishna Math and beaches such as Maravanthe witnessed a large influx of tourists.

The number of tourists visiting the Udupi district’s beaches has been increasing day by day.

A huge crowd gathered at Malpe Beach on Friday. Large numbers of tourists arrived from Bengaluru, Mysuru and Hassan. Despite the harsh sun, visitors enjoyed themselves at the beach throughout the day.

The 3-km stretch of beach from the main section to the northern seawalk and up to Puttard Guest House in the south was crowded with people. As parking areas were full, visitors parked vehicles wherever space was available.

It is estimated that more than 10,000 to 12,000 tourists visited the beach. Every year, tourists from different parts of the state visit beaches during April and May, and this year too large numbers are arriving. Visitors were also enjoying water sports such as jet ski rides, banana rides and speed boat rides.

More than 35,000 devotees visited Kollur Sri Mookambika Temple on May 1, setting a record.

Due to the holiday stretch, devotees from various states arrived in numbers beyond expectations for darshan of the goddess.

The queue of devotees extended beyond the main road. Staff members struggled to manage the crowd gathered inside and outside the temple premises.

Management committee president Babu Shetty, executive officer Prashanth Kumar Shetty and committee members took steps to ensure smooth darshan for devotees.

Temple accommodation as well as private lodges were fully occupied, and many devotees struggled to find rooms.