Honavar

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?Honavar Karnataka • India
Lord Shiva's statue in Murudeshwara, a town near Honavar
Honavar
Coordinates: 14°16′48″N 74°26′38″E / 14.28, 74.4439
Time zone	IST (UTC+5:30)
Area • Elevation	• 2 m (7 ft)
District(s)	Uttara Kannada
Population	17,833 (2001)
Mayor
Codes • Pincode • Telephone • Vehicle	• 581334 • +91(08387) • KA 47

Coordinates: 14°16′48″N 74°26′38″E / 14.28, 74.4439

Honavar mostly spelt as Honnavar( Honnavara in Kannada ) is a coastal town in Uttara Kannada district of Karnataka, India.

1 History
2 Geography
3 Demographics
4 Transportation
5 References
6 External links

[edit] History

The first ever historical reference about the Honavar town appears in the works of the Greek author Periplus (AD 247) and it was called Naour.^{[citation needed]} It was mentioned as the first port of Limurike in Tamil country.

In the 10th century text Jain Ramayana, the town is mentioned as Hanuruha Island. References about the town are also available in the works of Abu al-Fida (A.D.1273-1331), an Arab Geographer as well as that of Ibn Batuta who described it as the city of Hinaur.

Honavar or Onore, was a notable seaport of British India, in the North Kanara district of Bombay. It is mentioned as a place of trade as early as the 16th century, and is associated with two interesting incidents in Anglo-Indian history. In 1670, the English factors here had a bull-dog which killed a sacred bull. An enraged mob killed 18 people in retaliation. In 1784 it was defended for three months by Captain Torriano and a detachment of sepoys against the army of Tippoo Sultan.

[edit] Geography

It lies on the coast of the Arabian Sea and on the banks of the river Sharavathi, forming an estuary. It lies midway between Goa and Mangalore. Some of the important places around Honnavar include the towns of Murudeshwara and Idagunji, both places of religious importance and Karikanamma, a scenic mountain that has the breathtaking view of the Arabian sea.

Honavar also has a port that was one of the most important ones on the west coast of India during the time of Marco Polo.

[edit] Demographics

As of 2001 India census^[1], Honavar had a population of 17,833. Males constitute 51% of the population and females 49%. Honavar has an average literacy rate of 78%, higher than the national average of 59.5%: male literacy is 83%, and female literacy is 74%. In Honavar, 11% of the population is under 6 years of age.

[edit] Transportation

[edit] Road

There are two National Highways that pass through Honnavar:

NH-17 (Panvel - Edapally): Mumbai, Panjim, Mangalore and Ernakulam can be reached by this road
NH-206 (Tumkur - Honnavar): Bangalore, Shimoga and Tumkur can be reached by this road.

[edit] Rail

Honavar has a railway station on Konkan Railway near Karki. Konkan railway's longest bridge is located in Honavar 2.065 km. (on Sharavati River) and also consists 1.75km tunnel.