Basrur
Encyclopedia
Basrur / Basroor is a village in Kundapur taluk in Udupi district of Karnataka
.
Historically Basrur was also called as Barcelor, Barcalor, Basnur, Bares, Abu-Sarur and Barsellor.
town on the banks of the Varahi River
on the Kanara
coast in Karnataka
, India
. For much of the sixteenth century and the first half of the seventeenth century, it was the rice
port par excellence on that coast. The port was used by traders of several foreign countries mainly to cater for the needs of Keladi Samsthana, which was near Shimoga. The town had several streets, each specifically housing communities like traders, artisans, dancers, weavers etc. It was also famous for communities who were experts in singing and dancing, which art is forgotten and no longer exists. The town has become a small obscure village and the trade no longer exists.
In his travel account Moroccan Traveller Ibn Batuta (Abu Abdullah Mohammed (1304–1358)) who visited Canara on his way to Malabar from Honavar says, "The first town in the land of Mulaybar (Malabara) that we entered as the town of Abu-Sarur (Basrur), a small place on a large inlet and abounding in coco palms"
British Major of Engineers James Rennel has concluded with due analysis that the Bares of Ptolemy
's Map is the Barcelor or Basrur.
Basrur is famous for its old temples, the main one being the 'Shree Mahatobar Mahalingeshwara Temple'. The annual chariot festival (ratha or teru in Kannada) is held every April on Chitra Pournima - Hanuman Jayanti (in the Hindu calendar
) day.
Out of 24 Temples of Basrur, The Nakhareshwara Temple is of historical importance. A 12th Century Inscription is the earliest inscription which mentions this temple.. The Temple which is today called as Mahalingeshwara Temple was built by the mediaeval South Indian Merchant guild Nakhara. The deity of this temple was called Mahadeva in the mediaeval inscriptions of Basrur.
The town is a spiritual centre for Goud Saraswat Brahmin community with 'Sri Mahalasa Narayani temple' at the center. The centuries-old temple is visited by the Swamijis of all Maths including Kashi Matt Samsthana and Gokarna Parthagali Matt. The legend is that the spirit for the Mahalasa temple was derived from its Moolasthana, i.e. Sri Mahalasa at Mardoli in Goa.
Noted Kannada novelist Dr. K. Shivarama Karanth has written a novel based on the life of Basrur people, mainly detailing song and dance community and the picture of early twentieth century of Basrur village is vividly described in this novel. The name of the novel is Mai Managala Suliyalli (1970) and this novel is one of the better novels of Dr. Karanth and is distributed by Sapna Book House, Bangalore.http://www.sawnet.org/books/reviews.php?The+Woman+of+Basrur
No of Households 1,179; total population is 6,532 (male 3,126 & female 3,406).
Railway Station on the Konkan railway route.
Public transport is operated by private bus services and autorickshaws. Small time water transport facility is also there with wooden boats managed by local fishermen. This mode of transportation was predominant up to first half of 20th century.
See also:
Other useful links about Basrur :
http://mangalorean.com/ekata/cdetail.php?chid=18
http://www.mahalasa.org/temples/basrur/index.html
http://www.udupipages.com/home/temple/basrur.html
Karnataka
Karnataka , the land of the Kannadigas, is a state in South West India. It was created on 1 November 1956, with the passing of the States Reorganisation Act and this day is annually celebrated as Karnataka Rajyotsava...
.
Historically Basrur was also called as Barcelor, Barcalor, Basnur, Bares, Abu-Sarur and Barsellor.
History
Basrur, once called Vasupura, is a historic portPort
A port is a location on a coast or shore containing one or more harbors where ships can dock and transfer people or cargo to or from land....
town on the banks of the Varahi River
Varahi River
Varahi River is a river flowing through Western Ghats to Basrur, Kundapur and Gungulli in western India. It joins with the Souparnika River, Kedaka River, Chakra River, and Kubja River and merges into the Arabian sea.There is a dam across Varahi river constructed for producing of electricity.Dam...
on the Kanara
Kanara
The Kanara or Canara region comprises three coastal districts of Karnataka, namely Dakshina Kannada, Udupi and Uttara Kannada and Kasaragod district of Kerala in southwestern India. Kanara forms the southern part of the Konkan coast...
coast in Karnataka
Karnataka
Karnataka , the land of the Kannadigas, is a state in South West India. It was created on 1 November 1956, with the passing of the States Reorganisation Act and this day is annually celebrated as Karnataka Rajyotsava...
, India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
. For much of the sixteenth century and the first half of the seventeenth century, it was the rice
Rice
Rice is the seed of the monocot plants Oryza sativa or Oryza glaberrima . As a cereal grain, it is the most important staple food for a large part of the world's human population, especially in East Asia, Southeast Asia, South Asia, the Middle East, and the West Indies...
port par excellence on that coast. The port was used by traders of several foreign countries mainly to cater for the needs of Keladi Samsthana, which was near Shimoga. The town had several streets, each specifically housing communities like traders, artisans, dancers, weavers etc. It was also famous for communities who were experts in singing and dancing, which art is forgotten and no longer exists. The town has become a small obscure village and the trade no longer exists.
In his travel account Moroccan Traveller Ibn Batuta (Abu Abdullah Mohammed (1304–1358)) who visited Canara on his way to Malabar from Honavar says, "The first town in the land of Mulaybar (Malabara) that we entered as the town of Abu-Sarur (Basrur), a small place on a large inlet and abounding in coco palms"
British Major of Engineers James Rennel has concluded with due analysis that the Bares of Ptolemy
Ptolemy
Claudius Ptolemy , was a Roman citizen of Egypt who wrote in Greek. He was a mathematician, astronomer, geographer, astrologer, and poet of a single epigram in the Greek Anthology. He lived in Egypt under Roman rule, and is believed to have been born in the town of Ptolemais Hermiou in the...
's Map is the Barcelor or Basrur.
Basrur is famous for its old temples, the main one being the 'Shree Mahatobar Mahalingeshwara Temple'. The annual chariot festival (ratha or teru in Kannada) is held every April on Chitra Pournima - Hanuman Jayanti (in the Hindu calendar
Hindu calendar
The hindu calendar used in ancient times has undergone many changes in the process of regionalization, and today there are several regional Indian calendars, as well as an Indian national calendar. Nepali calendar, Bengali calendar, Malayalam calendar, Tamil calendar, Telugu calendar, Kannada...
) day.
Out of 24 Temples of Basrur, The Nakhareshwara Temple is of historical importance. A 12th Century Inscription is the earliest inscription which mentions this temple.. The Temple which is today called as Mahalingeshwara Temple was built by the mediaeval South Indian Merchant guild Nakhara. The deity of this temple was called Mahadeva in the mediaeval inscriptions of Basrur.
The town is a spiritual centre for Goud Saraswat Brahmin community with 'Sri Mahalasa Narayani temple' at the center. The centuries-old temple is visited by the Swamijis of all Maths including Kashi Matt Samsthana and Gokarna Parthagali Matt. The legend is that the spirit for the Mahalasa temple was derived from its Moolasthana, i.e. Sri Mahalasa at Mardoli in Goa.
Noted Kannada novelist Dr. K. Shivarama Karanth has written a novel based on the life of Basrur people, mainly detailing song and dance community and the picture of early twentieth century of Basrur village is vividly described in this novel. The name of the novel is Mai Managala Suliyalli (1970) and this novel is one of the better novels of Dr. Karanth and is distributed by Sapna Book House, Bangalore.http://www.sawnet.org/books/reviews.php?The+Woman+of+Basrur
Demographics
According to Census (2001)No of Households 1,179; total population is 6,532 (male 3,126 & female 3,406).
Transportation
This place is less than 2 km from KundapuraKundapura
-Languages and culture :The town mainly consists of Kannadigas who speak Kundagannada, Konkanis and Tuluvas. The Goud Saraswat Brahmins who fled Goa during the Portuguese arrival in the 16th century arrived by Boat in Basrur and some settled in Kundapura and surrounding villages. These people and...
Railway Station on the Konkan railway route.
Public transport is operated by private bus services and autorickshaws. Small time water transport facility is also there with wooden boats managed by local fishermen. This mode of transportation was predominant up to first half of 20th century.
Local areas
"Basrur" is connected to other sub-villages (koodu-grama) like Hattikudru, Anagalli, Margoli, Merdy, Japthi, Kalanje, Othinane (Panakada-katte), Kolkere, Ulloor, Kandavara and Balkur to form a larger area.See also:
- Udupi districtUdupi districtUdupi district , ಉಡುಪಿ ಜಿಲ್ಲೆ) in the Karnataka state of India was created in August 1997. The three northern taluks, Udupi, Kundapur and Karkal, were separated from Dakshina Kannada District to form Udupi district. Udupi district is surrounded by Uttara Kannada district in north, Dakshina Kannada...
- Mangalooru
Other useful links about Basrur :
http://mangalorean.com/ekata/cdetail.php?chid=18
http://www.mahalasa.org/temples/basrur/index.html
http://www.udupipages.com/home/temple/basrur.html