Bhantwal

Bantwal is a taluk in Dakshina Kannada district, Karnataka, India. It is located 25km East of Mangalore city.HistoryBantwal town is often called Vatapura Kshetra by some communities. Bantwal actual meaning is Banta Wala. Banta (Bunts) is a community. It is situated on the banks of River Nethravati on the National Highway - 73. The adjacent town of B.C. Road (Bantwal Cross Road) serves as the commercial center.Previously, the town of Bantwal was known for trade with the Persian Gulf states, being so close to Mangalore. However, flooding caused by the river Netravathi during the monsoons compelled traders and newer settlements to move to the adjacent city of B.C. Road due to its higher altitude. Gradually, most Government offices shifted to B.C. Road.Prior to 1852, Bantwal Taluk was the largest taluk in the entire of Canara Province (then comprising North Canara, Udupi, Mangalore and Kasaragod Districts) with 411 villages and a total population of 1,69,416. In 1852, a portion of it was formed into the Taluk of Puttur. Bantwal was an enterpot for the produce of the province on its way to the Mysore Country and had derived a great benefit of late years from the extension of the coffee trade. It contained about thousand scattered houses inhabited by Billava, Bunts Bhandary, Ganigas, Kulals, Goud Saraswat Brahmins, Konkani Catholics and a few Jains.