Mangalore is the chief port city of the Indian state of Karnatake and is locate4d about 220 miles west of the state capital, Bangalore. Mangalore lies squarely between the Arabian Sea and the Western Ghat mountains. It handles 75% of coffee and cashew exports.
At 7:30 we attended a face to face immigration,then were welcomed on port by an Indian band, and their military. We also were blessed, with the red paint on our foreheads.
This is Tanya our guide, and Answar our driver.
Our first stop was at the Achal Cashew factory. The cashews are all hand manufactured. The women do all of the hand work. They start by cleaning the cashews; step #1.
This lady was “quality control”, separating the good from the bad.
They use a peeler, which isn’t as easy as it looks! They have a quota to fill and make approximately $18-$20 dollars per week. There is a daycare on site until the age of 4, then they attend school. After the 5th grade, they must pay for their schooling.
They dry them outside; but also use a big stove inside that separates the oil; which is sold separately.
We then left and headed toward St. Aloysius College, where Tanya attends and the famous Church of St. Aloysius.
Jesuit Priest Antony Moscheni was trained in Italy, there are comparisons between St. Aloysius Church and the Vatican’s Sistine Chapel. Priest Moscheni’s paintings cover the interior of St. Aloysius Church. Had Moscheni worked for worldly ambitions and sought the high honors freely bestowed on artists and genius’ he would have done well to stay in Europe and make his mark in Italy, the reputed home of the fine arts of that time. He was born there in Stezzano on January 17, 1854. In spite of the success that came to him as a young artist, in 1889 he left the world and it’s empty honor to seek admission into the Society of Jesus as a humble lay-brother. He came to Mangalore in 1899 and finished the paintings of the chapel in 2 years.
We then went to the Bellmont House, Tanya’s Great Aunt’s house, one of 6 mansions that remain. She was 17 years old when she married and moved into the house, and has resided there for the last 54 years. There are 6 bedrooms, all color coded! She had 7 children, the last was still born; five boys and one girl. Her husband passed from kidney failure, and she manages the house by herself with the help of an outside gardener.
We then went to a mall to buy some fabrics for quilting!
Our next stop was a Roman Catholic Church, The Church of the Miracles. The religious affiliations of Mangalore consist of 80% Muslims; 10% Hindu; 9% Christian and 1% Buddhist. We enjoyed their choir practicing in their native tongue, Tulu and Konnade.
Our next stop was the Kadrimanjunath (Buddhist) Temple, where I remembered to photograph Jolly!
Our next stop was Old Mangalore Fishing Port. This is the oldest fishing port and still very active.
Our next stop was Sultan’s Battery – Tippu Sultans attempt to blockade the Gurpur River against invasion. The ruins are known as Tippu’s Well and while the black stone structure was long ago abandoned, its design was ingenious. The arrangement of the cannons makes it look like a much larger fortress.
Heading back to the ship, we witnessed wandering cows and a goat, right on the roadway!
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Tomorrow we are porting in Goa.
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