Nandavara

Nandavara is a village in Bantwal taluka, at Dakshina Kannada, Karnataka, India. It is located around 25 km from Mangalore, on the banks of the Netravati River.

Map of Nandavara, Karnataka

Nandavara once had royal associations: there were many palaces and temples in the area. None, nor the fort built by the kings, survive today. Nandavar was a very ancient and renowned place. For centuries it was also a historical center. Nandavara was the capital of the Nanda Dynasty, which ruled this region for several centuries.

It is learnt that few of the descendents of the royal family reside nearby Nandavara,like- Sajipa, Arkula, Kananthoor, Bajpe, Manjeshwara, Yermal etc. which is around 30-35 km of radius on western side of Nandavara. They also had some curse in olden days, which still exists and one of the reason for their kingdom to isolate/perish. The Bangera Kings of Nandavara also donated their belongings to the poor and needy, which was used by few local communities on wrong use and tacties against the Kings itself on later years after the region was ruled by Portugals and then Britishers, after the Mughals.

The name Nandavara is derived from a combination of two words, nanda and pura. The Nanda kings established their kingdom on the bank of the Netravati River, and built a fort and a palace. The place came to be known as Nandapura, which in course of time became well known by the present name of Nandavara.

Sites of historical significance that exist today include the Sri Veerabhadra shrine, the Shri Vinayaka Shankaranarayana Durgamba temple and the Sri Veera Maruti temple. The neglected Sri Siddhi Vinayaka Shankarnarayana Durgamba temple has been renovated and restored, and it equipped with facilities for social welfare activities.