Puttur is a city and taluk headquarters in the Dakshina Kannada district of the Indian state of Karnataka. Located on the National Highway 75 between Mangaluru and Bengaluru, Puttur is a regional centre for trade in arecanut, rubber, cashew, and cocoa, and serves as an educational and administrative hub for the surrounding Tulu- and Kannada-speaking countryside in the Western Ghats foothills.
| Country | India |
|---|---|
| State | Karnataka |
| District | Dakshina Kannada |
| Region | Tulu Nadu / Coastal Karnataka |
| Taluk | Puttur |
| Languages | Tulu, Kannada, Konkani, Beary |
| Civic body | Puttur City Municipal Council |
| Highway | NH 75 (Bengaluru–Mangaluru) |
Puttur lies in the southeastern part of Dakshina Kannada district, on a plateau between the coastal plain and the Western Ghats. The Kumaradhara and Netravati river systems drain the region. The terrain is undulating, with laterite hills, areca and coconut plantations, paddy fields, and patches of evergreen forest. The town has a tropical monsoon climate with very heavy rainfall during the southwest monsoon from June to September.
The Puttur region historically formed part of the Tulu Nadu cultural zone, which came under successive rule of the Alupas, the Vijayanagara Empire, the Keladi Nayakas, the Mysore kingdom under Hyder Ali and Tipu Sultan, and finally the British, after which it was administered as part of South Canara district in the Madras Presidency. After the reorganisation of Indian states in 1956, South Canara was transferred to the then Mysore State (later Karnataka), and Dakshina Kannada district was created in 1997, with Puttur as one of its taluks.
Local government is handled by the Puttur City Municipal Council. The town is the headquarters of Puttur taluk and houses the offices of the tahsildar, taluk panchayat, sub-registrar, and other line departments. Puttur falls under the Puttur Vidhana Sabha (Karnataka Legislative Assembly) constituency and is part of the Dakshina Kannada Lok Sabha constituency.
The economy is predominantly agrarian and trade-oriented. Major commercial crops include:
Puttur is an important market town for these commodities, with cooperative societies and private traders facilitating procurement. The Central Plantation Crops Research Institute (CPCRI) operates a regional station at Vittal, near Puttur, focused on arecanut and cocoa research.
Puttur is known regionally as an educational centre. Notable institutions include the Vivekananda colleges and schools run by the Vivekananda Vidyavardhaka Sangha, St Philomena College, the Government First Grade College, and several engineering, polytechnic, nursing, and pre-university institutions serving students from across the district.
The town is well known for the Mahalingeshwara Temple, dedicated to Shiva, whose annual jatra (car festival) in April is one of the major temple fairs of Dakshina Kannada and draws large crowds from across the region. The surrounding villages preserve traditional Tulu folk forms such as Yakshagana, Bhuta Kola (spirit worship), and Kambala (buffalo racing in slush fields). Christian and Muslim communities, long present in the coastal districts, also have historical churches and mosques in and around the town.
Puttur is served by:
The Puttur region has produced several figures in Kannada and Tulu literature, journalism, and politics. The wider Dakshina Kannada district has historically been associated with strong traditions of banking, education, and journalism, in which Puttur shares.