Tulu Nadu
Tulu Nadu or Tulunad, is believed as Bermere Srishti, is a region and a proposed state on the southwestern coast of India. The Tulu people, known as 'Tuluva' (plural 'Tuluver'), speakers of Tulu, a Dravidian language, are the preponderant ethnic group of this region. South Canara, an erstwhile district and a historical area, encompassing the undivided territory of the contemporary Dakshina Kannada and Udupi districts of Karnataka State and Kasaragod district of Kerala state forms the cultural area of the Tuluver.
Tulu Nadu | |
|---|---|
Region | |
|
Flag | |
South Canara, an erstwhile district, forms the centre of the Tuluva region called 'Tulu Nadu'. | |
| Coordinates: 13.00°N 75.40°E | |
| Country | India |
| State | Karnataka, Kerala |
| Districts | Dakshina Kannada, Udupi, and Kasaragod |
| Largest City | Mangalore |
| No. of districts & Talukas | 3 District and 18 Taluks |
| Area | |
| • Total | 10,432 km2 (4,028 sq mi) |
| Population (2011) | |
| • Total | 4,574,385 |
| • Density | 356.1/km2 (922/sq mi) |
| Demonyms | |
| Languages | |
| • Lingua Franca | Tulu |
| • Spoken | Tulu, Malayalam, Kannada, Konkani, Beary |
| Time zone | UTC+5:30 (IST) |
| Telephone code | 0824, 0825 |
| ISO 3166 code | ISO 3166-2:IN |
| Vehicle registration | KA19, KA20, KA21, KA62, KA70, KL14. |
Historically, Tulu Nadu lay between the Gangavalli River (Uttara Kannada district) in the north and the Chandragiri River (Kasaragod district) in the south. Currently, Tulu Nadu consists of the Dakshina Kannada and Udupi districts of Karnataka state and Kasaragod district of Kerala state. This region is not an official administrative entity.
Mangalore, the fourth largest (in terms of area and population) and a major city of Karnataka is the largest city of Tulu Nadu. Udupi and Kasaragod are the other major cities of this region.
Moreover, the term "Tulunad" is cited as "Tuḷu Nāṭṭu" in the "Akananuru", which is a classical Tamil poetic work and part of the "Eight Anthologies" (Ettuthokai), a collection of Sangam literature composed around more than 2000 years ago.