{{unreferenced, date=October 2021
Belmannu, also called Belman, is a small town in
Karkala
''Karkala'' also known as Karla in Tulu language, is a town and the headquarters of Karkala taluk in the Udupi district of Karnataka, India. Located about 60 km from Mangalore in the Tulu Nadu region of the state,it lies near the foothill ...
taluk of
Udupi district
Udupi district (also Udipi or Odipu in Tulu language) is an administrative subdivision in the Karnataka state of India, with the district headquarters in the city of Udupi. It is situated in the Canara coastal region, there are seven taluks, ...
.
The place derived its name from the Kannada word Bellimannu which means silver (belli) soil (mannu).
Belmannu is famous for Shree Durga Parameshwari Temple, which is said to be built before 7th century AD. The oldest
Kannada
Kannada (; ಕನ್ನಡ, ), originally romanised Canarese, is a Dravidian language spoken predominantly by the people of Karnataka in southwestern India, with minorities in all neighbouring states. It has around 47 million native s ...
copper plate inscription was found under the foundation of this temple in 1952. The plate states that certain rights were given to the Belmannu Village Council which functioned from the Temple and probably looked after the functioning of the temple. As the inscription dates back to 8th century AD, the temple is believed to be older than the inscription.
Belmannu's St. Joseph Church was founded in 1896. It was formerly a part of the
Roman Catholic Diocese of Mangalore
The Roman Catholic Diocese of Mangalore ( la, Diocesis Mangalorensis) is a diocese located in the city of Mangalore in the Ecclesiastical province of Bangalore in India. The diocese falls on the southwestern coast of India. At present, it com ...
but was shifted to the
Roman Catholic Diocese of Udupi
The Roman Catholic Diocese of Udupi ( la, Dioecesis Udupiensis) is a diocese located in the Kallianpur town of Udupi District of Karnataka, India. It was announced by Pope Benedict XVI on 16 July 2012. It comprises the six civil talukas Udupi ...
.
Belmannu is situated along the state highway connecting
Padubidri
Padubidri or Padubidre or Padubedre in Tulu language is a small town in coastal district of Udupi in Karnataka state, India.
Padubidri is on the way from Udupi to Mangalore route. National Highway 17 (now NH 66) passes through Padubidri. Padubi ...
and
Kudremukh
Kudremukha(ಕುದುರೆ ಮುಖ) is a mountain range and name of a peak located in Chikkamagaluru district, in Karnataka, India. It is also the name of a small hill station iron ore mining town situated near the mountain, about 20 kilo ...
about 15 km from Padubidri.
Belmannu is the junction for the road that leads to
Udupi
Udupi (alternate spelling Udipi; also known as Odipu) is a city in the Indian state of Karnataka. Udupi is situated about north of the educational, commercial and industrial hub of Mangalore and about west of state capital Bangalore by road.
...
via Shirva.
The population of Belmannu is predominantly Hindu. However, there is a sizable Christian population.
The village has two junior colleges and three St. Joseph Church administered schools. St. Joseph Higher Primary School and St. Joseph High School are Kannada medium schools based on the Karnataka State syllabus and St. Joseph English Medium School is an English medium school.
Nitte Engineering college is just 9 km away from Belmannu. Belmannu is well connected to its nearby cities;
Mangalore
Mangalore (), officially known as Mangaluru, is a major port city of the Indian state of Karnataka. It is located between the Arabian Sea and the Western Ghats about west of Bangalore, the state capital, 20 km north of Karnataka–Ker ...
,
Udupi
Udupi (alternate spelling Udipi; also known as Odipu) is a city in the Indian state of Karnataka. Udupi is situated about north of the educational, commercial and industrial hub of Mangalore and about west of state capital Bangalore by road.
...
and Belmannu form a virtual triangle, with these three cities being the vertices. Udupi and Belman are 31.7 km apart and Mangalore and Belman are 36.1 km apart.
.