10-08-2025
A run through historical places in Bunder area of Manglauru
The weekly Sunday Run on August 10 for the several avid runners of 'Mangalore Runner Club' (MRC) was different as their 8-km run was through the Bunder area — the erstwhile business centre of the city. Apart from meeting their weekly running target, the participants also got a glimpse of the rich past of the city as they went through several heritage places in Bunder and adjoining areas.
The 'Mangalore Heritage Run' started and concluded at the building of Kanara Chamber of Commerce and Industry (KCCI), which was built in 1940.
Following a brief introduction about the run and a warm-up session, the run took off at 5.45 a.m. While most of the male runners sported 'Mundu' (a 'dhoti' or 'vesti'), the female runners were in saris or salwar kameez. Few of the runners sported running shorts and red and blue MRC T-shirts.
The first stop of the runners was in front of Zeenath Baksh Masjid, an old masjid built with teak wood by Kerala King Cheraman Perumal in the name of Tipu Sultan's daughter. Running along the Old Bunder Street, which was once the spices market, the runners stopped outside the Pigeon Flying Club building, which was earlier the arena for the traditional 'Kori Katta' (rooster fight). Next to this building was the old Vartak Vilas Palace, built by trader Rantanji Kanji Seth, and has a unique 3D name plate with the name of the building written in two different languages.
The runners went past the old Giri Manja Restaurant, which is popular for the Mangaluru-style fish curry, and the old Flower Market, the Car Street, the building of the erstwhile New Chitra Theatre, the old BEM School, the Canara Bank's Founder Branch building, the 18th century Mahamaya Venkatramana Temple, old jewellery outlet S.L. Seth house, old food joints of City Bakery and Ideal Ice Cream in Hampankatta, the vegetable market, the old Lady Goschen and Wenlock Government Hospitals, colonial era's St. Paul's Military Church, A. Albuquerque and Sons Tiles Factory, the Rosario Cathedral and the old St. Anns PU College building.
In the last stretch, the runners visited the old DC Office building, which was once the British Madras Presidency's administrative building. They ran past the Mangaluru North Police Station building, which was once a residence of Tipu Sultan, and the old Kutch Menon Masjid.
At the conclusion of the run, KCCI president Anand G. Pai and architect Niren Jain took runners to their newly developed 'Trade History Gallery', which gives an overview of the trading legacy of the region. The runners dispersed after eating traditional 'Moode' and 'Biskut Rotti', along with tea.
