Karwar is the capital of Uttar Kannada district in Karnataka. It is a seaside town situated on the west coast of the Indian subcontinent. The town lies about 15 km. south of the Karnataka-Goa border. Sandwiched between the sea on one side and Western Ghats on the other, Karwar is rich in flora and fauna. The monsoons last long and it rains heavily in Karwar leaving behind a rich green landscape. Karwar is a place of historical importance, named after Kadwad, a village to the south of the Kali river. Kadwad was an ancient centre of sea trade, frequented by the Arabs, Dutch, Portuguese, French and then later the British, who made it their district headquarters in 1862. As a result, names of many places in the area have undergone considerable change. For example, Baithkol got its name from the Arabic Bait-el-Khole meaning bay of safety. Commodities for export to foreign countries were brought by routes which passed through this area for several centuries. The intrepid Arab traveller, Ibn Battuta is believed to have passed through Karwar. Karwar is the safest port south of Mumbai, and functions throughout the year. The port is at the bottom of a hill jutting into the sea, with five islands, Anjudiv, Kurumgad, Devgad, Madlinggad and Shamshigudda, protecting it from heavy winds. Karwar is the ideal place to relax and enjoy the sun, sea and sand. It has some of the most beautiful beaches in the country. Its beauty and tranquillity is said to have inspired the great Indian poet and Nobel Prize winner Rabindranath Tagore to write his first play in Karwar. This is what he said about Karwar's beach: ?It certainly is a fit place in which to realise the beauty of a place. It is not a miracle of imagination, but reflects the joy of the infinite and thus draws us to lose ourselves in it.?