Manipal is a university town situated in the state of Karnataka in India. It is a suburb within Udupi city and is administered by Udupi City Municipality. It is located in the rocky hinterland of the Malabar Coast of south west India, about 8 km (5 mi) from the Arabian Sea. From its location on a plateau, it commands a view of the Arabian Sea to the west and the Western Ghats range to the east.

Location

It is situated 3 kilometres from the temple city of Udupi, and is 65 km (37 mi) north of Mangalore. Manipal was previously under Shivalli village panchayat. The name is derived from Mannu palla Anglicised to Manipal. Mannu means mud and Palla means lake in Tulu Language. This lake due to which Manipal owes its name still has a pride of place in this university town and it offers boating facilities. Manipal was once a barren hill with trees here and there. This hill was transformed to a University town by Dr.T.M.A. Pai starting 1950's

Major institutes

Manipal is home to the Manipal University, comprising of educational institutions, including Kasturba Medical College, Manipal (KMC, Manipal) , the Manipal Institute of Technology, Manipal Institute of Computer Education, [Department of Commerce, BBM e-banking & Finance], Manipal Institute of Communication, MIM Manipal Institute of Management, Manipal Center for Information Science (MCIS Manipal), the T.A. Pai Management Institute (TAPMI), Manipal Life Sciences Center (MLSC), the Manipal campus of Melaka Manipal Medical College (also known as International Centre for Health Sciences or ICHS), the Manipal College Of Pharmaceutical Sciences (MCOPS), the Welcom group Graduate School of Hotel Administration (WGSHA) and Dr. T.M.A. Pai Polytechnic.

The town gained prominence in the 1950s, when Dr.T.M.A. Pai, doctor, banker, educator, industrialist and philanthropist transformed a barren hillock into a university town.