Padubidri (ಪಡುಬಿದ್ರಿ), Padubedre in Tulu, is the Udupi district town that borders Mulki in Dakshina Kannada. It grew at a junction: NH-66 between Udupi and Mangaluru meets State Highway 1 to Karkala here, and express buses on all three routes stop in town. Mangaluru airport at Bajpe is about a 45-minute drive. Most people are Tuluva, with Kannadiga, Konkani, Beary and Urdu-speaking families too, so a single shop counter can hear several languages in a day.
The beach is its best-known address. Padubidri beach received Blue Flag certification in October 2020, one of eight Indian beaches on that list; Kasarkod, near Honnavar, was the other one in Karnataka. The label, given by the Denmark-based Foundation for Environment Education, is judged on water quality, safety, services, access and environment. October to May, the dry season, is the recommended time for the beach, when the sea is calm.
Industry sits just inland. The 1,200 MW Udupi thermal power plant at Yellur, north-east of Padubidri near the Shambhavi river, has been fully running since 2012 and has belonged to Adani Power since 2015; a second phase has received environmental clearance. Nandikoor, the village beside it, has a railway station built to unload the coal wagons that feed the plant, and Padubidri is Nandikoor's nearest town.
The calendar here is Tuluva to the core. Dakke Bali, a night-long form of snake worship, is held at the Brahmasthana every two years, in odd years such as 2025 and 2027; the rituals start after 11 pm and run till early morning, and each evening's host invites the neighbourhood for a meal. The Adve–Nandikoor Kambala is an annual floodlit buffalo race nearby, the Janardhana temple at Yermal holds its yearly jatra, and Santhoor's Subramanya temple fills with devotees for Shashti.
Growth is in the air, but carefully. A greenfield international airport has been proposed between Padubidri and Yermal, and in February 2026 the civil aviation ministry said it was ready to support it if the state government cooperates. Earlier airport plans for this area were dropped after political and local opposition. It is still a proposal, not a project with dates, so businesses here can mention it but should not sell on it.
Padubidri and around
Padubidri is on our stretch of the coast; we come down NH-66 from Udupi to meet you here and in these nearby places.
- Padubidri beach
- Uchila
- Yermal
- Nandikoor
- Adve
- Santhoor
- Palimar
- Mudarangadi
- Yellur
- Belman
- Paniyoor
- Hejamady
Sources: en.wikipedia.org · tribuneindia.com · sundayguardianlive.com · daijiworld.com