Swarna Estuary

The Swarna flows west from the Western Ghats to the Arabian Sea, reaching the coast near Udupi. Farther north, the port of Honnavar received traders from Arabia and later from Portugal, England and the Netherlands. Ibn Battuta visited Honnavar in 1342 and described its ruler Jamaluddin. These river mouths opened the wooded coast of Karnataka to the maritime world beyond the hills.