The British made this place their district headquarters in 1862. Karwar was an ancient site of sea trade visited by the Arabs, Dutch, Portuguese, French and later the British. Ibn battuta passed through this route during one or more of his journeys. Significant and pictureseque, the Sadashivgad fort of historical importance is now a popular tourist destination located by the Kali river bridge, which has been built at the confluence of the river and the Arabian Sea. Renowned poet Rabindranath Tagore, who visited Karwar in 1882, dedicated an entire chapter of his memoirs to this town.[2] The 22 year old Rabindranath Tagore stayed with his second brother, Satyendranath Tagore, who was the district judge in Karwar. "The sea beach of Karwar is certainly a fit place in which to realise that the beauty of Nature is not a mirage of the imagination, but reflects the joy of the Infinite and thus draws us to lose ourselves in it. Where the universe is expressing itself in the magic of its laws it may not be strange if we miss its infinitude; but where the heart gets into immediate touch with immensity in the beauty of the meanest of things, is any room left for argument?" - Rabindranath Tagore Prominent places of tourist interest in Karwar are: Karwar Beach (Rabindranath Tagore Beach) Devbagh Beach Kurumgad Island Kodasall Binaga Beach Tilmatti Beach Majali Beach Guddahalli Peak Hyder Ghat Pass Shirve Ghat Devkar Falls Anshi National Park Durga Devi Temple Naganath Temple Shahkaramuddin Dargah, Sadashivgad (Tomb of a Sufi Saint) Chaitanya Park Jamba Sadashivgad Maratha Fort High Church Maruti Temple Kali Bridge Chendia Falls - Nagarmadi Falls (a small waterfall which passes under a huge rock) Habbu Mountain (opp. Venkateshwara Gas Agencies) Shri Kshetra Gurumath, Baad