Bantwal is a village in Dakshina Kannada district of Karnataka. It is also a town by the same name. Bantwal town is reverentially called as Vatapura Kshetra by some communities lived in Bantwal. Bantwal is situated on the banks of Nethravati River on the National Highway, which is 48 KM East of Mangalore.

In the olden days, the town of Bantwal was known for trade. However, the flooding caused by the Netravati River during the monsoons compelled traders and newer settlements to move to the adjacent township of B.C.Road due to its higher altitude. Gradually, most Government offices shifted to B.C. Road.

Prior to 1852, the Bantwal was the largest taluk in the entire of Kannada Province which comprised North Kannada District, Udupi District, Mangalore District and Kasaragod District with 411 villages. The total population of Bantwal is 1, 69,416.

In 1852, a portion of it was formed into the Taluk of Puttur. Bantwal was an enter pot for the produce of the province on its way to the Mysore and had derived great benefit of late years from the extension of the coffee trade. It contained about thousand scattered houses inhabited by Billava, Moplas, Bunts, Konkanis, and a few Jains.

Bantwal is flanked by the state of Kerala in the south, and the towns of Belthangady and Puttur in the east, the city of Mangalore in the west and Karkala in the north. Bantwal covers an area of about 720 km square. The National Highway 48 cuts through B. C. Road. The highway serves as the conduit for several arterial routes leading to neighboring towns with Mangalore. Mangalore is connected with other cities in Karnataka such as Mysore and Bangalore via NH-48.

The Netravati River passes through Bantwal . Some other places in Bantwal of tourist interests are Kadeshivalaya, Ajilamogaru, Alike, Karanje, Naraharibetta, Nandavara and Modankap.

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