Konkan, also known as the Konkan Coast, is a rugged section of the western coastline of India. Konkan proceeds from the north at Damaon in the Gulf of Cambay, extends southwards all along the western seaside land areas of Maharashtra and Goa, and meets the Kanara coast at Karwar district of Karnataka.
According to the Sahyadrikhanda of the Skanda Purana, Parashurama shot his arrow into the sea and commanded the Sea God to recede up to the point where his arrow landed. The new piece of land thus recovered came to be known as Saptah-Konkana, meaning "piece of earth", "corner of earth", or "piece of corner", derived from Sanskrit words: koṇa (कोण, corner) + kaṇa (कण, piece). Xuanzang, the noted Chinese Buddhist monk, mentioned this region in his book as Konkana Desha; Varahamihira's Brihat-Samhita described Konkan as a region of India; and 15th century author Ratnakosh mentioned the word Konkandesha.
Konkan extends throughout the western coasts of Maharashtra, Goa and Karnataka. It is bounded by the Western Ghats mountain range (also known as Sahyadri) in the east, the Arabian Sea in the west, the Daman Ganga River in the north and the Gangavalli River in the south.
The Gangavalli flows in the district of Uttara Kannada in present-day Karnataka. Its northern bank constitutes the southernmost portion of Konkan. The towns of Karwar, Ankola, Kumta, Honavar and Bhatkal fall within the Konkan coast.
The largest city on the Konkan coast is Mumbai, the state capital of Maharashtra. Mangalore serves as the chief port city of Karnataka. These are, from north to south.