KARWAR, or CARWAR  , a seaport of British India, administrative headquarters of North Kanara district in the Bombay presidency; 295 M . S. of Bombay city . Pop . (1901), 16,847 . As early as 166o the East India Company had a factory here, with a trade in muslin and pepper; but it suffered frequently from Dutch, Portuguese and native attacks, and in 1752 the English agent was withdrawn . Old Karwar fell into ruins, but a new town grew up after the transfer of North Kanara to the Bombay presidency . It is the only safe harbour all the year round between Bombay and Cochin . In the bay is a cluster of islets called the Oyster Rocks, on the largest of which is a lighthouse . Two smaller islands in the bay afford good shelter to native craft during the strong north-west winds that prevail from February to April . The commercial importance of Karwar has declined since the opening of the railway to Marmagao in Portuguese territory .