The Sri Kalikamba Vinayaka Temple on Lower Car Street is one of Mangalore's older religious sites, predating the city's modern growth and sitting in what was once the heart of the old town. The temple is dedicated to both the goddess Kalikamba (a fierce form of Parvati) and Ganesha, and retains the character of a neighbourhood shrine rather than a major pilgrimage site. It is calmer than the larger city temples and gives a sense of how Mangalore's older residential quarters looked before urban redevelopment.
The Lower Car Street area around the temple has some of Mangalore's most intact old architecture — traditional tile-roofed houses with carved wooden verandas, increasingly rare as the city modernises. A walk through the lanes around the temple is worthwhile in the early morning before the day heats up.