The Alupas were a minor dynasty of rulers who ruled over the Tulu country

The Alupas were a minor dynasty of rulers who ruled over the Tulu country for a very long period, i.e., nearly a thousand years till the beginning of the Vijayanagar Empire; they continued in an insignificant way till the end of the 14th century. The Greeks knew the land of the Alupas as Olokhoria.

In the sixth century they were subordinate to the Kadambas. They continued to be subject to the Karnataka rulers, like the Chalukyas, the Rashtrakutas, the Hoysalas, etc., lords of the upper and the lower Deccans till they came under Vijayanager ruler.

The political boundaries of the kingdom varied from time to time but it generally comprised the South Kanara district and the southern part of North Kanara. They were related to the Chalukyas of Vatapi. From Mangalore, their first capital, they shifted their headquarters to places like Udayapura and Barakuru; again and finally they settled down in Mangalore.

The word Alupa is probably derived from "Alu" : to rule (Kannanda) and A1 : to rule (Tamil); Aluvar : rulers. Other suggestions do not seem to be convincing. The long unbroken rule of this dynasty is perhaps accounted for by their willingness to agree to be subordinate to the conquerors from the east. The reign periods of Alupa rulers cannot be fixed with certainty.

Aluvarese I (c. AD 650-675), Udayaditya Prithisagam (c. AD 725-750), Aluva Ramanjaya (c. AD 910-930), Bommandum Alupadeva (c. AD 1156-1170), Kulasekhara II (c. AD 1335- 1346) and Virapandya II (c. AD1390-1400) were some of the more important among Alupa rulers. Many Pandyan names are mixed up here indicating Pandyan influence. The titles Pandya Kula Tilaka and the derivation from the Soma Vamsa (lunar ancestry) confirm this.