Karnataka

Travel to Karnataka is a land of fragrance - fragrance of enchanting perfume of sandal and agarbathis, the aroma of fresh roasted coffee beans, the head fragrance of the Mysore Mallige and thousands of roses blossoming. The Kannada-speaking state of Karnataka formerly known as Mysore, has a finely balanced mix of natural attractions and superb historic architecture.

Situated in the southern part of India, the province of Karnataka spreads over the Deccan Plateau. At 300B.C., it had formed the southern tip of Mauryan empire. Its boundaries enlarged or receded swaying to the drum beats of history & today it accounts for a sixteenth area of India & has a population of about 45 million. Its language is Kannada & its people are known as kannadigas. The three distinct regions are a narrow coastal area along Arabian Sea; high hills, the Western Ghats; & sprawling plains towards the east.

Tour Karnataka in South India that offers you a lot in terms of tourist attractions such as landscaped gardens, the world famous Jog falls, the Mysore Palace, the stone temples located in Belur, the beaches in Malpe and Karwar and a lot more.

Travel to Karnataka known for its ancient and medieval heritage, which is still reflected in the South Indian temple architecture. The central and southern area of the state is known for its medieval architecture with liberal influences from Islamic architectural styles. Sravanabelgola is an important Jain pilgrimage center, visited by thousands of pilgrims every year.

Enjoy the fairs and festivals of Karnataka that celebrate life in all its infinite variety. Most of them are exclusive to the state and reverberate with colur and gaiety. Every hamlet and village, every town and city has its own calendar of events to be celebrated.

In order to make the travel tour to Karnataka even more joyful, choose just the right kind of accommodation ends in the various cities of Karnataka. You may take your pick from a range of luxury and budget hotels in Karnataka besides the star categorized accommodation hotels around the landmarks of Karnataka offer panoramic view of the landmarks through their suites.

Bangalore

Bangalore is the principal administrative, cultural, commercial and industrial centre of the state of Karnataka. The city, which is spread over an area of 2190 sq km, enjoys a pleasant and equable climate throughout the year. It is now home to more than 250 high-tech companies. Including homegrown giants like Wipro and Infosys. The continuos technology boom has made Bangalore the Silicon Valley of India.

Also known as the Garden City of India, Bangalore is a beautiful city filled with the tranquillity of its greenery. The Lalbagh garden is particularly beauliful and well laid out. It has one of the largest collections of exotic Indian Tropical and Sub-tropical vegetation, Lakes and Lotus-filled pools. Cubbon park, Bull temple, Mysore arts & crafts centre are worth visiting.

How To Reach -
Air : Ahmedabad, Calcutta, Chennai, Cochin, Coimbatore, Delhi, Goa, Hyderabad, Madras,Mumbai, Trivandrum.
Rail : Ahmedabad, Calcutta, Guwahati, Madras, Mysore, Delhi, Trivandrum.
Road : Bangalore is well connected to all the major cities of India by road.

Places To See: Vidhana Soudha, Tipu’s Palace, Bangalore Palace, Lalbagh Gardens, Cubbon Park, Government Museum, Gavi Gangad Hareshwara Temple.

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Mysore

Mysore in the south Indian state of Karnataka is a city of palaces, gardens, shady avenues and sacred temples and retains some of the old world charms with its many institutions that propagate Carnatic Classical music and dance. Mysore city was the capital of the old royal Mysore province. The word Mysore expands to "Mahishasurana Ooru" which means the town of Mahishasura. The story goes that the demon Mahishasura was killed by godess Chamundeshwari atop the Chamundi hill near Mysore, from which it derived its name. Ever since, the Mysore royal family have worshipped Chamundeshwari as the palace deity. Hills dedicated to her stand at the eastern end of Mysore town today.

How To Reach -
Air : The nearest airport is in Bangalore, 140 km from Mysore, which has daily flights to most of the important cities in India.
Rail : Mysore is well connected with regular trains to most of the metros like Delhi, Mumbai, and Chennai. The railway station is almost 2 km from the city center.
Road : Mysore has a good network of roads connecting it to the other important cities of the region.

Places To Places : Chamundi Hills, Srirangapatnam, Brindavan Gardens, Lalitha Mahal Palace, Mysore Palace.

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Badami

The capital of the Early Chalukyas, Badami, earlier known as Vatapi, is ideally located at the mouth of a ravine between two rocky hills. Badami is famous for its rock cut cave temples as well as the Chalukyan style strucutal temples. Badami is famous for its four cave temples - all hewn out of sand stone on the face of a hill. The largest and most ornate is the third cave temple dedicated to Vishnu. Overlooking the cave temples is a reservoir dotted with temples dedicated to Vishnu and Shiva. Also a must are the Bhutanath temples that lend their name to the lake beneath the cave temples.

How To Reach -
Air : There is no airport at Badami. The nearest airport is at Belgaum, 150 km away.
Rail : Badami is on the Hubli-Sholapur rail route.
Road : Badami is connected by road to: Hubli and Bijapur.

Places To See: Archaeological Museum, Jain Temple, Nataraja, Vishnu, Cave Temple, Lake

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Hampi

Hampi, the outstanding land of breathtaking surprises was founded in the middle of 14th Century by two local princes, Hakka & Bukka. The city was sacked pillaged and burnt in 1565 AD, after the combined attack of armies of Muslim Sultanates of the Deccan defeated the Vijayanagar Military Commander and the King fled the Capital. Today, the terrain is dominated by rocky hills and the mighty Tungabhadra River, which flows through this rugged landscape.

One can still take glimpse of the mind-blowing Vijayanagara - one of the largest empires in the history of India - in its ruins. The Vijayanagar Kings were great patrons of Art & Architecture as evident by the vast ruins of Hampi.

How To Reach -
Air : The nearest Airport is Bellary (974 km); other convenient airports are Belgaum (190 km) and Bangalore (353 km).
Rail : The nearest rail point is Hospet from where one travels another 12 kilometers by road to reach Hampi.
Road : Regular bus services from Bangalore to Hospet.

Places To See : Virupaksha Temple, Ugra Narasimha, Vithala Temple, Lotus Mahal, Hazara Rama Temple

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Somnathpur

Karnataka is justly called the cradle of stone architecture, as its peerless stone wonders are eloquent reminders of a fertile heritage. As one reaches Somnathpur, a small village on the banks of the Kaveri, 140 kms, south-west of Bangalore, one feels an eternal stillness and freshness in the air as if the place is if saying eternity grows here. Here, amidst the lasting rural serenity stands Kesava temple - one of the grandest of Hoysala monuments.

The Kesava temple at Somnathpur, a resting village 45 km from Mysore, is one of the most famous Hoysala temples in Karnataka, the two others at Belur an Halebid being equally famous. The Somnathpur temple built in AD 1268 is considered an example of the fully evolved style of Hoysala architecture. The Hoysalas were a mighty martial race who ruled large parts of present day Karnataka between 1100 and 1320 AD.

In the dust and turmoil of history, India was witnessing the Golden Age of the mighty Cholas, Pandyas and the Hoysalas. The last named dynasty which ruled Karnataka for nearly 350 years, was founded in 1006 A.D., soon after the collapse of the Ganga Dynasty.

Coming to the temple at Somnathpur, one need not search far for its history. An inscribed stone slab, in old Kannada, at the entrance says it all. The reigning monarch was Narasimha III (1254-91 A.D.) whose full regal title runs into a sizeable paragraph: "Sri Vishnuvaradhana, Pratapa Chakravarti, Hoysala Bhujabala, Sri Vira Narasimha, Maharajadhiraja, Raja Paramesvara, Sanivarasiddhi, Giridurgamalla etc.

The Hoysala temple at Soswmnathpur, is truly unique in design, perfect in proportion and the stone carvings are striking marvels in stone. The shrine stands in the centre of a walled compound, around which runs an open verandah with 64 cells. The temple itself, stellar in shape, has three elaborately carved pinnacles with a common Navranga and stands on a raised platform. The three sanctums once housed beautifully carved idols of Kesava, Janardhana and Venugopala. Today the idol of Lord Kesava is missing, but the other two still adorn the sanctums in their original form.

How To Reach -
Air : Bangalore is the nearest major airport connected to most of the major Indian cities with regular flights.
Rail : Somnathpur is situated around 40 km off Mysore and well connected by rail to Mysore and Bangalore, which is 180 km away.
Road : Somnathpur is situated around 40 km off Mysore and well connected by road to Mysore and Bangalore, which is 180 km away.

Places To See : Hoysala Temple architecture, Kesava temple

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Srirangapatnam

Located at about 140 kilometers from Bangalore and 15 kilometers from Mysore, Srirangapatnam is the biggest of the three islands in the river Kaveri. The island, five kilometers long and two kilometers wide, derives its name from the deity of the temple located on its western side.

The island has something for everyone. For those who are turned on by history, there are many monuments here spanning a thousand years. All the major dynasties of the South have left their relics and monuments here-the Hoysalas of the 11th century, the Vijayanagar kings of Chandragiri in the 17th century, the Hyder Ali-Tipu Sultan clan that came after them, and finally, the French and the British.

For the naturalist and those contemplative ones who seek quiet spots, this island is a delight. And for the devotees, there are temples, mosques, a church, and a Jain basdi. You could hire an auto-rickshaw and go around, and if you have the time, walk around.

How To Reach -
By Air- The nearest airport to Srirangapatnam is Bangalore, about 140 kilometers away.
By Rail- There is a railway station at Srirangapatnam, which has a good frequency of trains running to and from Bangalore.
By Road- The island is on the Bangalore-Mysore road, 140 kilometers from Bangalore and 15 kilometers from Mysore. The Karnataka State Road Transport Corporation buses ply between Bangalore and Mysore very frequently. Motoring from Bangalore takes about 2½ hours.

Places To See : Vrindavan Gardens and Krishnaraja Sagar Dam, Somnathapur, Talakad, Melkote.