KARNATAKA TOURISM

Both nature and human efforts have combined to make Karnataka a

Tourist Paradise. Its long sea shore has silvery beaches. The tall Western Ghats
have lush green forests full of varied fauna, flora and a number of east and west
flowing rivers emanating from the Ghats, enrich the soil of the land and
contribute to State’s agricultural prosperity. The rivers create many water falls
which are a feast to the eyes of the on lookers. The plain area is renowned for
its beautiful river banks and projecting wonderful stony hills looking like rock
parks that are natural creations. The hilly tracks have many Wildlife sanctuaries.
The Gangas, Kadambas, Chalukyas, Rashtrakutas, Hoysalas, Vijayanagara
Rulers, Bahamanis of Gulbarga and Bidar, Adilshahis of Bijapur, Wodeyars of
Mysore, Nayaks of Chitradurga and the Keladi rulers have raised wonderful
forts, beautiful temples with impressive plastic art in stone and magnificent
mosques and mausoleums of Indo-Saracenic style. The advent of the Portuguese
and the English introduced European Renaissance architecture imitation of
both gothic and Indo-European styles. They built imposing churches and
captivating public as well as private buildings in Karnataka. The National Parks,
the Animal and Bird Sanctuaries can provide the tourist the sight of wild animals
like elephants, tigers, bisons, deers, blackbucks, peacocks and a variety of
animals in their natural habitat. The National Parks also acquaint the visitor
with a rich variety of flora like tall trees, bushy plants and creepers that try to
entwine him. Karnataka is known for its aromatic sandal wood and broad
beautiful trees of pipal and banyan with their hospitable broad shade. If one is
spiritually inclined, there are living seers, whether Hindu, Christian or Muslim
who can provide one with spiritual solace. There are also tombs of great religious
leaders of Hindu, Muslim, Christian, Jaina or Veerashaiva. In the precincts of
these tombs even today people seek spiritual solace.
Karnataka is blessed with many waterfalls and the tallest water fall in India
is at Jog (Shimoga District) where the river Sharavati jumps from a height of
293 mts. into four cascades of everlasting beauty. Presently the falls will be
active with full zoom only during one month following the rainy season (July-
October).The Cauvery at Shivasamudra falls (in Mandya district) has twin jumps,
Gaganachukki and Bharachukki, one km away from each other and their water
has been harnessed for production of Hydel power from 1902. Mandya district
has also a fall of the Shimsha, 14 km from Bluff, the power station of
Shivasamudra. The river Shimsha is a tributary of the Cauvery and its falls is
in Malavalli taluk, Mandya district. Kodagu district with its headquarters at
Madikeri, a perennial hill-station, has the Abbi Falls, five km away from it. The
Irpu falls of the river Lakshmana Tirtha, in Kodagu District, is 48 km from
Virajpet, has also an old Rameshwara temple near it. Chikmagalur district has
many water falls. The hill station at Kemmannugundi has the Hebbe Falls and
Karnataka,
 it is created by a stream later joining the Bhadra river, and the water jumps
down from a height of about 500 feet. Manikyadhara is yet another water falls
near the famous pilgrim centre Baba Budangiri Dattatreya Peetha and here
water spills down like small balls and visitors can enjoy a memorable shower
bath. The Kallatti Falls at Kallattipura in Tarikere tq is 10 km from
Kemmannugundi; water leaps down here from a height of 400 feet and there is
an old Veerabhadra temple very near the Falls. Mysore district has the
picturesque Chunchanakatte Falls at the place of the same name, besides
which there is a Rama temple. Uttara Kannada is famous for its Unchalli
(Lushington) also called ‘Keppa Joga’ Falls, about 450 feet in height and the
Aghanashini river creates this water cascade at a place which can be reached
from Yellapur (19 km away) and also from Siddapur (12 km) via, Kolsirsi,
Heggarne and Unchalli. From Unchalli one has to walk five km from through
the thick forest to reach the witnessing spot of this falls. The Magod Falls
(situated at a distance of eight km from Yellapur) of the Bedti River can be
reached from Siddapura (35 kms) as well as Yellapur in Uttara Kannada. The
Chaya Bhagavathi falls, (five kms away from Narayanapur) in Surpur tq, the
Yattipota falls near Chincholi, the Gurmitkal falls (four kms from Gurmitkal)
in Yadgiri Tq. the Kotikal falls near Badami and the Kabbargi Falls in Koppal
district are noteworthy. Belgaum District has the famous Gokak Falls, which
is eight km away from the Gokak Town and Gokak Road Railway Station. The
170 feet tall cascade here is called ‘Mini Niagara’ for its spread and shape.
Hydro Electric Power was harnessed here to mechanically run the cotton mill
as early as in 1887. There are many beautiful old temples at Gokak falls
beginning from Badami Chalukyas till Later Chalukyan times and Vijayanagara
periods and also a suspension bridge across the river Ghataprabha. The artificial
but, attractive waterfalls at Sogala (Baihongal Tq.) needs special mention. The
Mahadayi river creates the Vajrapoha Falls in the thick Jamboti forest in
Khanapur taluk. While the river travels towards Goa, it is called Mandovi. A
second falls of it at the lower valley from a height of 50 mtrs. although
inaccessible, can be reached from Asoge, which is six kms. away from this
falls. Near Bangalore is Muthyalamaduvu falls not far away from Anekal, and
40 kms from Bangalore. The proper season to visit these water falls is between
September and January and Gokak Falls must be visited in July-August when
it will be in full bloom.

To the religious-minded and the devotees of every denomination, there are

places worthy of a visit. To the Muslim, one of the oldest mosques of Karnataka
is in the Gulbarga Fort, built in 1367. by the Bahmani King Muhammad Shah I.
It is the biggest mosque in Karnataka, and when compared in plan and design,
the mosque resembles the mosque at Cardova in Spain. The Jamiya masjid in
Ferozabad of Gulbarga Tq is of Bahamani period. Hirabibi masjid at Hirapur
(Gulbarga), masjids at Gogi, Sagar etc. are noteworthy. The Jamiya mosque in
Bijapur is another wonderful huge monument built by All Adilshah (16th
century). It has a proportionate dome and its mihrab is gorgeously painted.
358 A Handbook of Karnataka
 For those interested in seeing churches, the best are at Bangalore, Mysore
and Mangalore. Though Christianity was propagated by the efforts of the
Portuguese in Kanara {coastal area) far earlier than on the plateau, many of
the churches they raised on the coast during the 16th to 18th Century were
razed to the ground by the Mysore ruler in 1790s. Mangalore has the magnificent
St. Rozario Cathedral church with its tall frontal towers. The original building
was of 1526, rebuilt in 1910. Milagres Church with beautiful tall facade
accommodating many artistic images on its parapet, reminds one of St. Peter’s
Basilica in Rome. Equally notable is Our Lady of Sorrow church at Kodialbail
built in 1857. It has a frontal tall wall facade divided into four rectangles of
equal size with a pediment atop them. Mangalore has the Shanti Cathedral of
the Basel Mission (now C.S.I.) raised in 1862 which is a beautiful simple
structure with its complex well-planned layout.Virajpeth in Kodagu has a
Catholic Church in Gothic style. It celebrated its bicentenary in 1993. The
small Anglican Church in Madikeri, now houses the Government Museum
managed by the State Archaeology Department has some rare antiquities and
beautiful glass paintings.

The St. Mary’s Church in Belgaum is a huge granite structure built in 1869
in the Camp area with fine piers in the prayer hall and gorgeous stained glass
windows. The St. Philomina Church at Mysore with its two tall towers of
imposing size can be the pride of any town and the building has a crypt. The Abbe
Dubois Church (Srirangapattana) is worth mentioning. Bangalore has its oldest St.
Mary’s Basilica in Shivajinagar supposed to be raised around 1600, rebuilt in
1832, and it has a tall Gothic tower at the entrance. St. Marks Cathedral that took
the present shape in 1927, is another Imposing structure in the former Cantonment
area, now of the Church of South India. The St. Patrick’s Church with North-
South alignment is in Greeco-Roman style, was originally built for Irish soldiers
in 1844 and rebuilt in 1898. The Trinity Church on the Mahatma Gandhi Road
was the official Anglican Church of British times which was attended by
Residents and other officers. It took its present shape in 1908, though originally
built in 1851, it has fine ionic pillars and a portico with a majestic look. Its nave is
90 feet long and the back-wall has fine wooden carvings. The Buddhists had their
Tara Bhagavati temples at Belgami (Balligave) near Shiralkoppa (Shimoga dt),
Koliwada and Dambal, (both in Gadag dt), are no

.
Karnataka has many cool and pleasant hill resorts of which Kudremukh is
one, mentioned above. Kemmannagundi in Chikmagalur district (in the Western
Ghats) is another hill resort surrounded by a park with good accommodation
facilities arranged by the Horticulture department (housed at Lalbag, Bangalore).
Biligiri Ranganabetta in Chamarajnagar dt. is famous for its ancient Srinivasa
temple atop a hill and around the temple, there exists a Wild Life Sanctuary.
Wild elephants are seen around the place. The place is inhabited by Soliga
tribes. Himavathgopalabetta (Gopalaswamy Betta) is another resort where there
is a Venugopala temple atop of hill. Rest house and food facilities are provided
If you want to bask in the sunshine of the sea shore or get beaten by the
oceanic waves, there are fine beaches. At Bengre which is almost an island
and at Ullal both near Mangalore are notable beaches. Ullal has provision for
cottages and food facilities. Not far away from Mangalore is the beach at
Thanneerubhavi near Suratkal where there is the Regional Engineering College.
Malpe near Udupi (both places were associated with great Vaishnava saint
Madhwacharya) has a long magnificent beach and also an island near it.
Marvanthe in the Kundapur taluk of coastal Karnataka has a fine beach on
one side and river Sauparnika on the other, running parallel to the coast for a
considerable distance before its confluence with the sea and the Highway runs
in between Sea and the river provides the tourists an enchanting travel
experience and the sunset here is a magnificent divine spectacle. Kapu beach
near Kundapur is also an enchanting serene tourist spot. Gokarna, the holy
town in Uttara Kannada, has a very long beach which has also become a second
resort to many people who visit Goa. Karwar has a number of beaches like
Blue Lagoon Beach, Ladies Beach around it and Poet Rabindranath Tagore
had unforgettable experiences at Karwar beach to which he has given expression
to in poetic prose. Om beach, Murudeshwar and Kasarkod are other beautiful
serene beaches of Uttara Kannada Dist. These are only a few among the many.
The beaches not only provide you an encounter with the sea, but also give you
a chance to taste sea food available there.
The sea coast has some captivating islands too and of these the St. Mary`s
Island or Tonseparu near Malpe has peculiar pillar-like natural rock formations.
The Nethrani Island near Murdeshwar is another captivating Island. Basavaraja
Durga near Honavar is an island fort raised by the Keladi Rulers during 16th
and 17th Centuries. It is surrounded by a strong fortification raised by gigantic
laterite blocks and the hill has a flat top. Devagad and Kurmagad are two
islands near Karwar. Visiting these places will be a wonderful experience.
If the visitor is interested in old paintings, the mural paintings of
Vijayanagara times are seen at Hampi Virupaksha temple and also at
..367
Haradanahalli in the Chamarajanagar dt. Earlier, there were some paintings
in Cave No. 3 at Badami of the 7th century. They have faded. There are old
paintings of considerable antiquity at the Jaina Matha in Shravanabelagola.
Paintings of Bijapur times are seen at Asar Mahal Palace of the 16th-17th
century. Asar Mahal has mostly floral figures now fading. Ragmala paintings
and portraits of kings and queens like Chand Bibi are preserved in the Bijapur
Museum. A place near Bijapur, Kumatagi has also some wall paintings around
a swimming pool. Eighteenth century paintings are seen at Dariya Daulat Palace
at Srirangapattana, some of them are war scences, others personal portraits.
The Sibi Temple near Tumkur also has paintings of the 18th century of secular
nature besides some astounding erotic figures.
The Eighteenth century paintings are also seen at Chamarajnagar and at
Haleparivaradavara Chavadi in Kollegal and the Nalkunadu Palace in Kodagu.
The paintings on an wooden plank from Kittur have been transferred to the
Hire Matha at Amminbhavi in Dharwad dt. The 19th century paintings are
seen in the palace of Nippani, {Belgaum dt.), Nargund (Gadag dt.) and two
temples in the precincts of the Mysore palace. The Jaganmohan Art Gallery
has mural painting and also traditional paintings of gods and goddesses drawn
on cloth and also on glass. The traditional paintings of Mysore are preserved at
the Chitrakala Parishat in Bangalore too and they are mostly framed paintings
of gods and goddesses of the Mysore style. Small round ‘Ganjifa’ cards and
various ‘snake and ladder’ type game boards of the 19th century also have fine
paintings. Sritatvanidhi, a manuscript of the 19th century has hundreds of
miniature paintings. In which series are nine unpublished coloured illustrated
manuscripts originally prepared during the time of Krishnaraja Wodeyar III of
the Mysore Royal family, are now found in the Oriental Research Institute,
Mysore and of which only Shaktinidhi has been recently published.
Sritatvanidhi’s illustrations are considered to be outstanding and has been
recently published in parts by Prof S.K.Ramachandra Rao.
Schools of art also have good collection of modern paintings. The ideal fine
arts college at Gulbarga, Vijaya Fine Arts College at Gadag, Arts School of
Halbhavi at Dharwad, Arts School of Minajigi at Hubli, Hadapad’s Ken School
of Art, Chitrakala Parishat and Kalamandira at Bangalore and Art School at
Davanagere can be specially mentioned. Art exhibitions called ‘Kala Mela’ are
generally held in Bangalore, Davanagere, Udupi, Dharwad, Hubli, Gulbarga,
Mysore, Mangalore and other centres. Chamarajendra Academy of Visual Arts
(CAVA) is a Government institution is working in an old heritage building at

Mysore.

Of the handicrafts of Karnataka, brocade weaving can be seen at Bangalore,

Hubli, and other places. Wood inlay work is practised at Mysore and it is a
unique art. Lacquer ware working can be seen at Channapatna, Kinahal and
Kalaghatgi. Kinahal in Koppal district is doing special type of works. Sculptors
are seen at Mysore, Shivarapatna, Bangalore, Gadag and other centres,

sculpting stone figures. Sandalwood carving is practised by the Gudigars at

Sagar, Sorab, Kumta and Honavar who undertake both big and small delicate
works. They also use other soft and hard wood as the medium, since sandalwood
is very costly. Their delicate works have few equals. Bidar has a special metallic
craft called Bidariware in which on a black metal surface fine silvery or gold
designs are embossed artistically. The Lambanis are known for their special
embroidery work. Doll making is also a special talent found in Karnataka.
Wonderful braziers are found at Nagamangala (Mandya dt), Gollaradoddi near
Ramohalli (Bangalore dt.), Udupi and Chikkodi in Belgaum dt. Observing the
nimble fingers at work on cane or bamboo or with chisel is a hair-raising
experience. The Canara Bank at Jogaradoddi and the Sandur Industries at
Sandur have opened workshops to make various type of craftsmen to sit under
a single roof and work together. A show room is also opened to help them
secure remunerative price for their products. Govt. Cauvery Emporia at
Bangalore, Mysore and other centres have showrooms of craft products of
Karnataka.

Of the Museums in the state, for art lovers, Jaganmohan Art Gallery housed
in an old gorgeous palace of Mysore is a must. There are not only fine art
works (including some by Raja Ravi Varma) in colours, metals, ivory and wood
but a huge collection of musical instruments too of yore. The Mysore Palace
proper has a large collection of art works from various countries, besides a
gallery of armoury of olden days including a sword that can be worn round the
waist like a belt.

MUSEUM

Bangalore Government Museum (1880) too has a collection of ancient

arms, a sculpture gallery and a collection of old coins, which are shown at special
request. There are exclusive painting collections of noted artists K. Venkatappa
and K.K. Hebbar and plaster of paris sculptures of the former. The district
museum at Shimoga (housed in an old palace) where queer items of Keladi
rulers are preserved. The Gulbarga Museum has not only the items of
Bahmanshahi times but also a huge collection of Buddhist sculptures
(Decorative plaques) had from Sannati. Chitradurga Museum (1947) has many
antiquities connected with the local chieftains, hero-stones, weapons and other
items. There are State Government Museums at Gulbarga, Kittur, Hassan,
Keladi, Raichur, Basavakalyana, Huvina Hadagali, Dharwad, Gadag,
Srirangapatna and Shimoga which are worth noticing.
The Central Government (Archaeological Survey of India) maintains a rich
collection of armoury, coins, manuscripts and paintings at the Museum near
Gol Gumbaz, Bijapur. Hampi {at Kamalapura) has a similar site museum of
Vijayanagara days, and it also contains many objects unearthed during recent
excavations at Hampi. Srirangapattana’s Daria Daulat Palace has a Museum
on Tipu (1959) which contains manuscripts, drapery, coins, arms and paintings
of his time. Halebidu, Balligave, Banavasi, Lakkundi, Aihole, Badami, Bagali
etc., have Museums maintained by the A.S.I.
In addition to the Folk Art Museum at the Mysore University, the museum
at the Janapada Loka at Ramanagara founded by Karnataka Janapada Parishat
founded by H.L. Nagegowda has to be specially mentioned. The Kannada
Research Institute, Karnataka University has a famous Museum of antiquities
and its eqigraphical gallery is the most notable. There is the Visweswaraya
Industrial Museum at Bangalore besides the State Museum founded (1962) by
the Indian Council of Scientific and Industrial Research.
The finest and the best Museum in Karnataka is ‘Manjusha’ seen at the
famous pilgrim centre Dharmasthala which has a huge collection of all items
like vessels, implements of day-to-day use, jewellery, watches, clocks, art pieces,
typewriters, cars, coins, weapons, icons, manuscripts, copper plates, curious
items, drapery etc., dating back to several centuries. Shashwati is a unique
museum for women, having the items they used, created, wore etc., giving a
complete picture of their life. It is situated in the N.M.K.R.V. College for Women
at Jayanagar, Bangalore.
Karnataka can boast of the best pathology museum in India at the
Jawaharlal Nehru Memorial Medical College, Belgaum, run by the K L E Society.
It is both educative and entertaining, both to a layman and a medical person
because all sorts of aberrations in human body in all its dimensions are
attempted to be unmasked with detailed academic notes being provided at
this museum.
Karnataka has one of the finest zoos in the country at Mysore. The Sri
Chamarajendra Zoological Garden founded in 1892 spread over an area of 100
acres and has collection of nearly 1000 animals of all variety including many
exotic ones like Sloth Bear, Chimpanzee, Orangoutang etc., and also the White
Tiger. The Bannerghatta National Park near Bangalore, has the Tiger safari.
The Natural Museum and the Fantacy Park at Mysore are recent additions
worth mentioning. The big Acquarium with varieties of Coloured fishes at Bal
Bhavan, Bangalore is noteworthy.
No survey of Karnataka from the tourist point will be complete without
mentioning about its historical forts. The whole range of ancient capitals such
as Bidar, Gulbarga, Bijapur, Vijayanagara, Badami, Banavasi, Basava Kalyana,
Srirangapattana, Keladi, Chitradurga, Mysore, etc. had their forts. In addition,
forts were built at strategic centres. There are hill forts at the Nandi Hills
(Kolar dt.), Savanadurga (Bangalore (R) dt.), Madhugiri, Pavagada, Nijgal,
Midigeshi etc., in Tumkur dt., Uchangi in Davanagere dt., Bellary and Sandur,
in Bellary dt., Jamalabad in Dakshina Kannada, Manzarabad near Sakleshpur
in Hassan dt. and Kavaledurga in Shimoga dt., Yadgiri, Waghangeri, Jaladurga,
Vanadurga, Shahapur and Surapur in Gulbarga dt., Nargund fort built by
Shivaji in Gadag dt. and Parasgad and Hargapur forts in Belgaum dt., also
raised by Shivaji. Bangalore, Devanahalli, Magadi (Bangalore (R) dt.),
Aymangala
in Chitradurga dt., Chikbanavar in Hassan dt., Belgaum etc. have fortifications
370 A Handbook of Karnataka
around some part of the towns even now. Rehmanghad and
Gummanayakanapalya in Kolar District. Old forts have huge granite stones
used without plastering materials. Raichur, Mudugal, Koppal forts too are
noteworthy. Shrirangapattana fort is protected by the arms (branches) of the
Cauvery. The coastal island forts like Bahadurgad, Basavaraja Durga, Devagad
and Kurmagad have already been mentioned. Old forts exist in hundreds in
Karnataka. A visit to them gives an idea of the ancient architects’, stone workers’,
builders’ and military strategists’ skill and fore-thought. They take your mind
to the past, helping you to trace the foot-prints on the sands of time, make you
think of men who fought to protect or to scale them, blood that was shed,
intrigues involved in capturing them, and a long pageant of past events.
To substitute the efforts made till now to pinpoint the centres of special
interest to visitors and tourists of various tastes and temperament, further
efforts, are made here to describe some notable and outstanding tourist spots
in Karnataka. It is calculated that every year on an average two to three crore
people visit Bangalore for a variety of reasons and they also turn tourists and
visit Mysore in considerable numbers. They do not know that Karnataka has
outstanding tourist spots and good facilities to visit them and also stay at
those places. There is enough facility for trekking, water sports, sports like
golf, snooker and other sophisticated games. Bangalore and Mysore have horse
racing seasons too. Dasara at Mysore is a great festival. The Annual festival of
Hampi Utsav (November) and Kadambotsav (December) are conducted by the
State Government regularly at Hampi and Banavasi respectively. Vairamudi at
Melkote is another unique occasion when the Utsavamurthy of Lord Narayana
adorned with a diamond studded dazzling crown (‘mudi’) is taken in procession.
The Bangalore Karaga on Chaitra Poornima night is also a colourful festival.
With this background, some important places are introduced here, in an
alphabetical order;
Adichunchanagiri in Mandya dt, 21 km. from Nagamangala and 66 km
from Mandya is a noted centre of Bhairava worship on a hill. It was formerly a
Natha Pantha centre and is now a seat of the Swamy of the Vokkaliga
community. The Gangadhareshwara Temple of the place attracts piligrims in
thousands during its annual Jatra. The place has a Peacock Sanctuary too.
The Matha provides accomodation in its guest house to visitors. The place can
be reached by bus too.

AIHOLE

Aihole is a great centre of Badami Chalukyan art. The temples numbering

over 100 of different styles were raised from the 6th to the 12th century and
many experiments in temple construction were carried out, making Percy Brown
to call it “one of the cradles of temple architecture.” It is 510 km. from Bangalore,
24 km. from Hungund and can be reached from Bagalkote. It has a Jaina and
a Vedic rock-cut shrine, both of about 6th Century A.D., the former having
fine Tirthankara images in the round and the latter Nataraja dancing, Matrikas
surrounding him, in life size but in relief. The place has the Durga Temple

which is apsidal and the Ladkhan which is square in plan. Other important
temples are Huchimalligudi, Gaudaragudi and Chakragudi, all in a variety of
designs. The Meguti on a hill is a Jaina basti which has the famous Aihole
inscription of Pulikeshin II and also a Buddhist two-storied rock-cut shrine
below it. The temples here are full of plastic art, and to a student of temple
architecture a visit to Aihole is a must. Siddanakolla near it has a beautiful
Lajj’agowri sculpture in a rare sitting posture near a small pond, besides the
Siddesvara Temple of Badami Chalukya period.

Amritapura in Tarikere taluk Chikmagalur dt. 247 km. away from Bangalore
is known by its Amriteshwara temple (Hoysala) built by Amrita Dandanayaka
during the 12th century. It has a star shaped ground plan, and like many
other Hoysala temples, is full of plastic art, and is one of the finest in the style.
The earliest inscription found in the temple is of 1197 and the temple has a
wonderful life-size image of seated Saraswathi.
Anegundi is to the North of Hampi across the Tungabhadra and is to be
reached by crossing the river with basket boats from Talawar gatta (Humpi) or
by road from Ganagavati. It has the famous Huchappayan Matha, now in ruins
with fine Chalukyan glazing pillars and worn out paintings on its ceiling. The
ruined palace of the last rulers, Aravidu dynasty, is seen here and their
descendants also stay at Anegundi. There is Navavrindavanas or the Samadhis
of nine Madhwa Saints in an island Kuregadde of the Tungabhadra. There is
the cave shrine of Sheshashayi, the Ranganatha temple, Gagan mahal, an
interesting Indo-Saracenic structure and a Jaina basti which has a wonderful
decorative Chalukyan door frame.

Annigeri in Dharwad district, 30 km. from Hubli on the Hubli-Gadag line

has the famous Amriteshwara temple of Kalyana Chalukya period. It was the
headquarters of the once famous rich province of Belvola-300. It was the last
capital of Chalukya Someshwara IV (1184-89). It is the birth place of great
Kannada Poet Pampa and has a Jain basadi of Parshwanatha. A partially ruined
Banashankari Temple and seven mosques are seen at the place, in addition to
two Veerashaiva Mathas. Near the railway station is an ancient Veerabhadra
temple with some astounding erotic figures.

Aralaguppe is a place in Tumkur dt., six km. from Banasandra railway

station where there is a famous Kalleshwara temple in the Ganga-Nolamba
style of the 9th century A.D. Its ceiling has wonderful dancing Shiva sculpture
with musical accompanists and eight Dikpalas surrounding him with all their
paraphernalia. There is a Chennakeshava temple of the Hoysala style. The
image of Vishnu in the garbhagriha is magnificent. There are four Ganga temples
at the place.

Arasikere, a commercial town and a railway junction in Hassan district,

famous for its coconut gardens and is 41 km. from Hassan and 176 km. from
Bangalore. The Kattameshwara temple here, is also called Chandramoulishwara
and referred to as Kalmeshwara in a record of 1220 A.D. It is a fine Hoysala
monument with a rare polygonal frontal mantapa with special design. There is
a fine Haluvokkalu Temple. There is also Sahasrakuta Jinalaya built in 1220
in the Hoysala style by Racharasa, a minister of Ballala II. Malekal Tirupathi
near Arasikere has a Venkataramana temple visited by many devotees.
Avani in Kolar dt. is 13 km. from Mulabagal, and the place has a Shankara
Matha and a wonderful complex of temples of the Nolambas who were ruling
from Henjeru or Hemavati in the Madakshira taluk in Andhra Pradesh during
the A.D. 9th and 10th Centuries. An early record calls it as the ‘Gaya of the
South’. According to a legend, sage Valmiki had his Ashrama here, and Sita
gave birth to the twins at the same spot. There are Rameshwara,
Lakshmaneshwara, Bharateshwara, Shatrughneswara and also Sita and
Subrahmanya temples. The Lakshmaneshwara, here is full of plastic art and
the most ornate. On the hill here Agni Tirtha, a pond, and the Ekantha
Ramaswamy Temple are also seen.
Bagalkote now the head quarters of the newly formed dt. likely to be
submerged due to Almatti dam, has been planned to shift to a near by place
called Navanagara, is famous from early times and was the capital of Bagadage
- 70 under the Later Chalukyas, later ruled by the Adilshahis and the Marathas.
Now it is famous for its Cement Production.
Badami the ancient capital of the Early Chalukyas is 500 km. from Bangalore
and 113 km. from Bijapur, was also known as ‘Vatapi’ and ‘Badavi’. Its fort
was raised by Chalukya Pulakeshin I in 543. He made it his capital and it
lasted till 753 A.D. The place is known for its wonderful rock-cut shrines of
Vedic tradition. The fort was renovated by Hyder, and Tipu-built a fine mosque
here. The first rock-cut shrine has 18 armed unique Nataraja, at the outset
engaged in Tandava dancing, a remarkable figure. On the ceiling of one of the
caves is Nagaraja and Vidhyadhara couple. Figures of funny Kubjas or dwarfs
are seen in variety of poses. There are more than life-size Bhuvaraha and
Trivikram figures in the II cave. The third cave is the most important and it is
called the Vaishnava cave caused to be wrought in 578 A.D. by Mangalesha
and here are figures of Paravasudeva seated on coiled serpent, Bhoovaraha,
Narasimha and Harihara, all engraved in vigourous style, and are taller than
life-size figures. There are also bracket figures with secular scenes on the
pillars in the rock-cut shrines. The cave at the top is a Jaina, full of figures of
Thirthankaras, Yakshas and Yakshis. The Gommata figure here has long locks.
The ‘Upper Shivalaya’ on the rocky fort on the other bank of Agasthya pond
has been identified as an earlier Vaishnava Temple, ‘Malegitti Shivalaya’ as of
Surya and Lower Shivalaya as of Ganapathi. The Jambhulinga Shrine housing
Brahma, Vishnu and Shiva is another important monument of the place. Queen
Vinayavathi built it in 699 A.D. Badami rock-cut shrines are engraved in hard
red sand-stone and the figures here are of unrivalled beauty. Banashankari
near by, has the Banasankari temple, a big pond encircled by open pillared
mantapas and an old temple of Rashtrakuta times. Annual Jatra gather on
Banada Hunnime in the month of January.

Bagali, situated at a distance of nine km. from Harapanahalli, on the

Hadagali Road in Davanagere dt. was known as ‘Baguli’. Here is a complex of
temples called Kalleswara which is mentioned in an inscription of 1013. There
are twin temples of Later Chaklukyan times with attractive intricate plastic art
of erotic sculptures on their outer walls and 59 shining polished pillars inside
the temple and its Kapotas’ have most peculiar erotic figures. The A.S.I. has
maintained a sculpture shed near this magnificent Chalukya monument.
Banavasi in Uttara Kannada District was the traditional capital of the
Kadambas is found mentioned as Vanavasi, Vyjayanthi, Banousi in several
inscriptions. It is a very ancient place, as Ashoka is said to have sent his
Buddhist missionaries to ‘Vanavasa’ and a family called Chutus the feudatory
line of the Satavahanas was ruling from here. The place is on the bank of the
Varada river and its laterite fort is surrounded by the river on its three sides.
Recent excavations at Banavasi have brought to light some Buddhist brick
monuments. Chutu prince Nagashri built a Buddhist Vihara, a tank and
installed a Naga image at the place according to a Prakrit record of the place.
The striking monument at Banavasi, the Madhukeshvara temple has been
renovated and expanded by Kalyana Chalukyas, Vijayanagara and the Sode
rulers. The Kadamba Nagara (stepped pyramidical) shikhara is seen on the
garbhagriha of this temple. Around this main temple are shrines of Vithoba,
Ardha Ganapathi, Rama etc., and to its left is Parvati Shrine and to the right,
Narasimha temple of Vijayanagara times. The temple has an intricately carved
monolithic cot with highly artistic designs. Records here indicate that Buddhism
and Jainism were popular at this place. Not far away from Banavasi is Gudnapur
with a massive tank and a Jain temple now housing Veerabhadra. There must
have been a Manmatha temple at the place as indicated by the recently
discovered Gudnapur inscription of Kadamba Ravi Varma.
Bangalore is the capital of Karnataka from 1956 and it took the status of a
capital in modern times from 1831 when the British Commissioners took over
the administration of Mysore State from the Mysore Prince. The place name is
found mentioned in a 9th century record of Begur as ‘Benguluru’ ‘Bengu’
meaning a Shrub colloquially called Rakta Honne (Benga trees) . Kempegowda
II gave the same name to the new town. He founded i.e., at the present Mega
City. Earlier, it was the headquarters of the Yelahanka Nadaprabhus who ruled
under Vijayanagara Empire and built the new town with the fort. Kempegowda
II is believed to have raised the fort in 1537 as per the orders of Emperor
Achutharaya of Vijayanagara. The old Gavipura natural cave shrine of
Gangadhara built during the Ganga period came to be expanded during the
Vijayanagara period and the monolithic Basava in Basavanagudi was got
engraved by this family. The family also built the most beautiful Someshwara
Temple at Ulsoor. The dynasty also created many tanks which include the
Ulsoor tank, Dharmambudhi tank (present Bus Stand), Chennamba tank (now
called Chennamma tank) near BSK II stage and Kempambudhi tank. In 1637
Bijapur Army conquered Bangalore and granted it as Jagir to Shahji, Shivaji’s
father. Shahji and his son Ekoji had Bangalore under their control till 1687
when it was conquered by the Mughul army and the city was given on lease to
Chikkadevaraya of Mysore. He built the Venkataramana temple and a new fort
beside the existing old fort. Bangalore which had grown as an industrial and
commercial centre under the Kempegowda family and the Marathas, was further
developed by Chikkadevaraya as he invited weavers from Baramahal
(Tamilnadu) area to come and settle down in Bangalore. Later Bangalore was
granted as Jahgir to Haider and when he usurped power from the Wodeyars,
he strengthened the new fort by using granite blocks.

He built a palace near the Venkataramana temple and started Lalbagh, the
famous Botanical Garden of Bangalore. Later a beautiful Glass House was
built in 1889 due to the efforts of the government modeled on the Crystal
Palace of England. This imposing structure has been renovated with attractive
imported coloured glasses. Bangalore was captured by the British in 1791
under the leadership of Lord Cornwallis and it was returned to Tipu after he
signed a treaty with them. He dismantled the existing fort as it was found to be
more useful to his enemies than to himself. Under Haider, Bangalore grew as
a prosperous commercial city also catering to the needs of luxury of the
Srirangapattana court. But under Tipu, its trade declined. The British who
defeated Tipu in 1799 handed it over to the Mysore Hindu Prince. Diwan
Purnaiah rebuilt the demolished fort. The British stationed their troops in
1809 at Ulsoor and a twin town, Bangalore Cantonment emerged helping
introduction of European way of life and modern ideas to the old Bangalore
town which became the capital in 1831. The Atharakacheri, High Court, Central
College, and Museum buildings were raised in the European Renaissance style
and English education was introduced into Bangalore.Many churches in
European Renaissance style were built in Bangalore during this period. Modern
Textile mills like Binny Mill were started in the city. The city came to have a
municipality in 1862 and the Cantonment area also had a separate Municipality
called Civil and Military Station. The two came to be merged in 1949 to form
the Bangalore City Corporation. After Independence, many Central Government
Industries were started in the city. There are ancient temples at Begur, Madiwala
(Tavarekere), Kadugodi, Hesaraghatta and Dommalur. Other temples like Gavi
Gangadhara in a natural cave, Basavanagudi with monotithic Nandi,
Rangaswamy temple built around 1600 in the Rangaswamy Temple street, the
Someshwara temple at Ulsoor and Kadumalleswara temple in Malleshwaram
which had received a grant from Ekoji, are some of the interesting monuments.
In addition, a large number of new temples have come up. The Dharmaraya
temple of the Tigala community celebrates the famous Karaga festival on the
full moon day of Chaitra. Satya sai Baba Ashram otherwise called ‘Brindavan’
started its activities about more than 2 decades at Kadugodi. Besides havbing
a huge Prarthana Mandir, the Ashram runs several educational institutions.
Its Bangalore Branch of the High Tech Mega Hospital has been widely
appreciated for its dedicated services and utmost cleanliness. Omkar Hills,
situated on the outskirts of Bangalore near Kenchenahally is an important
religious centre with serene natural settings, where a huge Banyan tree crowns
a circular hillock. Alround the sumit of this hillock a series of mantapa
symbolizing the religious insignia of all the major religions Hinduism, Jainism,
Buddhism, Christianity and Islam have been built with brick and cement in
respective traditional styles of architecture. The Omkar Ashram has also
takenup the stupendous task of building the 12 Jyotirlinga temples being a
miniature representation of respective architectural styles of India. Every year
devotees throng this spot especially during the swamiji’s birthday. A huge
Electronic clock designed by HMT having a temple gong and Shanka for the
hourly time beatings are embedded, which gives a pious and pleasant sound
to a distance of nearly 1.5km radius. Being just 13 km. from the city this is an
important religious place for peace aspiring tourists and devotees. The Art of
Living Centre Ashram has recently been built by Saint Ravishankar on the
Kanakapura Road near the city. Special Bhajans and Art of Living courses are
organized on weekly basis. Of late it is attracting tourists from India and also
abroad. A huge Rajarajeshwari temple built in Dravidian style at Kenchenahalli
on the Mysore Road and the Meenakshi Temple on the Bannerghatta road
have been raised more than a decade ago are attracting a large number of
devotees Amrita Anandamayi Ashram has also started its branch in the city
and has been attracting thousands of devotees regularly.
ISKCON now situated atop a small hillock arranged in a row of rising
shikaras overlooking the hillock is an attractive spectacle. It spreads in an
area of seven acres on the West of chord Road in Rajajinagar is an hitech
temple complex and is regarded as an important tourist destination of this
garden city. The temple complex has been architecturally designed in such a
way that it is visible as a glowing hillock during night and can be described as
a visual bounty. How this huge temple complex came to be created makes an
interesting episode. About 25 years ago ISKCON was founded (1978) in a
rented building (Rs.2000 PM) and made a humble beginning. Later on with the
efforts of the organisers it gained prominence and today it is one among the
most celebrated 108 ISKCON branches functioning all over the world. Its
natural elevation of the land area has been fully exploited and an attractive
but, complicated architectural designing has been accomplished with utmost
cleanliness and perfection. There are five typical Dravidian shikharas built at
three stages with a tall attractive rayagopura at the main entrance. The central
garbhagriha has been designed on the Egyptian Pyramidical Model with three
cells in a row comprising the images of Sri Nitay Gowrang in the first cell to the
left Sri Radhakrishna Chandra in the central cell and Krishna-Balarama in the
cell to the right. There are short but, attractive Dravidian styled shikharas
above all the three cells. There is a spacious/pentagonal central hall in front
of the three garbhagrihas with a hallow domical ceiling decorated with delicate
stained glasses intercepted by brass partitions. The pentagonal roof drops have
excellent Mysore traditional glass paintings depicting Krishna’s life history.
The artistic designing of this pentagonal hall has been a beautiful creation
with aesthetic outlook has been largely appreciated.

Besides these there are small shrines dedicated to Sri Venkatesha and Sri
Narasimha with separate short Dravidian styled shikhars. Facing the main
temple is a 56 ft. tall dwajasthambha covered with gold plated decorated brass
sheets. Special pujas are offered thrice daily one at sunrise, at noon and in
the evening. Annually special pujas are performed during Gokula Ashthami
(Lord Krishna’s birthday), Nandotsava and Vaikuntha Ekadashi. Daily delicious
prasadam prepared with utmost hygienic method are offered to the devotees
visiting the temple. Another impressve programme of this organisation is the
‘Akshaya Patra’ yojana initiated mainly to cater the needs of less privileged
children studying in government schools in the rural areas. Recently, the
same scheme is being extended in and around the city of Hubli. Being very
much inside the Mega city The ISKCON temple offers a beautiful, serene and
calm atmosphere for the visiting devotees. ISKCON also conducts elocution
competitions on the Krishna’s lifetime episodes and also on other Vaishnava
philosophy. It conducts also several cultural activities all through the year.
Bhakti Vedantha, a monthly magazine dedicated to spread the gospel of
Vaishnava philosophy and also the spiritual ideologies of ISKCON is being
published regularly. Vishwa Shanti dhama, Lord Shiva (near Air Port) etc., are
the new additions to the long list of temples in Bangalore.
The Muslims have the Taramandal Sangeen Jamia Masjid built by a Mughal
Officer in around 1687. The Ibrahim Shah Shahib’s Mosque at Kumbarpet
was raised in 1761, the Jamia Mosque at the City market is the creation of the
1940s and it is a vast modern building, equally impressive, built by using
white marble. There is a dargha of Mastansab Wali at Cottonpet which is highly
respected by Hindus as well as Muslims.

The oldest Church in Bangalore is St. Mary’s Basilica in Shivajinagar

supposed to have been originally built in around 16th Century, but took the
existing shape in 1832. There is the Trinity Church of the Anglicans on the
M.G. Road and St. Marks Cathedral on the same road. St. Patrick church was
originally for Irish Catholic soldiers and St. Andrew’s, on the Cubbon Road for
the Scottish soldiers. The Catholic Cathedral is St. Xaver’s, a large granite
building. The London Mission raised the Hudson Memorial Church. There are
many Jain Basadis of which the one in Gandhinagar and Jayanagar notable
though modern. The Sikhs have their Gurudwara at Ulsoor, and Parsis have
their fire temple. Bangalore has beautiful gardens like Lalbagh and the Cubbon
Park, which are the pride of the city. One of the fine large modern buildings
raised by using granite is Vidhana Soudha built in traditional Dravidian style.
Of late the government has constructed Vikasa Soudha beside Vidhana Soudha
immitating the same traditional Dravidian style of Vidhana Soudha is nearing
completion. Tipu’s palace is a wooden structure and Bangalore Palace is
modelled on the Windsor Palace of Britain. Bangalore has the Govt. Museum,
Sir M. Visveswaraya Industrial Museum and the Jawaharlal Nehru Planetorium.
Bangalore is well connected by roads, railways and airways and has pleasant
weather, attracting tourists from far and near. Bangalore being a celebrated
education and advanced technical as well as higher research facilities boasts
of the has Bangalore University, Indira Gandhi National Centre for
Arts (South Zone) (IGNCA) started recently, Agricultural University, the Indian
Institute of Science, Institute for Astrophysics, Indian Statistical Institute,
Institute for Social and Economic change (ISEC), National Law School, Regional
Institute of English, National Aeronautical Laboratory (NAL), Indian Institute
of Information Technology (IIIT) and many others. Indian Space Research
Organisation (ISRO) and Institute of Management and all modern amenities
for education. It has industries producing tractors, railway coaches, aeroplanes,
etc. and finer things like silk sarees and sandal wood images. It is called the
electronic and Silicon City of India, for its unparallel progress in the field of
computer science and Information Technology.

International Technological Park: The 28 hectares International Tech Park,

Bangalore is located in Whitefield – 12 kms from Bangalore Airport and 18
kms from the city centre. It currently comprises of four buildings – ‘Discoverer’,
‘Innovator’, ‘Creator’ and ‘Explorer’ totaling close to 1.6 million sq.ft. of office,
production, commercial and retail space. All these buildings are centrally
airconditioned, set in attractively landscaped surroundings, the buildings have a
very a modern facade with granite cladding for the lower three floors and
glittering glass and aluminium paneling for the floors above. The four buildings
are connected at the lower ground floor level which houses the Tech Park Mall.
The Mall comprises of various amenties, services and recreational centre
complementing the ‘work, live play’ environment. Office space modules are
customed to the tenants requirements and a number of configurations are
possible. Office units are available for lease or purchase. Apart from the
world class services and amenities, the buildings are provided with reliable
power by a Dedicated power plant, water supply, communications network
with five leading service providers located in the park and other necessities.
The ITPL is built on the plug-and-play concept, providings tenants with all
necessary amenities, ample car parking, a state-of-theart Building Management
System and more, making business a pleasure. Adding to these benefits is the
fact that the International Tech Park ahs become a landmark in the IT scenario,
and a perfect address for any business in IT or IT – enabled services. It has a
Residential Tower of 51 apartments, infrastructure and other facilities. The
Residential Tower is ideal for those who wish to live close to their offices.
There’s a separate parking lot with space allotted for each apartment as well
as a children’s playground. The residents enjoy complete benefits of the Tech
Park Mall which provides business convenience to the tenants like banking,
shopping, restaurants and travel reservations and Health Club. The Residential
Tower is a safe place to live in with round-the-clock security and other safety
features. The IT Corridor of Bangalore runs between Electronic City till Old
Madras Road which possesses hundreds of Software as well as Hardware
companies, a real tourist spot frequented regularly by people across the Globe.
Bankapura in Haveri district about 80 km. away from Dharwad is in
Savanur taluk The town was built by Bankeya, a commander of Amoghavarsha
Nripatunga (9th century) and later under the Chalukya many beautiful temples
were raised in the city including the wonderful Nagareshwara temple in the
fort. There is another Chalukya temple in the town called Siddeshwara. When
the place was conquered by Ali Adilshah in about 1567, his records claim to
have destroyed many temples and the Nagareshwara inspite of the damage it
has suffered is a magnificent monument. There is a beautiful mosque in the
fort. Pancharabhavi, a swimming pool like structure in the town has an attractive
queer design. Bankapur has the Kilari Cow Breeding Centre and a rabbit
breeding centre with its office inside the fort. The Bijapur commanders, who
had this place as their headquarters, later shifted to Savanur, and were famous
as Savanur Nawabs.

Basava Kalyana, the taluk headquarters in Bidar Dt, is 80 km. away from
Bidar. It was the capital of the Later Chalukyas, It has an old fort renovated by the
Bahamanis and inside it is an Archaeological Museum. Not much ancient remains
of the Chalukyan or the Kalachuri times remain here except the dilapidated
Narayanapur temple of the Chalukyas in the outskirts of the town. There is a
modern Basaveshwara temple, Prabhudevara Gadduge,celebrated Jurist of the
Kalyana Chalukyan period. Vijnaneshwara’s Cave, Madivala Machiah’s Pond,
Akka Nagamma’s Cave, fully renovated Siddheshwara temple and a new structure
called Anubhava Mantapa. The Qaji’s mosque is an impresive structure. There is
also Raja Bagh Sawar Dargah. Basava Vana has been formed to commemorate the
eighth birth centenary of Saint Basaveshwara. Basavana Bagewadi in Bijapur dt.
is 43 km. to the east of Bijapur and is a Tq. headquarters where Sharana
Basaveshwara was born (12th Century). It was an agrahara. Basaveshwara was
the son of the head of this institution. The main temple here the Basaveshwara, is
of Chalukyan style, but called as Sangamanatha in records. The Samadhis of
Siddharameshwara and Gurupadeshwara of the Inchageri school of spiritual
pursuit are seen here. A spot here identified as Basava’s ancestral house is
declared as protected zone by the Trust.

Basaral in Mandya district, 25 km. away from Mandya is to be visited for

the highly embellished Mallikarjuna temple of Hoysala style. It was built by
Harihara Dandanayaka in 1234. Its walls are decorated with Ramayana,
Mahabharata and Bhagavatha stories besides several other sculptures of different
sect.

Belavadi in Chikmagalur dt. is known for its fine Veeranarayana temple of

the Hoysalas. It is a triple (‘trikuta’) shrine with its cells housing beautiful images
of Veeranarayana, Venugopala and Yoganarasimha of wonderful workmanship. It
has a record of 1206 and the temple must be previous to it and the place is 29 km.
from Chikmagalur. The local people claim that it was the Ekachakranagara of
Mahabharata days. There is also a Ganapathi temple called as Huttada Ganapathi.

Belgaum, ancient ‘Venugrama’ (Bamboo village) is the District Head

Quarters and was also Divisional Headquarters till recently, 502 kms away from
Bangalore, on the Bangalore-Pune National Highway. It was the capital of the
Rattas who shifted to this place from Saundatti during the close of 12th century
A.D. The place has a fort inside which built by one Ratta Officer called Bichiraja
in 1204 A.D. exhibits the execution of a totally refined style of temple
architecture. It has excellently and artistically carved Kamala Basadi having huge
protruding lotus petals of stone (Kamala) in its ceiling and this beautiful structure
in Chalukyan style houses Neminatha Teerthankara image. The place came under
the Sevunas (Yadavas) and Vijayanagara and later conquered by Mahamood
Gawan in 1474 on behalf of the Bahamanis. The fort was strengthened by the
Adilshahis and there is an excellent structure, Safa Mosque with three entrances,
has rich floral and impressive calligraphic designs. Two of its pillars have
Kannada Inscriptions in Nagari Scripts, one of 1199 of Ratta King Kartaveerya IV
and another of 1261 is of Sevuna (Yadava) Krishna. The Persian Inscription here
states that the mosque was built by Asad Khan, Bijapur Commander. The Jamia
Masjid in the fort was built by Sher Khan in 1585-86,. There is a dargah of
Khanjar Wali near it. Belgaum later came under the Mughuls (who called it
Azamnagar) and the Marathas till its conquest by the British in 1818. Then the
British founded their Cantonment here and made it the headquarters

Belgami, ancient ‘Balligave’ or ‘Baligrama’, the capital of the prosperous

province of antiquity called Banavasi - 12,000, is 12 km. away from the taluk
hq. viz., Shikaripur and three km from Shiralkoppa. It was the place where
Allamaprabhu was born and Akkamahadevi was married to Chalukya Governor
of the palce called Kaushika or Keshimayya. The palace has the Kodimatha
which was the Kedareshwara Matha of the Kalamukhas who were known for
their learning. They ran a centre of learning Ghatikasthana or a University
here. The Matha is a beautiful Chalukyan triple shrine on the bank of a tank.
The Tripurantaka temple adorned by the narrative panels of Panchatantra
stories, is another Chalukyan temple. Allamaprabhu is believed to have been
attached to this temple. It was a cosmopolitan town with Mathas of five various
denominations. A Buddhist Tarabhagavathi image has been found here. There
was also a Buddhist Vihara here. There is a small Nagareshwara temple, the
Panchalingeshwara temple and Veerabhadra temple which are all Chalukyan.
The Kalika temple is of Vijayanagara times. Hoysala Vishnuvardhan’s famous
queen Shantala, and the builders of the Belur Temple, Dasoja and Chavana
belonged to this place. A Chalukya general installed a Bherunda Stambha to
commemorate his victory. The place has a museum run by A.S.I. Belgami had
been a great centre of learning and cultural activity.

Bellary is a district headquarters, situated at a distance of 306 kms to the

north-west of Bangalore. It has spread round two rocky hills, and one of them
called Balahari Betta has a temple. The fort built round the hill in Vijayanagara
times is still intact. It passed into the hands of Bijapur, Marathas, the Nizam
and Haider. After the fall of Tipu, the town was ceded to the British by the
Nizam. The Durgamma (Ballaramma) temple here has the deity represented
by the heap of earth. The place has two large mosques. A Government Medical
College was founded here in 1961 Bellary now has grown as a great centre of
apparel manufacturing.

Belur in Hassan district (222 kms. from Bangalore) also a Taluk Head
Quarters is famous for its magnificent Hoysala temple complex. The
Chennakeshava temple here was completed in 1116 A.D. by Hoysala
Vishnuvardhana to commemorate his victory over the Cholas Calling the god as
Vijaya Narayana. The magnificent image is 3.7 mtr. tall and the temple standing
on a platform has exquisite plastic art work on its outer walls and bracket figures
of dancing girls in various poses, in perfect proportion. There are shrines of
Kappe Chenniga, Andal, Saumya Nayaki, etc., in the precincts of this temple
enclosed by a Prakara with ‘gopura’ (entrance tower) built by Belur Nayaka, a
Vijayanagar feudatory. The temple here is a classic example of Hoysala art and
Belur was one of the Hoysala capitals.
Bhadravati, an industrial town in Shimoga dt., 256 km. away from
Bangalore, was formerly called ‘Benkipura’. There is a 13th Century
Lakshminarasimha Temple in Hoysala style here. The Visveswaraya Iron and
Steel Works, a Cement Factory (1938) and Paper Factory (1935) function at
this place on the banks of the Bhadra river.

Bhagamandala, Kodagu dt. 288 km. from Bangalore and 35 km. from
Madikeri is on the banks of the Cauvery. It has a Shiva temple called
Bhagandeshwara. It has gabled roofs covered with copper plates and has
magnificent wooden carving representing Shaivapuranas gaily painted. The
attractive wooden figures, big and small engage the attention of the onlooker.
Ganapathi, Vishnu and Subrahmanya are other shrines here. This serene place
with natural beauty will have big jatra on Tula Sankramana.
Bidar, the District headquarters, described as Viduranagara, a place of
Mahabharatha times, is 740 kms. to the north of Bangalore. It is a cool place,
being at an altitude of 664 metres. The Bahmanshahi rulers made it their
capital, in c, 1426 and fortified it. It is still intact. Inside it are the Solha Kamb
mosque (1423) and palaces like Takht Mahal, Chini Mahal and Rangeen Mahal;
some of them are highly decorated with mosaic and wood work etc. The fort
has magnificent doorways and massive bastions. Gawan’s Madrasa in the town
is a gorgeous imposing building of Indo-Saracenic style. After the decline of
Bahamanis, the Barid-Shahis ruled over Bidar and it was taken over by the
Bijapur rulers in 1619. Later it fell to Aurangzeb, and finally it came under the
Nizam. Jharani Narasimha temple here is quite famous. Ashtur near Bidar
has tombs of Bahmani Sultans which are tall structures, and one of them has
paintings. The Gurudwara at Bidar is built at Nanak Zhira, which is described
as a fountain created by Guru Nanak during his visit.

Bijapur, the district headquarters, 579 km. away from Bangalore is one of
the most important centres of Indo-Saracenic art, being the capital of the
Adilshahis of Bijapur (1489-1686). The place is found mentioned as ‘Vijayapura’
in as inscription of 12th Century A.D. The Gol Gumbaz here has the biggest dome
in India, 126 feet in diametre at its base and is the Mausoleum of Mohammed
Adilshah (1626-56). It has an astonishing whispering gallery and it covers an area
of 15,000 square feet. Ibrahim Rauza is a marvelous mausoleum of Ibrahim II
(1580-1626) which stands on a platform supported by rows of arches, and at one
end is the mosque and at the other the tomb. Henry Cousens called this, ‘the
Tajmahal of the South”. Anand Mahal, Gagan Mahal, Asar Mahal etc. are the
other important monuments of this place. There are fine tanks like Tajbavadi and
Chandbavadi.Asar Mahal has attractive paintings now fading away due to
weathering. The fort round the town has 96 bastions and six imposing
doorways.Mulk-Maidan here is a huge gun weighing 55 tons. Near Gol Gumbaz
is a Museum. The place has a Municipal Corporation. It has many grand artistic
mosques like Kali Masjid, Mecca Masjid, Malika Jahan’s Mosque and the Jami
Masjid, the biggest one with a proportionate large dome. The Mahtar Mahal, the
entrance of mosque has delicate stone brackets of intricate workmanship. To the
west of the citadel is a Dattatreya temple, where a pair to sandals of Narashimha
Saraswati are worshipped and the shrine was raised by Ibrahim II. There is a
Parshwanatha basadi (1927) in the city and many modern temples of which
twenty Shivalinga temple (1954) is notable. Bijapur had a population of over one
million in its hay days and was a great commercial centre, called as “the Queen of
Deccan”. After its take over by Aurangzeb, the city lost its importance. It regained
its importance after the British who made it their district headquarters during
1870s.
Chamarajanagar, the district head quarters, newly carved out of Mysore
dt. is 56 kms. away from Mysore, formerly called Arikutara situated in Punnata
Nadu during the Ganga period. It was the birth place of Chamaraja OdeyarVTII,
in whose memory the Chamarajeshwara temple was raised (1825), It also has
Parshwanatha basadi, Lakshmikantha and Virabhadra temples of early Times.
Narasamangala, an ancient place close by, having an intact temple of the Ganga
period is another important place with rich antiquities to be essentially visited
by the tourists.

Chikmagalur, the district headquarters of the coffee growing Malnad

area, is 251 kms. from Bangalore and was known as ‘Kiriya Mugali’ in
inscriptions and ‘Piriya Mugali’ is Hiremagalur, an extension of this town where
there is a Kodandarama temple of Hoysala times. (Mugali is the name of a plant).
The Sangeen Mosque here is an old structure. Jarni Mosque built during the 19th
century is the largest one in the district. St. Joseph’s Cathedral and St. Andrews
Church (1880) are the other impressive monuments. The Kattiramma temple
here has a priest of the SC community. The Kannika Parameshwari and the
Rukmini Panduranga are modern temples. The town is placed in the backdrop
of the Chandradrona Parvata or Bababudan Hill of the Western Ghats and
Inam Dattatreya Peetha is 35 km. from here.

Chitradurga, the famous hill fort town, the district headquarters, 202 km.
away from Bangalore is on the Pune-Bangalore road. It had a feudatory dynasty
of Vijayanagara, called the Nayakas known for their heroic exploits. They built
this hill fort with seven rounds of ramparts, a picturesque sight. In the high
forts there are temples of the Sampige Siddheswara, Hidimbeshwara (a cave
shrine), Ekanatheshwari, Phalguneshwara, Gopalkrishna, etc., amidst thick
rocky surroundings. Those who know the heroic history of Chitradurga rulers
will go into raptures while seeing the magnificent bastions, doors and ramparts
of this vast hill-fort. The Galimantapa, opposite to the Hidimbeshwara is a
unique tall stone structure. Near Rangayyana Bagilu is the Archaeological
Museum. In the town are temples of Chennakeshava, Venkataramana, Anjaneya
etc. and the Murugharajendra Brihanmatha is a venerable centre of the
Veerashaiva sect.

Dhammavolal now in Gadag dt. is 21 kms. from Gadag. It is

also known as ‘Dharmapolalu’ in ancient inscriptions. It was a Buddhist Centre
too. The Doddabasappa and the Someshwara are the two notable Chalukyan
temples here and the Doddabasappa has multigonal star-shaped

Dharmasthala is a very prominent Shaiva Centre where Manjunatha

(Shiva) is worshipped by Madhwa Vaishnava priests of Shivalli tradition and the
temple administrator or Dharmadarshi is Jaina and the temple treats Bhutas (the
remnants of animistic cult, in which departed persons are deified and treated
as the ‘ganas’ of Shiva. It is 75 km. from Mangalore and is amidst hilly green
attractive settings. The temple has the main Manjunatha Linga and Devi. The
place has Chandranatha Basti and a Gommata monolith 11.9metres in height,
installed in 1980’s. The ‘Manjusha’ Museum here is unique. Buses are available
from all major centres of Karnataka and choultries for stay are plenty. There
is a well executed food serving system for all the tourists irrespective of their
caste or creed. The temple management runs many institutions of learning.
Dharwad, a district headquarters on the Pune-Bangalore Road, 437 km.
from Bangalore is the cultural headquarters of North Karnataka. It was the
home of Alur Venkatrao, the father of Karnataka Unification Movement, poet
Bendre and outstanding Hindustani Vocalists Mallikarjuna Mansur. Now a
part of Hubli - Dharwad Corporation, Dharwad became the district headquarters
when it came under the British from the Marathas in 1818, and grew to be a
centre of learning due to the English School opened in 1848, high school opened
by the Basel Mission in 1868 and the Training College was initiated in 1867
which became the centre of Kannada Movement. The Karnataka Vidyavardhaka
Sangha (1890) sowed the seeds of Kannada Renaissance.
Mentioned as “Dharawada” in a record of the 12th century of the Kalyana

Doddagaddavalli is a village 14 km. from Hassan known for its

Lakshmidevi temple with five garbhagrihas, built in 1114 A.D. by a merchant
called Kallahana Rahuta. It is one among the; earliest Hoysala works. It is called
Dakshina Kolhapura and Lakshmi worshipped here represents Shakta Lakshmi.
Bhairava and other deities are also worshipped here. Gadag-Betgeri is a twin city
Municipality on the Dharwad-Guntakal Railway line, 80 km. from Dharwad and
Gadag has become the district head quarters since 1997. It is a great centre of
Kalyana Chalukyan art with the large Trikuteshwara temple, originally
Rashtrakuta, later expanded by the Kalyana Chalukyas into a vast complex, and it
has Trikuteshwara temple complex triple shrines once housing Shiva, Brahma and
Surya. The Saraswati temple in its precinct has the finest shining decorative
pillars, and the Saraswati image, though now damaged, is the finest examples of
Chalukyan Art. Recently a newly carved Saraswati image in the same Chalukyan
style has been installed as the earlier one had broken up. The place has the
Someshwara and Rameshwara temples of Chalukyan style, is also known for its
Gulbarga, the district and divisional head-quarters, formerly in the
Nizam’s State, is 623 km. from Bangalore, was the first capital of the Bahmanis
from 1347. Kannada records call the place as ‘Kallumbarige’, and it was named
later by Muslims as Gulbarga, giving it a floral touch. The fort here was originally
built by one Raja Gulchand, a feudatory of the Warangal Kakatiyas, and was
rebuilt by All-ud-din Bahmani with 15 majestic towers. Inside the fort is the
huge wonderful mosque built by Muhammed Bahmani in 1367 and it covers
38,000 sq. feet area. The place has a huge sprawling complex housing the
tomb of Bande Nawaz, the great Sufi saint, who came to Gulbarga in 1413. His
tomb’s walls have paintings and a mosque built by the Mughuls is near the
tomb. The Khandar Khan’s mosque and Hirapur mosque (1585) built by
Chandbibi are some other monuments here, and the tomb of Sultan Hassan
and Firoz Shah are imposing structures. In all there are seven mausoleums of
Bahamani sultans. Sharana Basappa Appa’s tomb here is highly venerated.
The place has many modern temples and Gulbarga University is housed here.
outside the city in an attractive campus. The State Archaelogy Museum here
has Buddhist plaques brought from Sannati. The City has a Municipal
Corporation.

Hampi the site of the capital of Vijayanagara (1336), 10 km. from Hospet
in Bellary dt. was an ancient city and Buddhist remains of the early Christian era
are found here. Known as Pampakshetra, because of Pampadevi temple, is on
the banks of Tungabhadra. On the Hemakuta Hill behind the famous Virupaksha
temple of Chalukyan times, there is a Badami Chalukya temple. Poet Harihara in
Kannada has praised God Virupaksha during the 12th Century. This, rocky hilly
area with Anegundi to the north of the river is identified as Kishkindha of
Ramayana times. Virupaksha temple was provided with a long Kalyana Mantapa
which is a pillared pavilion with complex artistic monolithic pillars by
Krishnadevaraya (1509-1529) in commemoration of his victory against Bijapur
and the Gajapatis. Its entrance tower called Bhistappayyana Goura became the
model for all Vijayanagara Gopuras built all over South India, called as
Rayagopuras. Also called as an Open-Air Museum, Hampi has the Krishnaswamy
temple, Hazara Ramaswamy Temple, Achutaraya Temple housing Ranganatha,
Kodandaramaswamy temple, Vithalaswamy temple, Irugappa’s Basti (called
Ganigitti Jinalaya (1385), Uddhana Virabhadra temple, monolithic Lakshmi
Narasimha (29 Feet tall installed by Krishnadevaraya in 1529), huge Badavi
Linga, Kamala Mahal, Elephants’ stable, Mahanavami Dibba, monolithic
Ganeshas called as Kadalekalu and Sasivekalu Ganesha and a large number of
other temples and monuments. Recent excavations have brought to light many
palace foundations, a fine stepped tank with polished stone Royal enclosure,
several Noblemen quarters and some Jaina bastis and some Buddhists plaques.
The ‘Moorish quarter’ has a mosque. The foreign visitors to the capital during the
15th and 16th centuries have called it bigger than Rome. They are stunned by the
grandeur of its Dasara Festival and the trade of the town. People from the East
and the West were seen there. The City was destroyed and deserted in 1565, but
its remains continued to be intact, though in ruined condition, spread over more
than 25 square km. area. Kamalapura has an ASI Site Museum. The Kannada
University is also functioning from a new campus nearby, named as
“Vidyaranya”. Hampi s included in the World Heritage Sites by UNESCO.
Hangal, now in Haveri dt. is also a taluk headquarters. It was the capital of the
Hangal Kadambas, feudatories of the Chalukyas of Kalyana. It is mentioned as
‘Panungal’ in early records and identified by tradition with Viratanagara of
Mahabharatha days Eighty km. away from Dharwad, it was once the headquarters
of a district called Panungal-500. The Tarakeshwara temple here is a huge
structure with wonderful series of images and polished tall Chalukyan pillars
spread over a vast area. The Virabhadra, Billeshwara and Ramalinga etc., are
other important temples and the Ganesha temple near Tarakeshwara has a
northern curvilinear (Nagara) Shikhara. The town is on the left bank of the
Dharma river, and has ruins of some fortification on the river bank. There is also a
famous Veerashaiva Kumaraswamy Matha here. Harihara, on the banks of
Tungabhadra, is 277 km. from Bangalore on the Pune-Bangalore Rd,in
Chitradurga dt. The rivulet Haridra joins it here and the place was called Kudalur,
and it is called as Harihara now because of the temple of the name (of Hari and
Hara unified), built by Polalva Dandanayaka under Hoysala Narasimha in 1233
left on the bank of the Tungabhadra river. This is a highly artistic monument
reflecting a high degree of architectural perfection and artistic speculation. This is
a higly artistic monument. There are also temples of Srirama, Dattatreya and
Ishwara and the place grew to be an industrial centre with the Kirloskars starting
their unit. Now the Harihara Polyfiber factory is started near Kumarapatna, a
suburb of Harihara, but within Haveri dt. border. Hassan is the district headquart
rs, 186 km. from Bangalore. It is a centre of trade for coffee. Traditions s y that
the place name originated from Simhasanapura. The town is a scribed to a Chola
Officer called Bukkanayaka of the 11th Century. The Hasanamba temple here,
opens only once in a year in Ashwayuja masa (September - October) for a week
for jatra. The Siddeshwara temple here is ascribed to Belur Feudatories under
Vijayanagara. There is a Jaina basadi here, and also Chennakeshava, Malleswara
and Virupaksheshwara temples. The last named is said to have been renovated by
the sage Vidyaranya (14th century). There is a State Archaeology Museum here.
Mosale, Koravangala and Kondajji are the other important places around Hassan
where fine Hoysala temples are seen.