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Bandipur Agumbe Niligiri Hills Chikmagalur Bhadra Kabini River Kemmanagundi Nagarahole N.P. Ranganathittu Bird Sanctuary Kudremukh Madikeri Dandeli Nandi Hills Aihole Badami Bidar Bangalore Belur Belgaum Bijapur Halebid Hassan Gulbarga Mysore Shravanabelagola Murudeshwara Hampi Pattadakal Srirangapatna Karwar Mangalore Jog Falls Dharmasthala Horanadu Maravanthe Shirali Kukke Subramanya Gokarna Byndoor Moodabidri Sringeri Malpe Kateel Karkala Udupi Sultan Battery
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Andaman and Nicobar Islands
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Dadra and Nagar Haveli
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Karnataka popularly known for Carnatic Music through out the World is a friendly state bursting with things to see and do, in our book it sits with the top 5 states to visit within India. From wild life to temples, rivers to holy towns and magnificent palaces, Karnataka has it all. The treasures are to be found from North to South, East to West and all set amongst a hugely varied landscape that never leaves you disinterested for long
Starting in the south, a good jump of point for the state would be Bangalore. This frenetic cosmopolitan city is not what it once was, since the advent of huge wealth in the city. But for a look at modern Indian life, alongside the more traditional, this is as good a city as any. Of course it has it's share of things to see and do, and if you fancy a pint well the place is rumored to have few watering holes.
The Vidhana Soudha, is a magnificent granite structure housing both the Legislative Chambers of the State Government. Bull Temple, famous for the 4.57 meters in height and 6.10 meters in length, monolithic deity of Nandi. or if you fancy a bit of shopping then why not try the Cauvery Handicrafts Emporium.
To the east of Bangalore you have kolar which is home to the Kolaramma Temple,. Someswara Temple and the oldest goldmine in India
north east of Bangalore finds you in the Nandi Hills a hill station now turned resort. The imposing fort is just one of the country destinations has to offer. A fantastic, awe-inspiring cliff fall of almost 2000 feet is known as Tipu's Drop, the views from here are superb.
Heading west, you can call in at places like the Keshava temple at Somnathpur, or Shravanabelagola, for the jain pilgrimage site containing the huge statue of The statue of Gomatheswara. This place is seldom visited but is a real gem.\
More than 800 inscriptions are found at Shravanabelagola dating from various points during the period from 600 to 1830 CE. it's numerous temples and tanks make for a very moving environment.
Mysore and it's mighty palace is on most everyone's itinerary, of course there's more than just the palace, Srirangapatna
The island fortress of the legendary Tiger of Mysore - Tipu Sultan, takes you through the pages of history. Every stone, every Temple, every Palace and every Mosque in here breathes the odor of history.
For an evening stroll try the Brindavan Gardens, colourful and melodious, fountains.
Turning north explore the hillstation of Madikeri, the cool air change from the smoggy low altitude towns.
The town of Mangalore on the coast has little to offer tourists in reality but it offers a suitable base to see Belur and Halebid. A tribute to the Craftsmen of Hoysala sculpture, the Chennakeshava Temple ( Star Temple) at Belur, is an outstanding piece of Hoysala architecture. As are the monolithic temples of Hoysaleshawara and Kedareshwara temples in nearby Halebid. The walls of the temples are covered with an endless variety of depictions from Hindu mythology, animals, birds and Shilabalikas or dancing figures
Heading back through Mangalore you can take in the beaches at Malpe, Marwanthe and Murudeshwar, the latter is also a pilgrimage town, with a huge 123 statue of Lord Shiva foot atop Kanduka Giri. From here it's easy to visit the India's biggest waterfall at Jog Falls.
You may like to call in on Udipi whilst in the area, the home, they say, of the Masala Dosa???
Another hop North brings you to the pilgrim town of Gokarne, as well as being an interesting place in it's own right, with a large lively tank and numerous temples. The nearby beaches of Paradise and Ohm are quite beautiful!
From here we can make a dash across country to Hampi, or sample the beach delights of Karwar and maybe some rafting on the Kali river. Karwar offer a bit of water sports on Devbagh Island, Whilst Dandeli is the pleasantist of towns where you can gently float down through the jungles of the Western Ghat accompanied by swooping Hornbills and calling monkeys. The bird life here is outstanding.
Hampi rightfully adorns the crown of Indian tourism, it is jewel not to be missed. this ancient town is simply captivating more so because of the highly unusual backdrop of mountain of stacked boulders as big as a house, these sun burnt rocks blend gracefully with the age old ruin. Allow a couple of days for this amazing spot. Here's a superb guide to Hampi by Beach, HAMPI he explains it so much better than us.
Badami only a few hours away by road, is another place that has a little magic, the huge tank, in a red horse shoe gorge, is peaceful and easy on the eye. the Caves and sculpture superb. It's also a good place to see Pattadkal and Aihole, which have their own touch of loneliness and grandeur.
In the north of the state there are several places on the tourist radar. Bijapur, Gulbarga and Bidar being just a few.
Bijapur is home to the Gol Gumbaz, the mausoleum of Muhammad Adil Shah II, This squat, intricate building, is covered by a huge dome 37.9 m in diameter making it one of the largest domes in the world. At the periphery of the dome is a circular balcony where visitors can witness the astounding whispering gallery. Any whisper, clap or sound gets echoed around 10 times.
he Ibrahim Rauza, is cetainly not to be missed.
In Gulbarga you'll find huge crumbling fort with some interesting building within the perimeter,.including the Jama Masjid, reputed to have been built by a Moorish architect during the late 14th or early 15th century it eas said to imitate the great mosque in Cordoba, Spain.
In Bidar the Bidar Fort with five darwazas (gates) leads into a town nestled within the ramparts. it's an interesting place to wander around. Bidar is also famous for Bidri, Bidri is a decorative metal object, ornamented with a type of Indian inlay work.
Yes Karnataka certainly has it all and the wildlife parks are there in abundance as well.
B R Hills Sanctuary, Cauvery Wildlife Sanctuary, Dandeli Wildlife Sanctuary, Bhadra Wildlife Sanctuary, Bhimeshwari Sanctuary, Ranganthittu Bird Sanctuary, Bandipur Sanctuary, Nagarhole National Park and Kabini Sanctuary offer a huge diverity of flora and fauna.
The hillstaions of Kemman Gundi and Kudremukh also look promising.
So do yourself a favour, plan some time in Karnataka, You'll love it.
States of India
Union Territories
Andaman and Nicobar Islands
Chandigarh
Dadra and Nagar Haveli
Daman and Diu
Lakshadweep
National Capital Territory of Delhi
Pondicherry
KARNATAKA
Places of Interest
Travel links
Bus
Train
Flights
Boat
District(s) 29
29Established 1956-11-01
Capital Bangalore
BangaloreLargest city Bangalore
BangalorePopulation 52,850,562
Density 275.6 /km2
Language(s) Hindi Kannada
Hindi KannadaThis site is best viewed at a resolution of 800 x 600
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The India
Travel Site
Coorg
The district headquarters of Kodagu (Coorg) is located in 252 kms from Bangalore and 1525 m above sea level lies Madikeri. Coorg or Kodagu means "dense forest on a steep hill". The Kodagu district ...
Srirangapatnam
Situated in the Mandya district in the state of Karnataka, South India, Srirangapatnam was once the capital of Hyder Ali and his son Tipu Sultan, the 'Tiger of Mysore'. Situated on the river, this small island houses the imposing Srirangapatnam Fort built in 1454...
Belur
Belur is a panchayat town in Hassan district in the state of Karnataka. The main attraction in Belur is the Chennakesava temple complex, which contains the Chennakesava Temple as the centre piece, ...
Shravanabelagola
Situated in the Hassan District, 157 km from Bangalore, the statue of Gomateshwara Bhagwaan Bahubali is located atop Vindhyagiri mountain. At 57 feet, it is the tallest monolithic statue in the wor...
Jog Falls
Jog Falls during the monsoons
These guides are a quick look at what states have to offer, they are not in depth and are simply a tool to let you explore the regions of India from your own PC,.
Google maps will help you orientate yourself around the various sights and destinations, plus there are wiki links to places of interest, train information, both in State and Intersate, photo links and Youtube videos to help you get aquanted with your chosen destinations.
Click on the place marks to see the photos and also links to the destinatios information
Enjoy them, we enjoyed putting them together. Of course there a short written introduction too!!
