Best Places to Visit on a 3-Day Trip in and Around Karnataka
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BEST PLACES TO VISIT ON A 3-DAY TRIP IN AND AROUND KARNATAKA Option 1 - The Land of Cha !"#a$ Day 1 - Aihole - Pattadkallu - Banashankari - Mahakuta - Badami Day 2 - Kudalasangama - Alamatti Day 3 - Bijapur You can choose this option if you're interested in History. Bagalkot is the land of Chalukyas (Badami Chalukyas), which used to be one of the glorious kingdoms of South India. A glimpse of the places mentioned will help inculcate some interest. Aihole The image is of Durga Temple (it's not technically Durga Temple though). It is said that the architecture of Parliament is based on this. I can't validate the fact, but you can definitely see the similarity. This is just one of the many works of art present there. There are about 125 temples in Chalukyan architecture, which were built around 5th century! Pattadakal The picture is of the temple complex at Pattadkal, which is recognized as World Heritage Site by UNESCO. Pattadakal also served as the capital of Chalukyas once. The temple complex here were built around 7th - 9th century. The sculptures here are delicate and the temples stand strong even after centuries of ransacking. The most famous temples here are Sangameshwara temple, Kadasiddheshwara and Jambulingeshwara temples. The temples here are built in all famous Indian architectures. You may have noticed this is Raja Mouli's Magadheer. ;) Banashankari (Not to be confused with the locality in Bengaluru) This is the abode of Goddess Banashankari (the goddess of Forest) or Shakhambari, the incarnation of Parvati. It was built in 7th century and later renovated again in 18th century. An annual fair is held here which lasts for almost a month and attracts tens of thousands of people. Mahakuta Mahakuta, also built by Chalukyas around 6-7th century, is a notable Shaiva Monastery, which has a Panchamukhi Linga (a five faced Linga). The only other Panchamukhi Linga is present in Nepal. There are many other legends associated with this place. It was popularly called as 'Dakshina Kashi'. Lets move to the capital city now - Badami Words fall short to describe this. The main attraction here are the cave temples, which are carved in the rocky hills of Badami. This is not only the melting pot of Shaivism and Vaishnavism, but also Hinduism and Jainism (and also Buddhism to some extent). The sculptures present here are marvelous. One of the famous ones is 18 handed Nataraja. This beautiful sculpture of Nataraja displays 81 different dance moves. You can do the math Many of these locations may look familiar because Vikramarkudu, Veera Madakari, Rowdy Rathore and even few scenes of Guru were shot here. Kudalasangama Kudalasangama is the main pilgrimage centre of the people of Lingayath faith (also happens to be my faith). This is the place where river Krishna merges with river Malaprabha and flows towards Srisailam. This is where Vishwaguru Basavanna lived and attained his salvation. This is the centre of Vachana Sahitya and Sharana Movement. Almatti This is the most favourite picnic spot of North Karnataka. One of the 3 majestic dams that I have ever seen is here. The dam is not the only attraction, Alamatti has the India's largest musical fountain which is at the centre of an amphi-theatre where more than 1500 people can be seated. That's not it, there is more to Alamatti. There are acres and acres of gardens here. Each of them is themed and contains ceramic sculptures related to the theme of the garden. Let me list them out. Rock Garden - This is largest of all. It again has many mini themed gardens in itself like ape, snake, village life, tribal, butterfly, Jurassic etc. An ideal spot to spend your time in greenery. Krishna/Gokul Garden - This garden is on the other end of the dam and has the sculptures based on the life of Lord Krishna. Lava - Kusha Garden - Themed after the life incidents of Lava and Kusha. Bijapur Bijapur, the capital city of Adil Shahi dynasty, is the place where you can find numerous marvels of Islamic Architecture. The prominent one among them is Gol Gumbaz, the acoustic wonder, whose dome is the largest in India. Whatever sound you make inside this building echoes for 7 times (it has now deteriorated to about 5 times due to the lack of maintenance). Also there is a Whispering Gallery, where even a whisper can be heard clearly 37 metres away. No, Bijapur is not confined only to Islam. There is also a huge statue of Lord Shiva, which I believe is the second largest in India. Option % - The Vi&a#ana'a(a Empi(e Day 1 - Hampi Day 2 - Hospet - Sandur Day 3 - Chitradurga Hampi Hampi - The capital city of the glorious Vijayanagara Empire, during which almost all of the south India flourished. It is also recognized as World Heritage Site by UNESCO. The city of Hampi was once very huge and hence there are innumerable monuments spread across many kilometres. Just an example to demonstrate the prosperity of Hampi is that Gold and other precious gems were sold at the footpaths of Hampi! But unfortunately most of the monuments have been destroyed during the attack of Muslim rulers and their raids to loot the treasure. The iconic monolithic can be seen in the above pic. That's just the trailer, there's much to learn and discover here. Many of the major scenes of the movie The Myth starring Jackie Chan were shot here. Also the Kananda Vishwavidyalaya (University), the only university of its kind is located in Hampi. Hospet Hospet is one of the main cities of North Karnataka as it has much archaeological importance, hence a tourist attraction; geological importance and is full of well irrigated lands supported by Tungabhadra Dam. TB dam is the second of the 3 majestic dams I have seen. It will good to spend some peaceful time in the gardens of TB dam. Sandur "See Sandur in September", Mahatma Gandhi had said mesmerized by the beauty this place possesses right after the monsoons. It's not just the nature's beauty worth seeing here, but also the mines present. You can see the actual mining process of Manganese and Iron ores here. Chitradurga Chitradurga is the land of Nayakas where the legend of the warrior-womanOnake Obavva happened. Chitradurga obtained its name from the fort which is built in 7 concentric layers across several hills. It is sometimes called as Fort of Steel to describe its strength and is said that even the thunder can't harm it. It 'stands' true to its legends. You can also trek here (not in conventional sense). You can reach Tuppada kola by rock climbing which is thrilling and also very much doable (coming from a fat guy who did it). There's much to explore here. Option 3 - The *#$o(e Kin'do) Day 1, 2 and 3 - In and around Mysore Mysore 'Mysore', as every other person knows, in Karnataka is derived from the word 'Mahishasura' (the dude posing in the pic). A beautiful city in every sense. I was fortunate enough to live here for 4 years and would love to go back there anytime. Once the capital city of Karnataka, Mysore, is full of spectacular places both natural and man-made. You may have seen the photo of Mysore Palace decorated from the outside by lighting which is very beautiful and famous. What's inside the palace is even more beautiful. [My happy friend celebrating his ascent of Chamundi Hill] Wake up early in the morning and climb Chamundi Hill by steps (approx. 1800 steps if I remember correctly), the sense of achievement once you reach the top of the hill is priceless and so is the view. Only the local people know the best viewpoints here. ;) An evening ride to Chamundi Hill is equally beautiful. [Night view from Chamundi Hill during Dasara] A visit to Karanjikere, a lake park, will be refreshing. Birds roam here freely and you can boat peacefully. This is situated right beside the Zoo (though the gates are far apart). Krishna Raja Sagara and Brindavan Gardens One of the marvels of engineering in India, Krishna Raja Sagara Dam was engineered by the mastermind Sir M. Visvesvaraya. Like the other dams mentioned before, this also has the garden named Brindavan Gardens and musical fountain, probably both of them the oldest in Karnataka. Ranganthittu Bird Sanctuary is worth a visit. The most beautiful and exotic birds can be spotted here. Do make sure you visit it at the right season. On the banks of river Kapila stands this beautiful temple dedicated to Lord Shiva, who drank the poison originated during the great churning of the Ocean. Nanju in Kannada means poison and hence the name Nanjundeshwara, the lord who drank the poision. Nanjanagud is also famous for "Nanjangud Rasabaale" a variety of banana. There is also a Nestle plant here. ;) Srirangapatna Srirangapatna is named after Sri Ranganathaswamy Temple present here. This temple is first of the 5 temples along the banks of river Kaveri dedicated to Ranganathaswamy called as Pancharanga Kshetrams. Other places of interest include Tipu Sultan's Tomb, Daria Daulat Gardens and many other temples and masjids. Option + - Koda,a(a Naad! Day 1 - Bylakuppe Tibetan Camp - Kaveri Nisargadhama - Dubare Elephant Camp Day 2 - Mandalpatti - Abbey Falls - Madikeri - Bhagamandala - Talakaveri Day 3 - Iruppu Falls - Nagarhole Kodagu is the land of valour and beauty, a heavenly place in the cradle of Western Ghats. Kodagu is known for its contribution to India in various fields like armed forces, sports, coffee industry (to name a few).