{"id":162,"date":"2009-12-20T04:11:55","date_gmt":"2009-12-20T11:11:55","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/bangaloreorbit.com\/blog\/?p=162"},"modified":"2009-12-20T04:11:55","modified_gmt":"2009-12-20T11:11:55","slug":"tourism-in-karnataka","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.holidaylandmark.com\/blog\/tourism-in-karnataka\/","title":{"rendered":"Tourism in Karnataka"},"content":{"rendered":"\n\n\n\n\n\n\n
FORUM<\/strong><\/a><\/td>\nDIRECTORY<\/strong><\/a><\/td>\nBLOG<\/strong><\/a><\/td>\nBanagalore Darshan<\/strong><\/a><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Historical Places in Karnataka<\/a><\/strong><\/td>\nArcheology in Karnataka<\/a><\/strong><\/td>\nDams in Karnataka<\/a><\/strong><\/td>\nDistricts of Karnataka<\/a><\/strong><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Beaches in Karnataka<\/strong><\/a><\/td>\nHill Station in Karnataka<\/strong><\/a><\/td>\nIslands of Karnataka<\/strong><\/a><\/td>\nWaterfalls in Karnataka<\/strong><\/a><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Birds Sanctuaries in Karnataka<\/strong><\/a><\/td>\nNational Parks in Karnataka<\/strong><\/a><\/td>\nWildlife Sanctuary of Karnataka<\/strong><\/a><\/td>\nRivers in Karnataka<\/strong><\/a><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Holiday Resorts <\/strong><\/a><\/td>\nFairs in Karnataka <\/strong><\/a><\/td>\nFestivals in Karnataka <\/strong><\/a><\/td>\nTemples in Karnataka <\/strong><\/a><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

Tourism in Karnatak<\/strong>a<\/h3>\n

Adichunchanagiri<\/strong> in Mandya dt, 21 km. from Nagamangala and 66 km
\nfrom Mandya is a noted centre of Bhairava worship on a hill. It was formerly a
\nNatha Pantha centre and is now a seat of the Swamy of the Vokkaliga
\ncommunity. The Gangadhareshwara Temple of the place attracts piligrims in thousands during its annual Jatra. The place has a Peacock Sanctuary too.
\nThe Matha provides accomodation in its guest house to visitors. The place can be reached by bus too.<\/p>\n

Aihole<\/strong> is a great centre of Badami Chalukyan art. The temples numbering
\nover 100 of different styles were raised from the 6th to the 12th century and
\nmany experiments in temple construction were carried out, making Percy Brown
\nto call it \u201cone of the cradles of temple architecture.\u201d It is 510 km. from Bangalore,
\n24 km. from Hungund and can be reached from Bagalkote. It has a Jaina and<\/p>\n

a Vedic rock-cut shrine, both of about 6th Century A.D., the former having
\nfine Tirthankara images in the round and the latter Nataraja dancing, Matrikas
\nsurrounding him, in life size but in relief. The place has the Durga Temple
\nwhich is apsidal and the Ladkhan which is square in plan. Other important
\ntemples are Huchimalligudi, Gaudaragudi and Chakragudi, all in a variety of
\ndesigns. The Meguti on a hill is a Jaina basti which has the famous Aihole
\ninscription of Pulikeshin II and also a Buddhist two-storied rock-cut shrine
\nbelow it. The temples here are full of plastic art, and to a student of temple<\/p>\n

architecture a visit to Aihole is a must. Siddanakolla near it has a beautiful
\nLajj\u2019agowri sculpture in a rare sitting posture near a small pond, besides the
\nSiddesvara Temple of Badami Chalukya period.<\/p>\n

Amritapura <\/strong>in Tarikere taluk Chikmagalur dt. 247 km. away from Bangalore
\nis known by its Amriteshwara temple (Hoysala) built by Amrita Dandanayaka
\nduring the 12th century. It has a star shaped ground plan, and like many
\nother Hoysala temples, is full of plastic art, and is one of the finest in the style.
\nThe earliest inscription found in the temple is of 1197 and the temple has a
\nwonderful life-size image of seated Saraswathi.<\/p>\n

Anegundi<\/strong> is to the North of Hampi across the Tungabhadra and is to be
\nreached by crossing the river with basket boats from Talawar gatta (Humpi) or
\nby road from Ganagavati. It has the famous Huchappayan Matha, now in ruins
\nwith fine Chalukyan glazing pillars and worn out paintings on its ceiling. The
\nruined palace of the last rulers, Aravidu dynasty, is seen here and their
\ndescendants also stay at Anegundi. There is Navavrindavanas or the Samadhis
\nof nine Madhwa Saints in an island Kuregadde of the Tungabhadra. There is
\nthe cave shrine of Sheshashayi, the Ranganatha temple, Gagan mahal, an
\ninteresting Indo-Saracenic structure and a Jaina basti which has a wonderful
\ndecorative Chalukyan door frame.<\/p>\n

Annigeri<\/strong> in Dharwad district, 30 km. from Hubli on the Hubli-Gadag line
\nhas the famous Amriteshwara temple of Kalyana Chalukya period. It was the
\nheadquarters of the once famous rich province of Belvola-300. It was the last
\ncapital of Chalukya Someshwara IV (1184-89). It is the birth place of great
\nKannada Poet Pampa and has a Jain basadi of Parshwanatha. A partially ruined<\/p>\n

Banashankari Temple and seven mosques are seen at the place, in addition to
\ntwo Veerashaiva Mathas. Near the railway station is an ancient Veerabhadra
\ntemple with some astounding erotic figures.<\/p>\n

Aralaguppe<\/strong> is a place in Tumkur dt., six km. from Banasandra railway
\nstation where there is a famous Kalleshwara temple in the Ganga-Nolamba
\nstyle of the 9th century A.D. Its ceiling has wonderful dancing Shiva sculpture
\nwith musical accompanists and eight Dikpalas surrounding him with all their
\nparaphernalia. There is a Chennakeshava temple of the Hoysala style. The
\nimage of Vishnu in the garbhagriha is magnificent. There are four Ganga temples
\nat the place. Arasikere<\/strong>, a commercial town and a railway junction in Hassan district,
\nfamous for its coconut gardens and is 41 km. from Hassan and 176 km. from
\nBangalore. The Kattameshwara temple here, is also called Chandramoulishwara
\n372 A Handbook of Karnataka
\nand referred to as Kalmeshwara in a record of 1220 A.D. It is a fine Hoysala
\nmonument with a rare polygonal frontal mantapa with special design. There is
\na fine Haluvokkalu Temple. There is also Sahasrakuta Jinalaya built in 1220
\nin the Hoysala style by Racharasa, a minister of Ballala II. Malekal Tirupathi
\nnear Arasikere has a Venkataramana temple visited by many devotees.<\/p>\n

Avani<\/strong> in Kolar dt. is 13 km. from Mulabagal, and the place has a Shankara
\nMatha and a wonderful complex of temples of the Nolambas who were ruling
\nfrom Henjeru or Hemavati in the Madakshira taluk in Andhra Pradesh during
\nthe A.D. 9th and 10th Centuries. An early record calls it as the \u2018Gaya of the
\nSouth\u2019. According to a legend, sage Valmiki had his Ashrama here, and Sita
\ngave birth to the twins at the same spot. There are Rameshwara,
\nLakshmaneshwara, Bharateshwara, Shatrughneswara and also Sita and
\nSubrahmanya temples. The Lakshmaneshwara, here is full of plastic art and<\/p>\n

the most ornate. On the hill here Agni Tirtha, a pond, and the Ekantha
\nRamaswamy Temple are also seen.<\/p>\n

Bagalkote <\/strong>now the head quarters of the newly formed dt. likely to be
\nsubmerged due to Almatti dam, has been planned to shift to a near by place
\ncalled Navanagara, is famous from early times and was the capital of Bagadage
\n– 70 under the Later Chalukyas, later ruled by the Adilshahis and the Marathas.
\nNow it is famous for its Cement Production.<\/p>\n

Badami<\/strong> the ancient capital of the Early Chalukyas is 500 km. from Bangalore
\nand 113 km. from Bijapur, was also known as \u2018Vatapi\u2019 and \u2018Badavi\u2019. Its fort
\nwas raised by Chalukya Pulakeshin I in 543. He made it his capital and it
\nlasted till 753 A.D. The place is known for its wonderful rock-cut shrines of
\nVedic tradition. The fort was renovated by Hyder, and Tipu-built a fine mosque
\nhere. The first rock-cut shrine has 18 armed unique Nataraja, at the outset
\nengaged in Tandava dancing, a remarkable figure. On the ceiling of one of the
\ncaves is Nagaraja and Vidhyadhara couple. Figures of funny Kubjas or dwarfs
\nare seen in variety of poses. There are more than life-size Bhuvaraha and
\nTrivikram figures in the II cave. The third cave is the most important and it is
\ncalled the Vaishnava cave caused to be wrought in 578 A.D. by Mangalesha
\nand here are figures of Paravasudeva seated on coiled serpent, Bhoovaraha,
\nNarasimha and Harihara, all engraved in vigourous style, and are taller than<\/p>\n

life-size figures. There are also bracket figures with secular scenes on the
\npillars in the rock-cut shrines. The cave at the top is a Jaina, full of figures of
\nThirthankaras, Yakshas and Yakshis. The Gommata figure here has long locks.
\nThe \u2018Upper Shivalaya\u2019 on the rocky fort on the other bank of Agasthya pond
\nhas been identified as an earlier Vaishnava Temple, \u2018 Malegitti Shivalaya\u2019 as of
\nSurya and Lower Shivalaya as of Ganapathi. The Jambhulinga Shrine housing
\nBrahma, Vishnu and Shiva is another important monument of the place. Queen
\nVinayavathi built it in 699 A.D. Badami rock-cut shrines are engraved in hard
\nred sand-stone and the figures here are of unrivalled beauty. Banashankari
\nKarnataka, The Tourist Paradise 373
\nnear by, has the Banasankari temple, a big pond encircled by open pillared
\nmantapas and an old temple of Rashtrakuta times. Annual Jatra gather on
\nBanada Hunnime in the month of January.<\/p>\n

Bagali,<\/strong> situated at a distance of nine km. from Harapanahalli, on the
\nHadagali Road in Davanagere dt. was known as \u2018Baguli\u2019. Here is a complex of
\ntemples called Kalleswara which is mentioned in an inscription of 1013. There
\nare twin temples of Later Chaklukyan times with attractive intricate plastic art
\nof erotic sculptures on their outer walls and 59 shining polished pillars inside
\nthe temple and its Kapotas\u2019 have most peculiar erotic figures. The A.S.I. has
\nmaintained a sculpture shed near this magnificent Chalukya monument.<\/p>\n

Banavasi<\/strong> in Uttara Kannada District was the traditional capital of the
\nKadambas is found mentioned as Vanavasi, Vyjayanthi, Banousi in several
\ninscriptions. It is a very ancient place, as Ashoka is said to have sent his
\nBuddhist missionaries to \u2018Vanavasa\u2019 and a family called Chutus the feudatory
\nline of the Satavahanas was ruling from here. The place is on the bank of the
\nVarada river and its laterite fort is surrounded by the river on its three sides.
\nRecent excavations at Banavasi have brought to light some Buddhist brick
\nmonuments. Chutu prince Nagashri built a Buddhist Vihara, a tank and
\ninstalled a Naga image at the place according to a Prakrit record of the place.
\nThe striking monument at Banavasi, the Madhukeshvara temple has been
\nrenovated and expanded by Kalyana Chalukyas, Vijayanagara and the Sode
\nrulers. The Kadamba Nagara (stepped pyramidical) shikhara is seen on the
\ngarbhagriha of this temple. Around this main temple are shrines of Vithoba,
\nArdha Ganapathi, Rama etc., and to its left is Parvati Shrine and to the right,
\nNarasimha temple of Vijayanagara times. The temple has an intricately carved
\nmonolithic cot with highly artistic designs. Records here indicate that Buddhism
\nand Jainism were popular at this place. Not far away from Banavasi is Gudnapur
\nwith a massive tank and a Jain temple now housing Veerabhadra. There must
\nhave been a Manmatha temple at the place as indicated by the recently
\ndiscovered Gudnapur inscription of Kadamba Ravi Varma.<\/p>\n

Bangalore <\/strong>is the capital of Karnataka from 1956 and it took the status of a
\ncapital in modern times from 1831 when the British Commissioners took over
\nthe administration of Mysore State from the Mysore Prince. The place name is
\nfound mentioned in a 9th century record of Begur as \u2018Benguluru\u2019 \u2018Bengu\u2019
\nmeaning a Shrub colloquially called Rakta Honne (Benga trees) . Kempegowda
\nII gave the same name to the new town. He founded i.e., at the present Mega
\nCity. Earlier, it was the headquarters of the Yelahanka Nadaprabhus who ruled
\nunder Vijayanagara Empire and built the new town with the fort. Kempegowda
\nII is believed to have raised the fort in 1537 as per the orders of Emperor
\nAchutharaya of Vijayanagara. The old Gavipura natural cave shrine of
\nGangadhara built during the Ganga period came to be expanded during the
\nVijayanagara period and the monolithic Basava in Basavanagudi was got
\n374 A Handbook of Karnataka
\nengraved by this family. The family also built the most beautiful Someshwara
\nTemple at Ulsoor. The dynasty also created many tanks which include the
\nUlsoor tank, Dharmambudhi tank (present Bus Stand), Chennamba tank (now
\ncalled Chennamma tank) near BSK II stage and Kempambudhi tank. In 1637
\nBijapur Army conquered Bangalore and granted it as Jagir to Shahji, Shivaji\u2019s
\nfather. Shahji and his son Ekoji had Bangalore under their control till 1687
\nwhen it was conquered by the Mughul army and the city was given on lease to
\nChikkadevaraya of Mysore. He built the Venkataramana temple and a new fort
\nbeside the existing old fort. Bangalore which had grown as an industrial and
\ncommercial centre under the Kempegowda family and the Marathas, was further
\ndeveloped by Chikkadevaraya as he invited weavers from Baramahal<\/p>\n

(Tamilnadu) area to come and settle down in Bangalore. Later Bangalore was
\ngranted as Jahgir to Haider and when he usurped power from the Wodeyars,
\nhe strengthened the new fort by using granite blocks.
\nHe built a palace near the Venkataramana temple and started Lalbagh, the
\nfamous Botanical Garden of Bangalore. Later a beautiful Glass House was
\nbuilt in 1889 due to the efforts of the overnment modeled on the Crystal
\nPalace of England. This imposing structure has been renovated with attractive
\nimported coloured glasses. Bangalore was captured by the British in 1791
\nunder the leadership of Lord Cornwallis and it was returned to Tipu after he
\nsigned a treaty with them. He dismantled the existing fort as it was found to be
\nmore useful to his enemies than to himself. Under Haider, Bangalore grew as
\na prosperous commercial city also catering to the needs of luxury of the
\nSrirangapattana court. But under Tipu, its trade declined. The British who
\ndefeated Tipu in 1799 handed it over to the Mysore Hindu Prince. Diwan
\nPurnaiah rebuilt the demolished fort. The British stationed their troops in
\n1809 at Ulsoor and a twin town, Bangalore Cantonment emerged helping
\nintroduction of European way of life and modern ideas to the old Bangalore
\ntown which became the capital in 1831. The Atharakacheri, High Court, Central
\nCollege, and Museum buildings were raised in the European Renaissance style
\nand English education was introduced into Bangalore.Many churches in
\nEuropean Renaissance style were built in Bangalore during this period. Modern
\nTextile mills like Binny Mill were started in the city. The city came to have a
\nmunicipality in 1862 and the Cantonment area also had a separate Municipality
\ncalled Civil and Military Station. The two came to be merged in 1949 to form<\/p>\n

the Bangalore City Corporation. After Independence, many Central Government
\nIndustries were started in the city. There are ancient temples at Begur, Madiwala
\n(Tavarekere), Kadugodi, Hesaraghatta and Dommalur. Other temples like Gavi
\nGangadhara in a natural cave, Basavanagudi with monotithic Nandi,
\nRangaswamy temple built around 1600 in the Rangaswamy Temple street, the
\nSomeshwara temple at Ulsoor and Kadumalleswara temple in Malleshwaram
\nwhich had received a grant from Ekoji, are some of the interesting monuments.
\nIn addition, a large number of new temples have come up.<\/p>\n

Temple of the Tigala community celebrates the famous Karaga festival on the full moon day of Chaitra. Satya sai Baba Ashram otherwise called \u2018Brindavan\u2019
\nstarted its activities about more than 2 decades at Kadugodi. Besides havbing
\na huge Prarthana Mandir, the Ashram runs several educational institutions.
\nIts Bangalore Branch of the High Tech Mega Hospital has been widely
\nappreciated for its dedicated services and utmost cleanliness. Omkar Hills,
\nsituated on the outskirts of Bangalore near Kenchenahally is an important
\nreligious centre with serene natural settings, where a huge Banyan tree crowns
\na circular hillock. Alround the sumit of this hillock a series of mantapa
\nsymbolizing the religious insignia of all the major religions Hinduism, Jainism,
\nBuddhism, Christianity and Islam have been built with brick and cement in
\nrespective traditional styles of architecture. The Omkar Ashram has also
\ntakenup the stupendous task of building the 12 Jyotirlinga temples being a
\nminiature representation of respective architectural styles of India. Every year
\ndevotees throng this spot especially during the swamiji\u2019s birthday. A huge
\nElectronic clock designed by HMT having a temple gong and Shanka for the
\nhourly time beatings are embedded, which gives a pious and pleasant sound
\nto a distance of nearly 1.5km radius. Being just 13 km. from the city this is an
\nimportant religious place for peace aspiring tourists and devotees. The Art of
\nLiving Centre Ashram has recently been built by Saint Ravishankar on the
\nKanakapura Road near the city. Special Bhajans and Art of Living courses are<\/p>\n

organized on weekly basis. Of late it is attracting tourists from India and also
\nabroad. A huge Rajarajeshwari temple built in Dravidian style at Kenchenahalli
\non the Mysore Road and the Meenakshi Temple on the Bannerghatta road
\nhave been raised more than a decade ago are attracting a large number of
\ndevotees Amrita Anandamayi Ashram has also started its branch in the city<\/p>\n

and has been attracting thousands of devotees regularly.<\/p>\n

ISKCON <\/strong>now situated atop a small hillock arranged in a row of rising
\nshikaras overlooking the hillock is an attractive spectacle. It spreads in an
\narea of seven acres on the West of chord Road in Rajajinagar is an hitech
\ntemple complex and is regarded as an important tourist destination of this
\ngarden city. The temple complex has been architecturally designed in such a
\nway that it is visible as a glowing hillock during night and can be described as
\na visual bounty. How this huge temple complex came to be created makes an
\ninteresting episode. About 25 years ago ISKCON was founded (1978) in a
\nrented building (Rs.2000 PM) and made a humble beginning. Later on with the
\nefforts of the organisers it gained prominence and today it is one among the
\nmost celebrated 108 ISKCON branches functioning all over the world. Its
\nnatural elevation of the land area has been fully exploited and an attractive
\nbut, complicated architectural designing has been accomplished with utmost
\ncleanliness and perfection. There are five typical Dravidian shikharas built at
\nthree stages with a tall attractive rayagopura at the main entrance. The central
\ngarbhagriha has been designed on the Egyptian Pyramidical Model with three<\/p>\n

cells in a row comprising the images of Sri Nitay Gowrang in the first cell to the
\nleft Sri Radhakrishna Chandra in the central cell and Krishna-Balarama in the
\ncell to the right. There are short but, attractive Dravidian styled shikharas
\nabove all the three cells. There is a spacious\/pentagonal central hall in front
\nof the three garbhagrihas with a hallow domical ceiling decorated with delicate
\nstained glasses intercepted by brass partitions. The pentagonal roof drops have
\nexcellent Mysore traditional glass paintings depicting Krishna\u2019s life history.
\nThe artistic designing of this pentagonal hall has been a beautiful creation
\nwith aesthetic outlook has been largely appreciated.
\nBesides these there are small shrines dedicated to Sri Venkatesha and Sri
\nNarasimha with separate short Dravidian styled shikhars. Facing the main
\ntemple is a 56 ft. tall dwajasthambha covered with gold plated decorated brass
\nsheets. Special pujas are offered thrice daily one at sunrise, at noon and in
\nthe evening. Annually special pujas are performed during Gokula Ashthami
\n(Lord Krishna\u2019s birthday), Nandotsava and Vaikuntha Ekadashi. Daily delicious
\nprasadam prepared with utmost hygienic method are offered to the devotees
\nvisiting the temple. Another impressve programme of this organisation is the
\n\u2018Akshaya Patra\u2019 yojana initiated mainly to cater the needs of less privileged
\nchildren studying in government schools in the rural areas. Recently, the
\nsame scheme is being extended in and around the city of Hubli. Being very
\nmuch inside the Mega city The ISKCON temple offers a beautiful, serene and<\/p>\n

calm atmosphere for the visiting devotees. ISKCON also conducts elocution
\ncompetitions on the Krishna\u2019s lifetime episodes and also on other Vaishnava
\nphilosophy. It conducts also several cultural activities all through the year.<\/p>\n

Bhakti Vedantha, a monthly magazine dedicated to spread the gospel of
\nVaishnava philosophy and also the spiritual ideologies of ISKCON is being
\npublished regularly. Vishwa Shanti dhama, Lord Shiva (near Air Port) etc., are
\nthe new additions to the long list of temples in Bangalore.
\nThe Muslims have the Taramandal Sangeen Jamia Masjid built by a Mughal
\nOfficer in around 1687. The Ibrahim Shah Shahib\u2019s Mosque at Kumbarpet
\nwas raised in 1761, the Jamia Mosque at the City market is the creation of the
\n1940s and it is a vast modern building, equally impressive, built by using
\nwhite marble. There is a dargha of Mastansab Wali at Cottonpet which is highly
\nrespected by Hindus as well as Muslims.
\nThe oldest Church in Bangalore is St. Mary\u2019s Basilica in Shivajinagar
\nsupposed to have been originally built in around 16th Century, but took the
\nexisting shape in 1832. There is the Trinity Church of the Anglicans on the
\nM.G. Road and St. Marks Cathedral on the same road. St. Patrick church was
\noriginally for Irish Catholic soldiers and St. Andrew\u2019s, on the Cubbon Road for
\nthe Scottish soldiers. The Catholic Cathedral is St. Xaver\u2019s, a large granite
\nbuilding. The London Mission raised the Hudson Memorial Church. There are
\nmany Jain Basadis of which the one in Gandhinagar and Jayanagar notable
\nthough modern. The Sikhs have their Gurudwara at Ulsoor, and Parsis have<\/p>\n

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
\nraised by using granite is Vidhana Soudha built in traditional Dravidian style.
\nOf late the government has constructed Vikasa Soudha beside Vidhana Soudha
\nimmitating the same traditional Dravidian style of Vidhana Soudha is nearing
\ncompletion. Tipu\u2019s palace is a wooden structure and Bangalore Palace is
\nmodelled on the Windsor Palace of Britain. Bangalore has the Govt. Museum,
\nSir M. Visveswaraya Industrial Museum and the Jawaharlal Nehru Planetorium.
\nBangalore is well connected by roads, railways and airways and has pleasant
\nweather, attracting tourists from far and near. Bangalore being a celebrated
\neducation and advanced technical as well as higher research facilities boasts
\nof the ——— has Bangalore University, Indira Gandhi National Centre for
\nArts (South Zone) (IGNCA) started recently, Agricultural University, the Indian
\nInstitute of Science, Institute for Astrophysics, Indian Statistical Institute,
\nInstitute for Social and Economic change (ISEC), National Law School, Regional
\nInstitute of English, National Aeronautical Laboratory (NAL), Indian Institute
\nof Information Technology (IIIT) and many others. Indian Space Research
\nOrganisation (ISRO) and Institute of Management and all modern amenities<\/p>\n

for education. It has industries producing tractors, railway coaches, aeroplanes,
\netc. and finer things like silk sarees and sandal wood images. It is called the
\nelectronic and Silicon City of India, for its unparallel progress in the field of
\ncomputer science and Information Technology.
\nInternational Technological Park: The 28 hectares International Tech Park,
\nBangalore is located in Whitefield \u2013 12 kms from Bangalore Airport and 18
\nkms from the city centre. It currently comprises of four buildings \u2013 \u2018Discoverer\u2019,
\n\u2018Innovator\u2019, \u2018Creator\u2019 and \u2018Explorer\u2019 totaling close to 1.6 million sq.ft. of office,<\/p>\n

production, commercial and retail space. All these buildings are centrally airconditioned,
\nset in attractively landscaped surroundings, the buildings have a
\nvery a modern facade with granite cladding for the lower three floors and
\nglittering glass and aluminium paneling for the floors above. The four buildings
\nare connected at the lower ground floor level which houses the Tech Park Mall.
\nThe Mall comprises of various amenties, services and recreational centre
\ncomplementing the \u2018work, live play\u2019 environment. Office space modules are
\ncustomed to the tenants requirements and a number of configurations are<\/p>\n

possible. Office units are available for lease or purchase. Apart from the
\nworld class services and amenities, the buildings are provided with reliable
\npower by a Dedicated power plant, water supply, communications network
\nwith five leading service providers located in the park and other necessities.
\nThe ITPL is built on the plug-and-play concept, providings tenants with all
\nnecessary amenities, ample car parking, a state-of-theart Building Management
\nSystem and more, making business a pleasure. Adding to these benefits is the
\nfact that the International Tech Park ahs become a landmark in the IT scenario,
\nand a perfect address for any business in IT or IT \u2013 enabled services. It has a
\nResidential Tower of 51 apartments, infrastructure and other facilities. The
\nResidential Tower is ideal for those who wish to live close to their offices.
\nThere\u2019s a separate parking lot with space allotted for each apartment as well
\nas a children\u2019s playground. The residents enjoy complete benefits of the Tech<\/p>\n

Park Mall which provides business convenience to the tenants like banking,
\nshopping, restaurants and travel reservations and Health Club. The Residential
\nTower is a safe place to live in with round-the-clock security and other safety
\nfeatures. The IT Corridor of Bangalore runs between Electronic City till Old
\nMadras Road which possesses hundreds of Software as well as Hardware
\ncompanies, a real tourist spot frequented regularly by people across the Globe.<\/p>\n

Bankapura<\/strong> in Haveri district about 80 km. away from Dharwad is in
\nSavanur taluk The town was built by Bankeya, a commander of Amoghavarsha
\nNripatunga (9th century) and later under the Chalukya many beautiful temples
\nwere raised in the city including the wonderful Nagareshwara temple in the
\nfort. There is another Chalukya temple in the town called Siddeshwara. When
\nthe place was conquered by Ali Adilshah in about 1567, his records claim to
\nhave destroyed many temples and the Nagareshwara inspite of the damage it
\nhas suffered is a magnificent monument. There is a beautiful mosque in the
\nfort. Pancharabhavi, a swimming pool like structure in the town has an attractive
\nqueer design. Bankapur has the Kilari Cow Breeding Centre and a rabbit
\nbreeding centre with its office inside the fort. The Bijapur commanders, who
\nhad this place as their headquarters, later shifted to Savanur, and were famous
\nas Savanur Nawabs.<\/p>\n

Basava Kalyana<\/strong>,<\/strong> the taluk headquarters in Bidar Dt, is 80 km. away from
\nBidar. It was the capital of the Later Chalukyas, It has an old fort renovated by
\nthe Bahamanis and inside it is an rchaeological Museum. Not much ancient
\nremains of the Chalukyan or the Kalachuri times remain here except the
\ndilapidated Narayanapur temple of the Chalukyas in the outskirts of the town.
\nThere is a modern Basaveshwara temple, Prabhudevara Gadduge,celebrated
\nJurist of the Kalyana Chalukyan period. Vijnaneshwara\u2019s Cave, Madivala
\nMachiah\u2019s Pond, Akka Nagamma\u2019s Cave, fully renovated Siddheshwara temple
\nand a new structure called Anubhava Mantapa. The Qaji\u2019s mosque is an
\nimpresive structure. There is also Raja Bagh Sawar Dargah. Basava Vana has
\nbeen formed to commemorate the eighth birth centenary of Saint Basaveshwara.<\/p>\n

Basavana Bagewadi<\/strong> in Bijapur dt. is 43 km. to the east of Bijapur and is
\na Tq. headquarters where Sharana Basaveshwara was born (12th Century). It
\nwas an agrahara. Basaveshwara was the son of the head of this institution.
\nThe main temple here the Basaveshwara, is of Chalukyan style, but called as
\nSangamanatha in records. The Samadhis of Siddharameshwara and
\nGurupadeshwara of the Inchageri school of spiritual pursuit are seen here. A
\nspot here identified as Basava\u2019s ancestral house is declared as protected zone
\nby the Trust.<\/p>\n

Basaral <\/strong>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
\nHarihara Dandanayaka in 1234. Its walls are decorated with Ramayana,
\nMahabharata and Bhagavatha stories besides several other sculptures of
\ndifferent sect.<\/p>\n

Belavadi<\/strong> in Chikmagalur dt. is known for its fine Veeranarayana temple of
\nthe Hoysalas. It is a triple (\u2018trikuta\u2019) shrine with its cells housing beautiful
\nimages of Veeranarayana, Venugopala and Yoganarasimha of wonderful
\nworkmanship. It has a record of 1206 and the temple must be previous to it
\nand the place is 29 km. from Chikmagalur. The local people claim that it was<\/p>\n

the Ekachakranagara of Mahabharata days. There is also a Ganapathi temple
\ncalled as Huttada Ganapathi.<\/p>\n

Belgaum,<\/strong> ancient \u2018Venugrama\u2019 (Bamboo village) is the District Head
\nQuarters and was also Divisional Headquarters till recently, 502 kms away
\nfrom Bangalore, on the Bangalore-Pune National Highway. It was the capital of
\nthe Rattas who shifted to this place from Saundatti during the close of 12th
\ncentury A.D. The place has a fort inside which built by one Ratta Officer called
\nBichiraja in 1204 A.D. exhibits the execution of a totally refined style of temple architecture. It has excellently and artistically carved Kamala Basadi having
\nhuge protruding lotus petals of stone (Kamala) in its ceiling and this beautiful
\nstructure in Chalukyan style houses Neminatha Teerthankara image. The place
\ncame under the Sevunas (Yadavas) and Vijayanagara and later conquered by
\nMahamood Gawan in 1474 on behalf of the Bahamanis. The fort was
\nstrengthened by the Adilshahis and there is an excellent structure, Safa Mosque
\nwith three entrances, has rich floral and impressive calligraphic designs. Two<\/p>\n

of its pillars have Kannada Inscriptions in Nagari Scripts, one of 1199 of Ratta
\nKing Kartaveerya IV and another of 1261 is of Sevuna (Yadava) Krishna. The
\nPersian Inscription here states that the mosque was built by Asad Khan, Bijapur
\nCommander. The Jamia Masjid in the fort was built by Sher Khan in 1585-86,.
\nThere is a dargah of Khanjar Wali near it. Belgaum later came under the Mughuls
\n(who called it Azamnagar) and the Marathas till its conquest by the British in
\n1818. Then the British founded their Cantonment here and made it the headquarters
\nof Maratha Light Infantry. The St. Mary\u2019s Church here was built in
\n1869. The Maruthi temple here is quite vast and has some antiquities of
\nChalukyan times. The fort has Chalukyan Pillars spread all over. The
\nKapileshwar temple in Shahpur area was of Chalukyan times, now totally
\nrenovated. Shapur a suburb of Belgaum was in Sangli State. Vadgaon –
\nMadhavapur another suburb of the Belgaum city was in a separate state called<\/p>\n

Junior Kurundawad. Near Vadgaon, a Satavahana settlement has been
\nindentified with the head of stucco Buddha figure has been excavated. Belgaum
\nhas a City Corporation. It is a place with pleasant weather. It played a leading
\npart in the freedom movement. The Jawaharlal Nehru Medical College here
\nhas a highly educative pathological museum.<\/p>\n

Belgami<\/strong>, ancient \u2018Balligave\u2019 or \u2018Baligrama\u2019, the capital of the prosperous
\nprovince of antiquity called Banavasi – 12,000, is 12 km. away from the taluk
\nhq. viz., Shikaripur and three km from Shiralkoppa. It was the place where
\nAllamaprabhu was born and Akkamahadevi was married to Chalukya Governor
\nof the palce called Kaushika or Keshimayya. The palace has the Kodimatha<\/p>\n

which was the Kedareshwara Matha of the Kalamukhas who were known for
\ntheir learning. They ran a centre of learning Ghatikasthana or a University
\nhere. The Matha is a beautiful Chalukyan triple shrine on the bank of a tank.
\nThe Tripurantaka temple adorned by the narrative panels of Panchatantra
\nstories, is another Chalukyan temple. Allamaprabhu is believed to have been
\nattached to this temple. It was a cosmopolitan town with Mathas of five various
\ndenominations. A Buddhist Tarabhagavathi image has been found here. There
\nwas also a Buddhist Vihara here. There is a small agareshwara temple, the
\nPanchalingeshwara temple and Veerabhadra temple which are all Chalukyan.
\nThe Kalika temple is of Vijayanagara times. Hoysala Vishnuvardhan\u2019s famous
\nqueen Shantala, and the builders of the Belur Temple, Dasoja and Chavana
\nbelonged to this place. A Chalukya general installed a Bherunda Stambha to
\ncommemorate his victory. The place has a museum run by A.S.I. Belgami had
\nbeen a great centre of learning and cultural activity.<\/p>\n

Bellary<\/strong> is a district headquarters, situated at a distance of 306 kms to the
\nnorth-west of Bangalore. It has spread round two rocky hills, and one of them
\ncalled Balahari Betta has a temple. The fort built round the hill in Vijayanagara
\ntimes is still intact. It passed into the hands of Bijapur, Marathas, the Nizam
\nand Haider. After the fall of Tipu, the town was ceded to the British by the
\nNizam. The Durgamma (Ballaramma) temple here has the deity represented
\nby the heap of earth. The place has two large mosques. A Government Medical
\nCollege was founded here in 1961 Bellary now has grown as a great centre of
\napparel manufacturing.<\/p>\n

Belur<\/strong> in Hassan district (222 kms. from Bangalore) also a Taluk Head
\nQuarters is famous for its magnificent Hoysala temple complex. The
\nChennakeshava temple here was completed in 1116 A.D. by Hoysala
\nVishnuvardhana to commemorate his victory over the Cholas Calling the god
\nas Vijaya Narayana. The magnificent image is 3.7 mtr. tall and the temple
\nstanding on a platform has exquisite plastic art work on its outer walls and
\nbracket figures of dancing girls in various poses, in perfect proportion. There
\nare shrines of Kappe Chenniga, Andal, Saumya Nayaki, etc., in the precincts
\nof this temple enclosed by a Prakara with \u2018gopura\u2019 (entrance tower) built by
\nBelur Nayaka, a Vijayanagar feudatory. The temple here is a classic example
\nof Hoysala art and Belur was one of the Hoysala capitals.<\/p>\n

Bhadravati,<\/strong> an industrial town in Shimoga dt., 256 km. away from
\nBangalore, was formerly called \u2018Benkipura\u2019. There is a 13th Century
\nLakshminarasimha Temple in Hoysala style here. The Visveswaraya Iron and Steel Works, a Cement Factory (1938) and Paper Factory (1935) function at
\nthis place on the banks of the Bhadra river.<\/p>\n

Bhagamandala<\/strong>, Kodagu dt. 288 km. from Bangalore and 35 km. from
\nMadikeri is on the banks of the Cauvery. It has a Shiva temple called
\nBhagandeshwara. It has gabled roofs covered with copper plates and has
\nmagnificent wooden carving representing Shaivapuranas gaily painted. The
\nattractive wooden figures, big and small engage the attention of the onlooker.
\nGanapathi, Vishnu and Subrahmanya are other shrines here. This serene place
\nwith natural beauty will have big jatra on Tula Sankramana.<\/p>\n

Bidar<\/strong>,<\/strong> the District headquarters, described as Viduranagara, a place of
\nMahabharatha times, is 740 kms. to the north of Bangalore. It is a cool place,
\nbeing at an altitude of 664 metres. The Bahmanshahi rulers made it their
\ncapital, in c, 1426 and fortified it. It is still intact. Inside it are the Solha Kamb
\nmosque (1423) and palaces like Takht Mahal, Chini Mahal and Rangeen Mahal;<\/p>\n

some of them are highly decorated with mosaic and wood work etc. The fort
\nhas magnificent doorways and massive bastions. Gawan\u2019s Madrasa in the town
\nis a gorgeous imposing building of Indo-Saracenic style. After the decline of
\nBahamanis, the Barid-Shahis ruled over Bidar and it was taken over by the
\nBijapur rulers in 1619. Later it fell to Aurangzeb, and finally it came under the<\/p>\n

Nizam. Jharani Narasimha temple here is quite famous. Ashtur near Bidar
\nhas tombs of Bahmani Sultans which are tall structures, and one of them has
\npaintings. The Gurudwara at Bidar is built at Nanak Zhira, which is described
\nas a fountain created by Guru Nanak during his visit.<\/p>\n

Bijapur,<\/strong> the district headquarters, 579 km. away from Bangalore is one of
\nthe most important centres of Indo-Saracenic art, being the capital of the
\nAdilshahis of Bijapur (1489-1686). The place is found mentioned as \u2018Vijayapura\u2019
\nin as inscription of 12th Century A.D. The Gol Gumbaz here has the biggest
\ndome in India, 126 feet in diametre at its base and is the Mausoleum of
\nMohammed Adilshah (1626-56). It has an astonishing whispering gallery and
\nit covers an area of 15,000 square feet. Ibrahim Rauza is a marvellous
\nmausoleum of Ibrahim II (1580-1626) which stands on a platform supported
\nby rows of arches, and at one end is the mosque and at the other the tomb.
\nHenry Cousens called this, \u2018the Tajmahal of the South\u201d. Anand Mahal, Gagan
\nMahal, Asar Mahal etc. are the other important monuments of this place. There
\nare fine tanks like Tajbavadi and Chandbavadi.Asar Mahal has attractive
\npaintings now fading away due to weathering. The fort round the town has 96<\/p>\n

bastions and six imposing doorways.Mulk-Maidan here is a huge gun weighing
\n55 tons. Near Gol Gumbaz is a Museum. The place has a Municipal Corporation.
\nIt has many grand artistic mosques like Kali Masjid, Mecca Masjid, Malika
\nJahan\u2019s Mosque and the Jami Masjid, the biggest one with a proportionate
\nlarge dome. The Mahtar Mahal, the entrance of mosque has delicate stone<\/p>\n

brackets of intricate workmanship. To the west of the citadel is a Dattatreya
\ntemple, 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
\nthe city and many modern temples of which twenty Shivalinga temple (1954) is
\nnotable. Bijapur had a population of over one million in its hay days and was
\na great commercial centre, called as \u201cthe Queen of Deccan\u201d. After its take over
\nby Aurangzeb, the city lost its importance. It regained its importance after the
\nBritish who made it their district headquarters during 1870s.<\/p>\n

Chamarajanagar,<\/strong> the district head quarters, newly carved out of Mysore
\ndt. is 56 kms. away from Mysore, formerly called Arikutara situated in Punnata
\nNadu during the Ganga period. It was the birth place of Chamaraja OdeyarVTII,
\nin whose memory the Chamarajeshwara temple was raised (1825), It also has
\nParshwanatha basadi, Lakshmikantha and Virabhadra temples of early Times.
\nNarasamangala, an ancient place close by, having an intact temple of the Ganga
\nperiod is another important place with rich antiquities to be essentially visited
\nby the tourists.<\/p>\n

Chikmagalur,<\/strong> the district headquarters of the coffee growing Malnad area, is 251 kms. from Bangalore and was known as \u2018Kiriya Mugali\u2019 in inscriptions
\nand \u2018Piriya Mugali\u2019 is Hiremagalur, an extension of this town where there is a
\nKodandarama temple of Hoysala times. (Mugali is the name of a plant). The
\nSangeen Mosque here is an old structure. Jarni Mosque built during the 19th
\ncentury is the largest one in the district. St. Joseph\u2019s Cathedral and St. Andrews
\nChurch (1880) are the other impressive monuments. The Kattiramma temple
\nhere has a priest of the SC community. The Kannika Parameshwari and the
\nRukmini Panduranga are modern temples. The town is placed in the backdrop
\nof the Chandradrona Parvata or Bababudan Hill of the Western Ghats and
\nInam Dattatreya Peetha is 35 km. from here.<\/p>\n

Chitradurga,<\/strong> the famous hill fort town, the district headquarters, 202 km.
\naway from Bangalore is on the Pune-Bangalore road. It had a feudatory dynasty
\nof Vijayanagara, called the Nayakas known for their heroic exploits. They built
\nthis hill fort with seven rounds of ramparts, a picturesque sight. In the high
\nforts there are temples of the Sampige Siddheswara, Hidimbeshwara (a cave<\/p>\n

shrine), Ekanatheshwari, Phalguneshwara, Gopalkrishna, etc., amidst thick
\nrocky surroundings. Those who know the heroic history of Chitradurga rulers
\nwill go into raptures while seeing the magnificent bastions, doors and ramparts
\nof this vast hill-fort. The Galimantapa, opposite to the Hidimbeshwara is a
\nunique tall stone structure. Near Rangayyana Bagilu is the Archaeological
\nMuseum. In the town are temples of Chennakeshava, Venkataramana, Anjaneya
\netc. and the Murugharajendra Brihanmatha is a venerable centre of the
\nVeerashaiva sect.<\/p>\n

Dambal or Dhammavolal<\/strong> now in Gadag dt. is 21 kms. from Gadag. It is
\nalso known as \u2018Dharmapolalu\u2019 in ancient inscriptions. It was a Buddhist Centre
\ntoo. The Doddabasappa and the Someshwara are the two notable Chalukyan
\ntemples here and the Doddabasappa has multigonal star-shaped
\ngarbhagriha.With fine sculptural representations and a huge Nandi image. The
\nSomeshwara could have been an old basadi. In the old ruined fort, there is a
\nhuge Ganapati image in a small shrine. The town has a 400 year old vast tank.
\nThere is the Thontada Siddhalingeswara Matha at the place.<\/p>\n

Davanagere<\/strong>,<\/strong> now a district Headquarters, 267 km. from Bangalore, on the
\nPune-Bangalore Road is also a modern industrial town that grew round a tank
\nwhere itinerant traders took rest. The tank had the name Davanikere,
\n\u2018Cattlerope Tank\u2019, dauoni being the rope tying the cattle. It was earlier a suburb
\nof ancient centre Betur, a township under the Sevunas, and it was granted as
\na Jahgir by Haider Ali to Appaji Ram one of his officers who was responsible
\nfor its growth as a commercial centre. Davanagere grew as a centre of textile
\nindustry. It has also grown as an educational centre with a medical and
\nengineering college. The Iswara of Anekonda Village is an important temple
\nhere.<\/p>\n

Devala Ganagapura<\/strong> in Afzalpur taluk Gulbarga dt. is 651 km. away from
\nBangalore. It is to be reached from Ganagapur railway station. Sri Narasimha
\nSaraswati who had stayed here for long and was granted a jahgir by the Bahmani
\nSultan. The Saint had cured the Sultan of a serious (incurable) boil. The saint
\nis treated as an incarnation of Dattatreya and devotees from Maharashtra and<\/p>\n

Karnataka throng the place daily.<\/p>\n

Dharmasthala <\/strong>is a very prominent Shaiva Centre where Manjunatha (Shiva)
\nis worshipped by Madhwa Vaishnava priests of Shivalli tradition and the temple
\nadministrator or Dharmadarshi is Jaina and the temple treats Bhutas (the
\nremnants of animistic cult, in which departed persons are deified and treated
\nas the \u2018ganas\u2019 of Shiva. It is 75 km. from Mangalore and is amidst hilly green
\nattractive settings. The temple has the main Manjunatha Linga and Devi. The
\nplace has Chandranatha Basti and a Gommata monolith 11.9metres in height,
\ninstalled in 1980\u2019s. The \u2018Manjusha\u2019 Museum here is unique. Buses are available
\nfrom all major centres of Karnataka and choultries for stay are plenty. There
\nis a well executed food serving system for all the tourists irrespective of their
\ncaste or creed. The temple management runs many institutions of learning.<\/p>\n

Dharwad<\/strong>, a district headquarters on the Pune-Bangalore Road, 437 km.
\nfrom Bangalore is the cultural headquarters of North Karnataka. It was the
\nhome of Alur Venkatrao, the father of Karnataka Unification Movement, poet
\nBendre and outstanding Hindustani Vocalists Mallikarjuna Mansur. Now a
\npart of Hubli – Dharwad Corporation, Dharwad became the district headquarters
\nwhen it came under the British from the Marathas in 1818, and grew to be a
\ncentre of learning due to the English School opened in 1848, high school opened
\nby the Basel Mission in 1868 and the Training College was initiated in 1867
\nwhich became the centre of Kannada Movement. The Karnataka Vidyavardhaka
\nSangha (1890) sowed the seeds of Kannada Renaissance.<\/p>\n

Mentioned as \u201cDharawada\u201d in a record of the 12th century of the Kalyana
\nChalukyas, the place came under the Sevunas, Vijayanagara, Bijapur, Mughuls,
\nMarathas, and Haider and Tipu. The Vijayanagara rulers built a fort here which
\nwas strengthened by Bijapur rulers. Its door-frame alone remains now. The
\nDurgadevi temple near the fort is renovated now and the Someshwara on<\/p>\n

Kalghatgi Road has a Chalukyan temple and a tank. The Mailara Linga temple
\nat Vidyagiri is a Kalyana Chalukyan monument converted into a mosque by
\nBijapur army but again changed as a temple by the Peshwas. The place has
\nmany temples like Venkataramana, Nandikola Basavanna, Dattatreya, Ulavi
\nBasavanna etc. The Murugha Matha is a centre of religious activity. The Sanskrit<\/p>\n

College is a four-storeyed building of the late 19th Century. The Karnataka
\nUniversity (1949), the Agricultural University (1986) and the All India Radio
\nStation gave new life to the educational and cultural life of the the city. Dharwad
\nplayed a prominent part in the freedom movement. Dharwad firing in 1921
\nwhich killed three Khilafat Workers caused a stir in the country. Dharwad has<\/p>\n

churches of the Basel Mission and the Catholics.<\/p>\n

Doddagaddavalli<\/strong> is a village 14 km. from Hassan known for its Lakshmidevi
\ntemple with five garbhagrihas, built in 1114 A.D. by a merchant called Kallahana
\nRahuta. It is one among the; earliest Hoysala works. It is called Dakshina
\nKolhapura and Lakshmi worshipped here represents Shakta Lakshmi. Bhairava
\nand other deities are also worshipped here.<\/p>\n

Gadag-Betgeri<\/strong> is a twin city Municipality on the Dharwad-Guntakal Railway line, 80 km. from Dharwad and Gadag has become the district head quarters
\nsince 1997. It is a great centre of Kalyana Chalukyan art with the large
\nTrikuteshwara temple, originally Rashtrakuta, later expanded by the Kalyana
\nChalukyas into a vast complex, and it has Trikuteshwara temple complex triple<\/p>\n

shrines once housing Shiva, Brahma and Surya. The Saraswati temple in its
\nprecinct has the finest shining decorative pillars, and the Saraswati image,
\nthough now damaged, is the finest examples of Chalukyan Art. Recently a
\nnewly carved Saraswati image in the same Chalukyan style has been installed
\nas the earlier one had broken up. The place has the Someshwara and
\nRameshwara temples of Chalukyan style, is also known for its religious
\nharmony. The Veeranarayana temple of Chalukyan times, completely renovated
\nin Vijayanagara times including the image of Narayana too replaced. The great
\nKannada poet Kumaravyasa composed his famous Karnataka Bharatha
\nKathamanjari by staying in this temple. Gadag has a mosque of Adilshahi times,
\nhighly artistic. There is a Church too of the Basel Mission (Now C.S.I.). Betageri
\nhas many artistic herostones, some dating back to 9th-10th centuries. (\u2018Kaldugu\u2019
\nis the old name of Gadag and \u2018Battakere\u2019, \u2018Round Tank\u2019 of Betgeri). Gadag-<\/p>\n

Betageri are famous for weaving industry, and of late, Gadag has excelled In
\nprinting. To reach Lakkundi, Dambal, Itgi and Kukanur, Gadag is the gateway.<\/p>\n

Gokarna<\/strong> situated in coastal Karnataka is 453 kms. from Bangalore and
\nabout 55 kms. from the district head quarters Karwar, is described as a Shaiva
\nCentre, on par with Kashi and Rameshwar and the Mahabaleshwara Temple
\nhere has indications of atleast being originally built during 11-12th Century
\nand the Portuguese destroyed it during the 18th century and it was renovated
\nthen. There is a famous Ganapathi Temple and the deity here is two-armed,
\nstanding, and is atleast 1500 years\u2019 old. Tamragauri is another shrine here.
\nThe Bhadrakali and Venkataramana temples, Jatayuteertha, Kotiteertha etc.,
\nare other holy places here. Gokarna has a long beach on the west and the
\nWestern Ghat ranges closeby in the east and is in a wonderful natural settings.
\nAtmalinga brought by Ravana got struck here and his efforts to extricate it
\nresulted in his throwing the coverings of the Linga to Dhareshwar,
\nGunavanteshwara, Murdeshwar and Shejjeshwar Temples (the last place is<\/p>\n

near Karwar), according to tradition. All these places are in Uttara Kannada
\ndistrict.<\/p>\n

Gulbarga<\/strong>, the district and divisional head-quarters, formerly in the Nizam\u2019s State, is 623 km. from Bangalore, was the first capital of the Bahmanis from
\n1347. Kannada records call the place as \u2018Kallumbarige\u2019, and it was named
\nlater by Muslims as Gulbarga, giving it a floral touch. The fort here was originally
\nbuilt by one Raja Gulchand, a feudatory of the Warangal Kakatiyas, and was<\/p>\n

rebuilt by All-ud-din Bahmani with 15 majestic towers. Inside the fort is the
\nhuge wonderful mosque built by Muhammed Bahmani in 1367 and it covers
\n38,000 sq. feet area. The place has a huge sprawling complex housing the
\ntomb of Bande Nawaz, the great Sufi saint, who came to Gulbarga in 1413. His
\ntomb\u2019s walls have paintings and a mosque built by the Mughuls is near the<\/p>\n

tomb. The Khandar Khan\u2019s mosque and Hirapur mosque (1585) built by
\nChandbibi are some other monuments here, and the tomb of Sultan Hassan
\nand Firoz Shah are imposing structures. In all there are seven mausoleums of
\nBahamani sultans. Sharana Basappa Appa\u2019s tomb here is highly venerated.
\nThe place has many modern temples and Gulbarga University is housed here.<\/p>\n

outside the city in an attractive campus. The State Archaelogy Museum here
\nhas Buddhist plaques brought from Sannati. The City has a Municipal
\nCorporation.<\/p>\n

Halasi <\/strong>in Khanapur taluk, 14 km. from Khanapur Railway Station, and was the second capital of the Kadambas of Banavasi, It has the oldest basadi
\nof Karnataka, built by the Early Kadambas who patronised Jainism. But the
\nbasadi is in dilapidated condition now. The huge Bhuvaraha Narasimha temple
\nhere was rebuilt by the Goa Kadambas during the 12th Century A.D., and has<\/p>\n

fine tall images of Varaha, Narasimha, Narayana and Surya. Halasi was the
\nheadquarters of a major province called Halasige – 12,000 under the Kalyana
\nChalukyas. The place has a fort, and also temples of Gokarneshwara,
\nKapileshwara, Swarneshwara and Hatakeshwara. The place is in the
\nbackground of Western Ghats in lush green atmosphere.<\/p>\n

Halebid <\/strong>(former Dwarasamudra) in Belur taluk, Hassan dt., 27 kms. away
\nfrom Hassan was the capital of Hoysalas after Belur. It has one of the finest
\nHoysala temples said to have been started by Ketamalla, a commander of
\n386 A Handbook of Karnataka
\nVishnuvardhana in a 1121 A.D. The twin Shiva Temples with a common platform
\nand two garbhagrihas, one besides the other have a common broad navaranga.
\nOne of them houses Vishnuvardhana Hoysaleshwara Linga and the other
\nShanthaleshwara Linga. In front of the Hoysaleshwara is the Nandimantapa<\/p>\n

and behind that is a shrine of Surya with a two-metre-tall image. The temple
\ndoorways are highly ornate and impressive. Outer walls have rows of Intricate
\nfigures narrating episodes from epics like Ramayana, Bharatha and Bhagavata.
\nThe place has a Parshwanatha basadi with highly polished pillars in which onlookers
\nqueer images are reflected. There is a Museum of the A.S.I. The<\/p>\n

Kedareshwara temple is another monument built by Ketaladevi, Ballala II\u2019s Queen. Chatchatnahalli (nearby) has an attractive Hoysala Trikuta temple with
\nrich architectural refinement built by Chatta Dandanayaka in 1220.<\/p>\n

Hampi<\/strong> the site of the capital of Vijayanagara (1336), 10 km. from Hospet in
\nBellary dt. was an ancient city and Buddhist remains of the early Christian era
\nare found here. Known as Pampakshetra, because of Pampadevi temple, is on
\nthe banks of Tungabhadra. On the Hemakuta Hill behind the famous
\nVirupaksha temple of Chalukyan times, there is a Badami Chalukya temple.<\/p>\n

Poet Harihara in Kannada has praised God Virupaksha during the 12th Century.
\nThis, rocky hilly area with Anegundi to the north of the river is identified as
\nKishkindha of Ramayana times. Virupaksha temple was provided with a long
\nKalyana Mantapa which is a pillared pavilion with complex artistic monolithic
\npillars by Krishnadevaraya (1509-1529) in commemoration of his victory against<\/p>\n

Bijapur and the Gajapatis. Its entrance tower called Bhistappayyana Gopura
\nbecame the model for all Vijayanagara Gopuras built all over South India,
\ncalled as Rayagopuras. Also called as an Open-Air Museum, Hampi has the
\nKrishnaswamy temple, Hazara Ramaswamy Temple, Achutaraya Temple
\nhousing Ranganatha, Kodandaramaswamy temple, Vithalaswamy temple,<\/p>\n

Irugappa\u2019s Basti (called Ganigitti Jinalaya (1385), Uddhana Virabhadra temple,
\nmonolithic Lakshmi Narasimha (29 Feet tall installed by Krishnadevaraya in
\n1529), huge Badavi Linga, Kamala Mahal, Elephants\u2019 stable, Mahanavami
\nDibba, monolithic Ganeshas called as Kadalekalu and Sasivekalu Ganesha
\nand a large number of other temples and monuments. Recent excavations<\/p>\n

have brought to light many palace foundations, a fine stepped tank with polished
\nstone Royal enclosure, several Noblemen quarters and some Jaina bastis and
\nsome Buddhists plaques. The \u2018Moorish quarter\u2019 has a mosque. The foreign
\nvisitors to the capital during the 15th and 16th centuries have called it bigger
\nthan Rome. They are stunned by the grandeur of its Dasara Festival and the
\ntrade of the town. People from the East and the West were seen there. The City
\nwas destroyed and deserted in 1565, but its remains continued to be intact,
\nthough in ruined condition, spread over more than 25 square km. area.
\nKamalapura has an ASI Site Museum. The Kannada University is also
\nfunctioning from a new campus nearby, named as \u201cVidyaranya\u201d. Hampi is<\/p>\n

included in the World Heritage Sites by UNESCO.<\/p>\n

Hangal,<\/strong> now in Haveri dt. is also a taluk headquarters. It was the capital
\nof the Hangal Kadambas, feudatories of the Chalukyas of Kalyana. It is
\nmentioned as \u2018Panungal\u2019 in early records and identified by tradition with Viratanagara of Mahabharatha days Eighty km. away from Dharwad, it was
\nonce the headquarters of a district called Panungal-500. The Tarakeshwara
\ntemple here is a huge structure with wonderful series of images and polished
\ntall Chalukyan pillars spread over a vast area. The Virabhadra, Billeshwara
\nand Ramalinga etc., are other important temples and the Ganesha temple<\/p>\n

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
\nriver bank. There is also a famous Veerashaiva Kumaraswamy Matha here.<\/p>\n

Harihara,<\/strong> on the banks of Tungabhadra, is 277 km. from Bangalore on
\nthe Pune-Bangalore Rd,in Chitradurga dt. The rivulet Haridra joins it here and
\nthe place was called Kudalur, and it is called as Harihara now because of the
\ntemple of the name (of Hari and Hara unified), built by Polalva Dandanayaka
\nunder Hoysala Narasimha in 1233 left on the bank of the Tungabhadra river.<\/p>\n

This is a highly artistic monument reflecting a high degree of architectural
\nperfection and artistic speculation. This is a higly artistic monument. There
\nare also temples of Srirama, Dattatreya and Ishwara and the place grew to be
\nan industrial centre with the Kirloskars starting their unit. Now the Harihara
\nPolyfiber factory is started near Kumarapatna, a suburb of Harihara, but within<\/p>\n

Haveri dt. border.<\/p>\n

Hassan <\/strong>is the district headquarters, 186 km. from Bangalore. It is a centre
\nof trade for coffee. Traditions say that the place name originated from
\nSimhasanapura. The town is ascribed to a Chola Officer called Bukkanayaka
\nof the 11th Century. The Hasanamba temple here, opens only once in a year in
\nAshwayuja masa (September – October) for a week for jatra. The Siddeshwara<\/p>\n

temple here is ascribed to Belur Feudatories under Vijayanagara. There is a
\nJaina basadi here, and also Chennakeshava, Malleswara and Virupaksheshwara
\ntemples. The last named is said to have been renovated by the sage Vidyaranya (14th century). There is a State Archaeology Museum here. Mosale, Koravangala
\nand Kondajji are the other important places around Hassan where fine Hoysala<\/p>\n

temples are seen.<\/p>\n

Haveri,<\/strong> now a district head quarters, situated on NH4, is 340 kms away
\nfrom Bangalore. It derives its name from the tank that lies 2.5 kms from the
\ntown, built in 10-11th Century. It has few ancient temples and the Siddeshwara
\ntemple complex here of Chalukyan times is known by its sculptural decorations.
\nUgranarasimha and Kalleshwara are the other important temples of early times.<\/p>\n

The Virakta Matha, Hukkeri Matha, Hosamatha, Murugaswami Matha and the Raghavendra Matha of Madhwa tradition are important. The annual fair of
\nthe Hukkeri Matha occurs in the month of January, while Siddeshwara fair
\nfalls during Dasara period. It was known for cardamum processing till recently,
\nand is now famous for its beautiful cardamum garlands.
\n388 A Handbook of Karnataka<\/p>\n

Horanadu<\/strong> in Chikmagalur district, situated 15 kms. from Kalasa. Besides
\nits local history, it is also famous by its Annapurneshwari temple and its scenic
\nbeauty. Piligrim from different parts visits it in large number through out the
\nyear. Thousands of devotees are being fed by the temple authorities regularly,
\nin accordance with the name of the presiding deity of the place.<\/p>\n

Hubli,<\/strong> a part of Dharwad-Hubli twin City Corporation is 408 km. away
\nfrom Bangalore, on the Bangalore – Pune road, is both a railway junction and
\nan industrial town. Rayara Hubli, also called \u2018Eleya Puravada Halli\u2019 or \u2018Purballi\u2019 was the old Hubli, where there is a Bhavani Shankara temple and Jaina basti.
\nUnder Vijayanagara Rayas, Rayara Hubli grew as a commercial centre, famous<\/p>\n

for trade in cotton, saltpetre and iron. The British opened a factory here when it came under the Adilshahis. Shivaji looted the factory in 1673. The Mughuls
\nconquered it and the place came under the Savanur Nawab who built a new
\nextension named Majidpura and trader Basappa Shetty built new Hubli around
\nthe Durgadabail (fort maidan). There is the famous Moorusavira Matha, and<\/p>\n

the Matha authorities claim that it was begun by a Sharana of Basaveshwara\u2019s
\nperiod. Hubli was conquered by the Marathas from the Savanur Nawab in
\n1755-56. Later Haider conquered it, but it was recaptured by the Marathas in<\/p>\n

1790, and the old town was administered by one Phadke under the Peshwa
\nand the new town by Sangli Patwardhan. British took old Hubli in 1817 and
\nthe new town with 47 other villages was handed over to the British by the
\nSangli Patwardhan in lieu of the subsidy in 1820. Hubli is a prosperous
\nhandloom weaving centre and has a Textile Unit. The Railway Workshop started
\nhere in 1880, made it a reckonable industrial centre. The Bhavanishankar
\ntemple in old Hubli and the impressive Chaturlinga temple in Unakal are of
\nChalukyan times. The Siddharudhaswamy (1837-1929) Matha in Old Hubli is
\nvisited by hundreds. In addition to the impressive Moorusavira Matha,
\nRudrakshi Matha and Hanneradu Yattina Matha. There is Mahdi mosque at
\nBandiwadagase and Mastan Sofa Mosque in Old Hubli. Of the churches, the
\nChurch of Ascension (1905), Church of Holy Name (1928), St. Joseph\u2019s (1858)
\nand the St. Andrew\u2019s (1890) are notable. Unakal has a church of the Basel<\/p>\n

Mission and there is a Gurudwara of the Sikhs in Vidyanagar. The place has Medical (Govt.), Engineering and other colleges having all educational facilities.
\nIt has Indira Gandhi Memorial Glass House and Nripatunga Park on a Hillock.
\nKundgol, 15 km. south of Hubli, has the huge Shambhu Linga temple of
\nChalukyan times.<\/p>\n

Ikkeri<\/strong> a capital town of the Keladi Nayakas from 1512, is avery near to
\nSagar in Shimoga dt. The Aghoreshwara Temple here of the Kalamukha sect is
\na 16th Century monument of great attraction. There is also a Parvathi temple
\nnearby. The Italian traveller Pietro Della Valle gives a long description of this
\ncapital he had visitied in 1623. Keladi is another place nearby the original
\ncapital. It has the Rameshwara and Veerabhadra temples. There is also a
\nMuseum having rich collection of several sculptures besides, having a rich
\ntreasure of Palm leaf manuscripts. The museum has also brought out several
\ninvaluable books on several subjects of historical importance.<\/p>\n

Itagi<\/strong> in Yalburga taluk can be easily reached from Gadag (about 40 km.)
\nand is within the reach of Bhanapur, a Railway station in Gadag-Hospet line.
\nIt has the best of the Kalyana Chalukya temple called Mahadeva, described as
\n\u201cDevalaya Chakravarthi\u201d (Emperor among temples) in early inscriptions, built
\nby Mahadeva Dandanayaka, a commander of great Chalukya ruler Vikramaditya<\/p>\n

VI in 1112 A.D. This huge temple of fine polished pillars, intricately carved
\nbroad doorways and deep Bhuvaneshwaris in the ceiling with miniature carvings
\nis a magnificent structure of ever lasting beauty. There are a number of other
\ntemples around it and there is a huge tank in front. A Saraswati Matha meant
\nfor the residence of students is also there. Percy Brown called the temple \u201cas<\/p>\n

one of the best\u201d after Halebid. Kukanur, 10 km. from here has the Navalinga temple complex of the Rashtrakutas besides the Mahamaya, Kalleshwara and
\nMallikarjuna of Kalyana Chalukya times.<\/p>\n

Kalagi<\/strong> in Chitapura taluk, 60 kms from Gulbarga was formerly the provincial
\nheadquarters of Mannedadi-1000 during Later Chalukyan times. It has five Later
\nChalukyan temples. Among them, the Mallikarjuna temple standing in the heart of the village built by Bana Mahamandaleshvara Vira Gonkarasa in 1163 A. D.
\nis a beautiful piece of architecture, erected by a team of 12 sculptors headed by<\/p>\n

Ramoja. The Parswanatha basadi near Banasankari temple, a trikuta of 11th
\nCentury A.D., housing Parswanatha Thirthankara in the main shrine.
\nThe Kalinga temple complex situated half a km. south of the village on the
\nbank of Kalagi stream, has some temples richly adorned with several dieties of
\nlavish ornamentation. The Karidevaru (Suryanarayana) here, a trikuta, although<\/p>\n

now in ruins has the sculptures of Vishnu, Brahma, Maheshwara, Bhairava,
\nNataraja, Uma-maheshwara, Mahishamardini, Ganapati and the Madanikas
\nin different postures on its walls. It may be the Jayalingeshwara temple referred
\nin a 13th century epigraph.
\nThe Kaleshwara temple here, earliest of the place, being referred to as
\nSvayambhu Kaleshvar in a record of 1103 A.D., spaciously placed, is crowded by Nilakanta, Revana Siddeshwara, Iswara, Someshwara and Bibbeshvara on
\neither sides with a common sabha mantapa. Adjascent to it are Kasivishvanath,
\nRamalinga and Nandi temples. On the north bank of Kalagi stream are, Isvara and Narasimha temples amidst a Puskarani.<\/p>\n

Kannambadi,<\/strong> a Becharak village having the Krishnarajasagar Dam built
\nacross the river Cauvery. It had the Kanneshwara (Ganga) and the
\nGopalakrishna (Hoysala) temples of 10th and 13th Century A.D. respectively,
\nnow submerged in backwaters. Of late, both the temples have been shifted
\nand re-constructed on a higher plain in a make-shift place due to the efforts of
\none philanthrophist of Bangalore. These temples are attracting the tourists in
\nlarge numbers. The sculptures of these temples which were preserved in the
\n390 A Handbook of Karnataka
\nnewly built temples at North Bank village situated on the northern side of the
\nK.R.S. Dam, are being shifted to the make shift temple in a phased manner.
\nKrishnaraja Sagar (Mandya dt.) is a dam across the Cauvery, with the beautiful<\/p>\n

Brindavan gardens. The garden with musical fountain is to be seen in the
\nevenings.<\/p>\n

Karkala <\/strong>in Dakshina Kannada (52 km. from Mangalore) has been a notable Jaina Centre with the seat of Jaina dynasty called Bhairarasas or the Santaras
\nwhose prince Veera Pandya raised the Gommata Statue here in 1432. They also built the ornate Chaturmukha basadi with four entrances, housing Arhat,
\nMalli and Suvrata Tlrthankaras in 16th century characters the Ananthashayana<\/p>\n

and Venkataramana temple, here are of considerable antiquity and on the
\nbank of Ramasamudra tank is another basadi of early times. The St. Lawrence
\nchurch here is highly venerated. Mudabidri in Dakshnina Kannada, situated
\n35 kms. away from Mangalore is one of the famous Jaina Centres of South
\nIndia. Among the 18 basadis here, the Tribhuvana Tilaka Chudamani Basadi,
\nalso known as thousand pillared Basadi is the biggest. Other basadis are also attractive and the Jaina Matha has rare Jain manuscripts and remarkable
\nmetallic images. It was the capital of Chautas and in their old palace, there are
\nsome wooden pillars having Navanari Kunjara and Panchanari Turaga motifs
\non them.<\/p>\n

Karwar<\/strong> is the district headquarter 60 km from Bangalore of Uttar Kannada
\ndistrict bordering Goa. The town was founded in 1863 by the British, naming
\nit after Kadwad village (in the interior on the banks of the Kali, where they had
\ntheir factory from 1638) which they used to call as \u2018Karwar\u2019. Karwar has one of
\nthe finest facilities for all-weather port with a row of islands like Anjadiv,<\/p>\n

Kurmagad, Devgad etc., protecting it from storm. It has some of the finest beaches and is to the South of the Kali which meets the sea here. Across the
\nKali, crossing a new bridge is Sadashivagad, a hill fort built by Sonda Sadashiva
\nNayaka. Sadashivagad has a Durga temple and a Darga of Peer Kamruddin.
\nBinaga is to the South of Karwar. It has a modern Caustic Soda factory. Goods<\/p>\n

movement along the Kali from her mouth reached Kadra, later taken by land
\nto the interior during medieval times. Anjadeev Island (under Goa
\nadministration) is near Binaga. The Sea Bird Naval project of the Indian Navy
\nhas come up near Karwar recently and is already functioning.<\/p>\n

Kittur<\/strong> on the Dharwad-Belgaum Road, 33 km from Dharwad was the
\nheadquarters of a Desagati (minor principality) which became famous due to
\nthe revolt of Desayini Channammaji against the British in 1824. The place has
\nthe ruined Wada, a bastion, which formed part of fortification. The State Govt.
\nMuseum here has many antiquities collected from the Desai Wada. Inside the<\/p>\n

fort is the Kalmeshwara-Temple and the place has Veerashaiva Mathas called
\nChauki Matha and Hire Matha. Kittur has a Women\u2019s Sainik School. At
\nBailhongal, a taluk headquarters, the Samadhi of Channammaji, on which her
\nbronze statue is installed. Degaon, five kms from Kittur has a 12th Century
\nKarnataka,
\nKamala Narayana Temple in Chalukyan style, built by the Goa Kadambas. It is<\/p>\n

a fine monument known for its sophisticated art work. Okkunda, 10 kms. from
\nBailhongal was an important town of Rashtrakuta times (850 A.D.). Now
\nsubmerged due to Navilthirtha dam, is known by its Jaina and Shaiva Temples
\nof Later Chalukyan times which are accessable only during summer season.<\/p>\n

Kolar<\/strong>, the district headquarters, 72 km away from Bangalore is on the
\nBangalore-Madras Road, called as \u201cKuvalalapura\u201d, the first capital of the
\nGangas, has the famous Kolaramma temple, originally of the Gangas, later
\nrenovated by the Cholas. Kolaramma is Mahishamardini and she is one among
\nthe seven Mothers (Sapta Matrikas) Installed there. In another shrine next to
\nit are attractive individual stucco figures of Sapta Matrikas. The Someshwara,
\nVenkataramana and Kodandarama are other major temples in the town.
\nSomeshwara Temple built in early Hoysala period is a State protected monument
\nnow in bad shape. The \u2018Makbara\u2019 here has the graves of Haider All\u2019s relations.
\nKolar is known for its local product, the country blanket (Kambli). Antaragange
\nthree km away from Kolar, on the Kolar hills has a perennial stream emanating
\nfrom the mouth of a bull. It is considered as a holy spot. The hill top has several places like Teruhalli (old pre-vijayanagara temple), Paparajanahalli and<\/p>\n

many other seven villages. This hillock overlooking the Kolar town is a fine
\ntrekking track for the Adventure Tourism.<\/p>\n

Kollur,<\/strong> one of the Shakti worship centres of Karnataka, situated 42 km.
\nfrom Kundapur in Udupi District is famous by its Mukambika temple ascribed
\nto Adi Shankaracharya. The Goddess installed on a Shri Chakra, consecrated
\nby the saint Adi Shankara along with the Chandramoulishwara of the place
\nwas renovated and worshipped by the Keladi rulers in medieval times, is in
\nfine natural settings on the base of \u201cKodachadri\u201d.<\/p>\n

Koppal,<\/strong> now a district headquarters is ancient \u2018Kopana\u2019 a major holy place
\nof the Jainas, has two Ashokan inscriptions at Palkigundu and Gavimatha. It
\nhas a hill fort. It was the capital of a branch of Shilaharas under the Chalukyas
\nof Kalyana. Mundargi Bheema Rao and Hammige Kenchanagouda died fighting
\nagainst British here in June 1858 (during the 1857 rising series). Palkigundu<\/p>\n

is described as the Indrakila parvata of epic fame and there is an ancient Shiva
\ntemple called the Male Malleshwara. Kinhal 13 kms away from Koppal is famous
\nfor its traditional colourful lacquerware work.<\/p>\n

Kotilingeshwara,<\/strong> Kotilingeshwara temple is situated in the village
\nKammasandra in the Bangarpet taluk is attracting pilgrims from all over South
\nIndia. This place is located on the Bangarpet KGF road. This temple project
\nwas initiated by saint Sambhashivamurthy who has his original hermitage
\ncalled Valmiki Ashrama at Kammasandra who was born here on 23rd August
\n1947 has an ambition of accomplishing the installation of one crore shivalingas
\nby the ardent devotees thronging the holy place. Hence the place gets the
\nname Kotilingeshwara. This temple complex consists of more than 70 Lakhs
\nminiature Shivalingas already installed by the devotees through their donations
\nand voluntary contributions. Besides this there are temples dedicated to
\nManjunath and Brahma, Vishnu and Maheshwara. At the entrance to the
\ntemple complex is a tall rayagopura built in Dravidian style. The Manjunatha
\ntemple consists of a garbagriha, antharala and navaranga and an open
\nmukhamantapa. Inside the garbagriha is a tall Shivalinga and there is a smaller
\nshikhara atop this. There are some sculptures representing shivapurana. The
\nBrahma, Vishnu and Maheshwara temple has three cells in a row consisting of
\nall the three deities with an antharala and modern navaranga. In front of this
\ntemple is a huge Bilwa tree where it is traditionally believed young couple
\ntieing trunk is thus surrounded by innumerable miniature cradles tied on it.
\nThere is a huge shivalinga measuring 108 ft. tall and facing this is a stone
\nbull measuring 35 ft. tall. The annual jatra is held here during shivaratri when<\/p>\n

lakhs of people visit the place. There are choultries maintained by the temple
\ntrust for the convenience of the pilgrims.<\/p>\n

Lakkundi<\/strong> in Gadag taluk, 12 km from Gadag is one of the most famous
\ncentres of Kalyana Chalukyan art. The place has the highly ornate Kashi
\nVishveshwara temple in damaged condition, a twin temple, one housing Shivalinga and the other facing it of God Surya, now not seen. Another notable
\nmonument of the place is the huge Brahma Jinalaya ascribed to a noble lady
\ncalled Dana Chintamani Attimabbe. This small town, full of ruined temples
\nlike Mallikarjuna, Lakshminarayana, Manikeshwara, Virabhadra,
\nNanneshwara, Someshwara, Nilakanteshwara and others. Lakkundi also has<\/p>\n

a Museum of the A.S.I. There is a darga of Zindeshah Wali.<\/p>\n

Lakshmeshwar<\/strong> or ancient \u2018Huligere\u2019 or \u2018Puligere\u2019. the headquarters of
\nPuligere- 300 district in historical times, in Shirhatti taluk, is 72 km from
\nDharwad. The Somanatha and the Lakshmaneshwara are famous temples here
\nand over 50 stone records found here speak of its cultural importance. It was
\na Jaina Centre and Shankha basadi appears to be of the days of the Chalukyas<\/p>\n

of Badami, subsequently renovated. The Kali Masjid here is an ornate structure,
\nbuilt by Bijapur Commander Ankush Khan. Before Independence, the place
\nbelonged to the Miraj Patwardhan State.<\/p>\n

Maddur<\/strong>, a taluk headquarters in Mandya dt. is 20 km from Mandya. It is
\ndescribed in early Tamil records as \u201cMaranduru\u201d {in Tamil, Marandu to mean
\nmedicine) and the Temple referred too there as Vaijnatha (God of medicine). While traditions ascribe it to sage Kadamba and Arjuna, it was also called as
\nNarasimha-Chaturvedi Mangalam in the Hoysala records. Madduramma is the<\/p>\n

village goddess of the place. The Narasimha Swamy Temple here of the Hoysalas
\nhas the seven feet Narasimha sculpture. The Varadaraja temple is a Chola
\nstructure with a 12 feet tall Varadaraja image. Vaidyanathapura five kms. from Maddur situated on Shimsha bank is famous for its Vaidyanatha temple
\nof Chola period. Shivapura nearby place was the site where the first session of<\/p>\n

Karnataka, Mysore Congress was held in 1938. There is a modern building \u2018Satyagraha
\nSaudha\u2019 to commemorate it.<\/p>\n

Madhugiri <\/strong>in Tumkur dt, 43 km from Tumkur, is famous for its massive
\nhill fort. Its ancient name is Maddagiri and it has temples of Venkataramana
\nand Malleshwara built by Vijayanagara feudatories. There is also a Mallinatha
\nbasadi. Rani Virammaji of Keladi was held captive here by Haider Ali and later,
\nMarathas released her, but she died on her way to Pune. The fort has majestic<\/p>\n

gateways called Antaralada Bagilu, Diddibagilu, Mysore Gate etc. Midigeshi 19
\nkm from here is another tall hill fort of importance in Medieval times.<\/p>\n

Madikeri,<\/strong> the headquarters of the Kodagu district is on the ranges of
\nWestern Ghats, 250km from Bangalore. It was the capital of a royal family
\ncalled the Haleri Rajas whose rule was ended by the British in 1834. The place has a fort and a palace building in which district office now functions. The
\nwalls of the building have some paintings. There is an old Church inside the
\nfort which houses the State Archaelogy Museum. The Omkareshwara Temple
\nand the tombs of the Kodagu Rajas, Doddaveera Rajendra and Lingarajendra
\nare all in Indo-Saracenic style. The Raja\u2019s Seat overlooking the valley gives a panaromic view of the surrounding coffee and paddy growing lush geen lands.
\nThe Kodavas have their own distinct culture and folk arts; they are know for
\ntheir hospitality and valourous military qualities Near Madikeri is \u2018Roshanara,\u2019
\nthe residence of the late. Field Marshall K.M. Kariyappa.<\/p>\n

Magadi<\/strong>, a taluk headquarters of Bangalore Rural dt., is 41 km from
\nBangalore. Kempegowda was forced to leave Bangalore in 1638 and make
\nMagadi his headquarters where his family built the fort and the Rameshwara
\ntemple. There is also the Someshwara temple built in 1712 with Kempegowda\u2019s
\nhazara near it. Its wall paintings are now fading. Tirumale is a hill near the
\ntown where there is a vast Ranganatha Temple, but actually the deity being
\nworshipped is Srinivasa as Srinivasa is standing in samabhangi with shanka
\nchakra, varada and katihasta as per the Shilpashastra.<\/p>\n

Mahadeshwara Betta<\/strong>, a hill very close to the Eastern Ghats, is 220 kms
\nfrom Bangalore and 142 kms from Mysore and is in Chamarajanagar dt. A
\nsaint called Mahadeshwara who it is said, could ride tiger, lived here during
\nthe 14th and 15th century has his gadduge here. The hill is full of thick forests
\nand thousands of pilgrims visits the place which has guest houses and other
\nfacilities. It is a very picturesque spot of natural beauty.<\/p>\n

Mandya,<\/strong> a district headquarters town in between Mysore and Bangalore is
\n100 km from Bangalore and it has a large sugar factory (1933). Though its
\nname is ascribed to Mandavya Rishi, records speak of \u2018Mantheya\u2019. The place
\nhas Lakshmi Janardhana Swamy temple which is a vast renovated structure.
\nMandya has a small zoo-garden. It is a prosperous place due to richly irrigated<\/p>\n

lands around.<\/p>\n

Mangalore<\/strong> is the ancient town \u2018Mangalapura\u2019 and is on the west coast of
\nKarnataka with both an old and a modern port. It is the head-quarters of the
\nDakshina Kannada District. It was for long the capital of the Alupas. The
\nVijayanagara rulers posted one of their governors here. It came under the
\nBanga feudatory and the Portuguese opened a factory here for trade and brought
\nRoman Catholic religion too. Conquered by Haider, it became the chief port of
\nMysore and Sultan\u2019s Battery near the port is the remnescents of his rule.
\nWhen it fell to the English (1799) they made it the district headquarters of
\nKanara. The Basel Mission that came here in 1834 started an English school,
\nprinting, tile (terracotta) factory and weaving have helped to modernise the
\nplace. The first Kannada neswpaper \u2018Mangalura Samachara\u2019 (1834) was a
\nmissionary venture.
\nMangalore has the old Mangaladevi temple and the Kadri Manjunatha temple
\nwhere once Buddhists had stayed. There are fine bronze statues of<\/p>\n

Avalokiteshwara and Dhyani Buddha and some laterite caves around Kadri
\ntemple. The Venkataramana, Mahamayi and the huge modern Gokarna Natha
\nare important temples of Mangalore. Bengre has a fine beach. The Light House
\nHill has the Idagah. The St. Aloysius College here has a chapel with fine
\npaintings. St. Rozario Church, Church of the Most Holy Rosary and the Milagres<\/p>\n

Church are some fine Christian monuments here. Shanti Cathedral of the
\nBassel Mission in also famous. The port area has an old mosque with fine
\nwood work. Dongarkery has the Shamir mosque. Mangalore is famous for its
\nSea Food and jasmine known for its unique aroma. A second grade college,
\nfounded by Madras Government in Mangalore around 1869, was the first of its<\/p>\n

kind in Karnataka. Mangalore has now a University. It has tile, coffee curing,
\nfish processing and cashew processing units. Beedi production is a home
\nindustry. Mangalore Fertilizers and petro chemicals Industries is a major public
\nenterprise. Mangalore has a City Corporation.<\/p>\n

Melukote,<\/strong> the temple town in Mandya district is a great centre of pilgrimage.
\nThe Cheluvanarayana Swamy here was for long worshipped by Acharya
\nRamanuja {12th Century). The temple came to be expanded under Vijayanagar and Mysore rulers. The latter presented the temple with many costly jewels
\nincluding Vairamudi, a diamond-studded crown. On the hilltop there is a<\/p>\n

Narasimha temple also. Melukote is a great centre of traditional Sanskrit
\nlearning and the Samskrita Academy here is a newly founded institution having
\na huge collection of ancient palm Leaf Manuscripts with modern amenities. Mysore<\/strong>, the district and divisional headquarters, is the ancient royal capital
\nnd the garden city. It is 139 km west of Bangalore. Though described as
\n\u2018Mahishapura\u2019, the old records speak \u2018Mayisooru\u2019 which has nothing to do with
\nMahisha or Mahishasura. In the inscriptions found here and elsewhere the
\nplace name has been mentioned as \u2018Mayisooru\u2019 which means \u2018mayi\u2019 (antelope)
\nand \u2018Ooru\u2019 meaning place. The Mysore royal palace is a major attraction with
\nIndo-Saracenic exterior and Hoysala interior, completed in 1907. It is
\nKarnataka,<\/p>\n

illuminated during holiday evenings. The palace\u2019s Kalyana Mantapa has fine
\nwall paintings of the Dasara procession and Durbar scenes done in 1930s and
\n1940s by the Palace artists. Besides the several temples situated in the palace
\ncomplex, the Kote Anjaneya, Kote Maramma, Parshwanatha (near corporation),
\nKanyaka Parameshwari (Doddapet and Shivaram Pet), Renuka Yellamma
\n(Mysore Karaga fame) near zoo garden, Satyanarayana (Vantikoppal),
\nRaghavendra Math, etc., are also important. The Chamundi Hill has a
\nMahishasura Statue outside, done in cement and a large entrance tower at the
\nChamundi Temple. Beside this temple, there is a tenth century Mahabala temple
\nand records call the hill as \u201cMarbala Betta\u201d. The hill has steps and on way is a
\nmonolithic Nandi. Lalita Mahal Palace is a hotel now. Another Palace
\nCheluvamba mansion which is a heritage building houses C.F.T.R.I. The Jagan
\nMohan Art Gallery also was a palace. The Parakala Matha is an imposing
\nbuilding near this. Mysore has the famous zoo garden too. The Oriental
\nManuscript Library is also housed in an impressive building. The University
\nwas founded in 1916. The Sutturu Matha, the Railway Museum, the Premier
\nStudio, the Ramakrishna Ashrama and the Sachidananda Ganapathi
\n(Dattatreya Peetha) Ashrama are other attractions of Mysore. The St. Philomina
\nChurch is an impressive Gothic style of architecture with imposing towers in
\nN.R. Mohalla of Mysore. Mysore is the most important tourist centre of
\nKarnataka. Its Dasara festival is the most attractive pageant. Brindavan Gardens<\/p>\n

raised on the other bank of KRS dam with attractive musical fountain is very
\nclose to Mysore city and also easily approachable. Mysore has grown to be an
\nindustrial centre too with the Railway worshop, Ideal Jawa Factory, B.E.M.L.
\nUnit, Vikrant Tyres, etc., The Natural Museum near D.F.R.L. in Siddartha
\nLayout and the Fantacy Park on Bangalore Road are the recent additions of<\/p>\n

tourist interest. It has a City Municipal Corporation. Of late Mysore is being
\ndeveloped as a second IT city of Karnataka with the founding of Software
\nIndustries of International repute.<\/p>\n

Nanjangud<\/strong>, a taluk head quarters in Mysore district, situated 20 kms.
\nfrom Mysore on the bank of Kapila is famous due to the Nanjundeshwara
\ntemple, almost 1000 years old. It is a big complex having Nanjundeshwara
\nand Parvati temples enclosed by prakara with a huge Gopura on the entrance
\nGateway and on the hara of the prakara, beautifully designed stucco figures of<\/p>\n

gods and goddesses in rows are executed effectively. It is interesting to note
\nthat Tippu made donations to this temple of an Emerald Necklace. There is a
\nRaghavendraswamy Matha, Suttur Matha and Siddappaji\u2019s shrine of the
\nManteswamy tradition.<\/p>\n

Pattadakal<\/strong> saw the Badami Chalukyan art in its full bloom. It is 22 km
\naway from Badami and 514 km from Bangalore. The best temples like the
\nVirupaksha (Trailokeshwara) and the Mallikarjuna (Lokeshwara) were built by
\nthe queens of Vikramaditya II (734-44 A.D.) in memory of his three victorious
\nmarch against Kanchi, the Pallava capital. These magnificient temples with
\n396 A Handbook of Karnataka
\ntheir nicely engraved lively figures on walls and the massive square pillars are
\nin sand stone. Pattadakal itself was known as Kisuvolal (\u2018Red Town\u2019) as the
\nsand stone and soil here are reddish in colour. The Sangameshwara, Papanatha, Chandrashekhara, Jambulinga and Kadasiddeshwara are the other major
\ntemples here, and Pattadakal has also a Jaina basadi of the Rashtrakuta times
\nwith two beautiful elephants in its front. The Galaganath temple here which is
\ndilapidated, has curvilinear (rekhanagara) shikhara. This place is included in
\nthe World Heritage Series by the NESCO.<\/p>\n

Raichur,<\/strong> the headquarters of the district of the same name is 475 km
\naway from Bangalore. It has a hillfort originally built in 1294 by a Kakatiya (of
\nWarangal) officer and later expanded by the ahamanis. A 41 -feet long slab
\nnear the Raichur bus stand, fixed into the fort wall has a Telugu record and
\nalso sculptures of the scense of how huge slabs were transported atop the hill<\/p>\n

with the help of buffalo driven carts. The outer fortification has five majestic
\ngateways, the Sikandari Darwaza and Sailani Darwaza being impressive. The
\nNavrangi Darwaza is created by Vijayanagara rulers with many court scenes of
\nVijayanagara. The town has a majestic Ekminar mosque of the days of
\nMohammed Shah Bahmani, The lone minaret is 65 feet tall. The Jami Masjid
\nhere is the biggest of its kind. There are many modern temples in the town of
\nwhich Manikprabhu and the Ramalingeshwara temples are notable.<\/p>\n

Sandur<\/strong> is a taluk headquarters in Bellary district. It is in a valley surrounded
\nby hills, and the hills abound in quality iron and manganese ore. Sandur is
\nderived from \u2018sandu\u2019 in Kannada, meaning a \u2018pass\u2019. It was formerly under the
\nMaratha rulers called the Ghorpades till 1947 and the palace surrounded by a
\nfort is an attractive building. The town has a Vithoba temple with impressive<\/p>\n

pillars. One of the hill ranges has the attractive Kumaraswamy temple and also the Parvati temple. The Parvati temple perhaps was the original
\nKumaraswamy temple of Badami Chalukya times which now houses a recent
\nParvati figure and the Shanmukha {Kumaraswamy) temple is a Rashtrakuta
\nstructure with a modern image. The twin temples are excellent pieces of art
\nand are in a sarene place, and are surrounded by rose gardens. The place is 12
\nkm. from Sandur town. Not far away from here is the Nandihalli Post-Graduate
\nCentre of the Gulbarga University and 16 km. away from Sandur is<\/p>\n

Ramanadurga or Ramgad. There is a Rama temple on this cool hill resort,
\ncommemorating Kumara Rama, a historical figure who died fighting against
\nDelhi Sultan\u2019s army.<\/p>\n

Sannati<\/strong> in chitapur taluk of Gulbarga district, situated 48 kms from
\nchitapur and 18 kms from Nalwar railway station, on the left bank of river
\nBhima, is one of the important pre-historic and historic sites of Karnataka. It
\nwas an important Buddhist centre during both the Mauryas and the
\nSathavahanas. So far four Asokan edicts have been found at Sannati. In
\nKanaganahalli, a near by place, Buddhist stupas of Sathavahana period have
\nbeen unearthed. Excavations held at this place have proved beyond doubt of its Sathavahana township. Some findings speak of its contact with Rome. But
\nnow the Chandralamba temple of the place has revived its lost glory. It is
\nsituated on a mound containing Mauryan remnants, built later during
\nRashtrakuta period and expanded during Later Chalukya period. People from
\ndifferent places throng here on the occassion of Sankramana, Sravana and
\nNavarathri.<\/p>\n

Saundatti<\/strong> in Belgaum district is a taluk headquarters (74 km. from
\nBelgaum) and the town proper has a fort on the hill built during the 18th
\nCentury, by the Sirasangi Desai with eight bastions. Earlier it was also the
\ncapital of the Rattas who later shifted their headquarters to Belgaum. There
\nare two small Jaina basadis of Ratta times and the temples of Ankeshwara,
\nPuradeshwara, Mallikarjuna, Venkateshwara and the Veerabhadra. The
\nPuradeshwara is of the Kalyana Chalukyas, dilapidated now. The Ankeshwar
\nwas built by the Rattas in 1048, also in Chalukyan style. The Renukasagar<\/p>\n

waters (from the Naviluteertha dam across the Malaprabha) touch the outskirts
\nof Saundatti. Yellmmmanagudda, 12 km. away from Saundatti is on a hill.
\nThis original Rashtrakuta basadi is now used to worship Yellamma or Renuka
\nand the devotees visit it in hundreds daily. Two km. away is Parasgad, a
\nwonderful hill fort, expanded by Shivaji, now getting dilapidated.<\/p>\n

Shimoga<\/strong> a district headquarters, 274 km. from Bangalore is on the bank
\nof the Tunga river. It was a notable centre under the Keladi Nayakas. Their
\npalace now houses a museum of State Archaeology Department. The Kote
\nSeetharamanjaneya temple and Sri Raghavendra Matha are the oldest in the
\ntown. Shimoga is a centre of paddy and areca trade and there is a Govt. sandal
\noil factory here. It is a cool place near the ranges of the Western Ghats. The
\nplace has the Bhimeshwara, Lakshminarayana and Guddekal Siddheshwara
\ntemples and the Sacred Heart Church of the Catholics.<\/p>\n

Sirivala,<\/strong> situated 15 kms from the taluk head quarters Shahapur, on the
\nright bank of Bhima has more than 20 ancient temples. Among them, 10 are
\nwithin the village seven scattered on the Anabi road and the remaining three
\nsituated on the other side of the stream flowing across the village. Among the
\nlast three, named Sujnyaneshvara, Nannaiah and Nagaiah temples, the last<\/p>\n

two are of Rashtrakuta period. Among the temples scattered across Anabi
\nroad, five are Ekakutas and the remaining two are dvikuta temples in dilapidated
\ncondition. The Pushkarnies at Sujnyaneshvar and on the Anabi Road, have
\nthe narrative panels of PanchaTantra stories depicted beautifully. Of the ten
\ntemples in the village, Siddalingeshvar temple is unique by its sarvatobhadra<\/p>\n

plan. It is a Panchakuta temple with the main shrine at the centre and the remaining four situated on its four directions adorned with richly ornamented
\ndesigns. One of the epigraphs of the place refer to Sharana Revana Siddaiah
\nand his father Shivayogi Shantimaiah and confirm their affiliation with this
\nplace. The great Sharana Siriyalasetty is locally believed as a native of this
\nplace. There are other temples like Bala Bhimeshvara, Mallikarjuna,
\nunderground temple, Hanumantha, and an un named temple although in ruins
\nare noteworthy.<\/p>\n

Shivagange<\/strong>, a prominent pilgrimage centre in Bangalore Rural dt., is about
\n60 km. from Bangalore. It is a conical shaped hill and one of the caves has
\nShiva (Gangadhara) shrine and another cave has Honnadevl of Ganga times
\noriginally in a natural cave, which was expanded by the Hoysalas and
\nsubsequent rulers including the Kempegowdas of Bangalore. The place was
\nalso known as Kakudgiri according to tradition. One can climb further on the
\nhill and there is Kempegowda\u2019s Hazara with Vijayanagara style pillars, and at the top of the hill is an image of Kumbhi Basava. Below the hill there is a shiva
\ntemple called Shanteshwara, the Shankara Matha of Sringeri tradition and
\nalso a huge tank which has relief sculptures narrating epic events. There is a
\nLingayat Matha called Mahanta Matha on the hill, and once it is said, there
\nwere 64 Lingayat Mathas at the place. Of the many images in the Shiva temple,
\none of Kempegowda as a devotee is notable.<\/p>\n

Shoropur <\/strong>is a taluk centre in Gulbarga district, 520 km. from Bangalore.
\nIts real name is Surapur and it was the headquarters of a feudatory Nayakas
\nin the heart of Sagaranadu. The place has a fine fort but the parts of palaces
\ninside are being dismantled. Its prince Venkatappa Nayaka had revolted against
\nthe British in 1858. Meadows Taylor was the Resident here and his residence,
\nTaylor Manzil is now used as a guest house. There is a Gopalaswamy temple in the town.<\/p>\n

Shravanabelagola<\/strong> in Hassan District, 157 km. away from Bangalore is an important Jaina centre. There is a pond and two stony hills, called Chandragiri
\nand Indragiri. Chandragiri has the Chandragupta basadi of the Gangas and the Parshwanatha basadi here is the biggest. The town below the hill has the
\nJaina matha whose walls have very old paintings. Indragiri has the Gommata<\/p>\n

monolith, 58′ tall, installed by a Ganga general and scholar Chavundaraya, in
\n982 A.D. There is also Siddhara basadi, Odegal basadi, Chennanna basadi,
\nChauwisa Tirthankara basadi besides the finely engraved Tyagada Brahmadeva
\npillar with excellent floral designs. To the north of the town is Jinanathapura
\nwhich has Aregal basadi and the Shantinatha basadi of Hoysala times.<\/p>\n

Shravanabelagola has over 500 inscriptions, and some of them record the
\ndeath of Jaina ascetics and laymen by observing starvation (\u2018sallekhana\u2019].
\nGommata here is an image of unrivalled beauty. Head Anoiting (Maha Masthakabhisheka) festival is held once in 12 years.<\/p>\n

Sira<\/strong> Tumkur district a taluk headquarters is 52 km. from Tumkur. The
\ntown called Siriya was founded by Rangappa Nayaka of Ratnagiri, a feudatory
\nof Vijayanagara. It was conquered by the Mughuls in 1686 and they raised a
\nbeautiful garden called Khan Bag. The Jumma masjid here is a fine monument
\nbuilt in 1896 and the Malik Rihan\u2019s tomb is another impressive structure. The<\/p>\n

fort is still there in parts, was expanded by the Mughuls. The Gopalakrishna<\/p>\n

temple here has no image, and it is said to be housed in the Narayana temple.
\nThe place was the centre of a Mughul Fauzdari and Kasim Khan was the first
\nfauzdar. Haider secured it as a gift later. Seebi, 24 km. to the south of Slra was
\nknown earlier as Sibburu and there is a Narasimhaswamy temple built during
\nthe 18th century by Nallappa an officer under Haider Ali. Nallappa has written<\/p>\n

\u2018Haider-naame\u2019 in Kannada. The temple is profusely decorated with mural
\npaintings depicting the themes of Ramayana, Mahabharatha and Dashavatara.
\nThere are many secular themes including erotic figures in good number.<\/p>\n

Sirsi<\/strong>, a taluk headquarters in Uttara Kannada is 90 kms. from Karwar. In
\na record of 1150 AD from Tamadi Kallala in Siddapura Taluk, it is mentioned
\nas \u201cSirise\u201d. The place has the Shankara, Ganapathi and Veerabhadra of early
\ntimes, the Triyambakeshvara and the Gopalakrishna are of recent times. The
\nMarikamba temple of the place is said to have been built in 1689, is most<\/p>\n

significant. Its architecture is marvellous. Its Car festival which occurs biannually
\nin the month of Magha is attended by devotees in thousands. Mahatma
\nGandhi, visited this place in 1934, since Sirsi being a notable centre of freedom
\nmovement,<\/p>\n

Somanathpur<\/strong>, ten km. away from T. Narsipur, the taluk headquarters
\nand 40 km, from Mysore, has the best of the Hoysala temples constructed
\nwhen the Hoysala art was in full bloom. The three vesara shikharas of the
\nKeshava temple are in good condition. Somanathpur was called Vidhyanidhi
\nagrahara and Somanath Dandanayaka, the commander of Hoysala Narasimha<\/p>\n

III built the trikuta temple and the place was named after him. It is the finest
\nmonument of the place. The other temples are the Panchalingeshwara.
\nLakshminarayana and Narasimheswara. The Keshava temple is enclosed by a
\ncourtyard of 215 feet in length and 177 feet in breadth. It stands on a platform
\nwith triple shrines with three majestic shikharas on them with a common
\nnavaranga and main entrance. It is profusely decorated on the outer walls and there are rows of figures of Natya Saraswati, Natya Ganapathi, Mahishamardini,
\nVaraha, Ishwara, Indra etc., and smaller figures narrating Vaishnava epics.
\nThe navaranga has 16 ankanas each with a highly decorative floral or geometric
\ndesigns. The Keshava image in the main shrine is missing but Janardana and
\nVenugopala are seen in other two garbhagrihas, are really charming. The
\nshikharas look like highly decorated rathas. The panels on the walls of the
\nKeshava have sign-manuals of sculptors like Mallitamma, Baleya, Chaudeya,<\/p>\n

Chamaya, Bharmaya, Nanjaya and Yelasamayya. The Keshava temple is a must
\nfor every lover of Hoysala art. The Panchalinga do not have much of
\nembellishment, but it has five Shiva shrines in a row.<\/p>\n

Sonda<\/strong> in Sirsi taluk of Uttara Kannada is 35 kms. away from Sirsi. It is in
\nthe middle of thick forest. It was the headquarters of the Sonde rulers who
\nwere feudatories of Vijayanagara. The place when occupied by Haider Ali in
\n1763 lost its importance though it was a major town earlier to that. Its large
\nnumber of monuments are spread over a wide area in the forest. It was a Jaina<\/p>\n

centre, and has the samadhi of great scholar Bhattakalanka (died in 1604).
\nThere is a small Jaina Matha here. The Swarnavalli Matha near sonda is of the
\nSmartha tradition. Arasappa Nayaka, a prince, was a devotee of Vadiraja swamy
\n(1480-1600), a great Madhwa saint, who shifted his matha (one of the eight of
\nUdupi) to this place and his Samadhi (Brindavana) is seen here. There is a<\/p>\n

Trivikrama temple raised by him. The Swarnavalli Matha of the Havyaka
\nBrahmins found near Sonda has a rich collection of traditional Palm Leaf
\nManuscripts. There is also the Shankaranarayana temple at Sonda and the
\nGaddige Matha. The river Shalmala creates a falls of 91 metres height called
\nthe Shivaganga falls, at a place five km. from Sonda. The Sahasralingas on the<\/p>\n

rocky path of the river is a wonderful scene. Thousands visit this place with
\nutmost devotion.<\/p>\n

Sringeri<\/strong> is one of four centres in India where Acharya Shankara founded
\nhis Mathas. The place in Chikmagalur district is 334 km. away from Bangalore
\nand is a taluk headquarter. Sringeri has an old Parshwanatha basadi. There is
\nthe Sharadamba temple ascribed to Acharya Shankara and the magnificent
\nVidyashankara temple on the banks of the Tunga river, built during the 14th<\/p>\n

century. It has 12 pillars inside called Rashikambhas and sun\u2019s rays fall on a
\nspecific pillar in the morning on each solar month. There is the Sachchidananda
\nVilasa Ashrama, the Kalabhairava temple, and temples built in memory of
\nNarasimha Bharati and Chandrashekara Bharati, the previous pontiffs. The
\nSringeri Matha grew to be jahgir as Vijayanagara, Mysore, and other families<\/p>\n

made munificient grants. Tipu also made liberal donations to the matha. Sringeri
\nis a quiet serene place with many guest houses for visitors. It is a centre of
\nSamskrit Learning also.<\/p>\n

Srirangapattana<\/strong> in Mandya district is a holy place. It was also the capital
\nof the Mysore rulers. Under Haider and Tipu, it had a population of 1.50 lakhs.
\nIt is 14 km. from Mysore, and is an island in between two branches of the
\nCauvery. The Ranganath temple here is ascribed to a chieftain who raised it
\nduring the 9th Century A.D. Later Hoysala prince Vinayaditya expanded the<\/p>\n

temple during the 12th Century. The fort here was built in 1454. The Mysore
\nrulers made it their capital in 1610 in the days of Raja Wodeyar, who took it
\nfrom the Vijayanagara Governor. The Ranganatha temple is called Adi Ranga
\nwhich has Hoysala, Vijayanagara and later features and the Gppura (entrance)
\nis in Vijayanagara style. Not far away from the temple is the mosque with twin<\/p>\n

impressive polygonal minarets. Its suburb, Ganjam has Dariya Daulat palace
\nof Tipu and Gumbaz, the Mausoleum of Haider and Tipu both impressive
\nstructures of Indo-Saracenic style. The palace has paintints, fine wood work and it houses a museum. Paschima Vahini (the Western flow) of the river here,
\nhas many temples and old rest houses is a very serene place. The Abbe Dubbois<\/p>\n

Church and Nimishamba temple nearby are worth seeing.<\/p>\n

Talakad<\/strong> in Mysore district is a holy place on the banks of the Cauvery, 29
\nkm. from T. Narasipur, its taluk headquarters. It was the second capital of the
\nGangas. They built the Pataleshwara and the Maruleshwara temples here.
\nHoysala Vishnuvardhana conquering it from the Cholas, built the Kirti Narayana
\ntemple. The Vaidyanatheshwara is another Shiva temple here. The Arkeshwara<\/p>\n

at Vijayapura not far away from Talakadu, three Shiva temples here and the
\nMallikarjuna on hill nearby called Mudukutore together are Pancha Lingas
\nand a Jatra in honour of these five Shiva temples is held once in 12 years
\ncalled Pancha Linga Darshana. Talakadu is full of sands, carried by the wind
\nfrom the dried bed of the river, which has a bund across it here, built by
\nMadhava Mantri of Vijayanagara during the 14th century. In summer, the
\ndried bed supplies the sand. Excavations conducted recently have brought to
\nlight remains of the early centuries of the Christian era which include beads, a
\ngold smelting clin etc., and also the remains of a basadi and two well-like
\ncylindrical structures made by joining earthen rigs.<\/p>\n

Talakaveri <\/strong>is the point of origin of the Cauvery river in Kodagu district, 28
\nkm. from Madikeri on the ranges of the Brahmagiri hill. There is a small square
\ntank from which the Cauvery is believed to emanate and move for some distance
\nas a subterranean flow. There are two shrines dedicated to Ishwara and
\nGanapathi here. On Tula Sankramana day Cauvery is believed to start her<\/p>\n

flow afresh from the square tank and a large Jatra takes place here. Brahmagiri
\nhas steps from here, and atop the hill there are some remains of sacrificial
\nattar. This quiet resort is amidst hilly forest surroundings. Tinthini, in Surapur
\ntaluk of Gulbarga dt, on the bank of Krishna is famous due to the religious
\nharmony. Maunappaiah, the Vishwakarma saint\u2019s tomb here is worshipped
\nboth by Hindus and Muslims with due respect.<\/p>\n

Tumkur <\/strong>is the district headquarters, 70 km. to the north of Bangalore. It is
\ncalled Tummugere\u2019 in a 10th Century record. The oldest temple here is
\nLakshminarayana built in 1560. It came under Mysore during the 17th century
\nwhen a Maruti temple was built. Nearby Kyatsandra the Siddhaganga Kshetra
\nis situated on a hill. There is a Veerashaiva Matha at Siddhaganga known for
\nits unique educational service. It runs a free hostel feeding nearly 5000 students.
\nIt also runs many educational institutions including an engineering college.
\nSiddhaganga has the samadhi of Siddhalingeshwara, a Veerashaiva saint and
\nthere is a natural spring called Siddhaganga.<\/p>\n

Udupi<\/strong>, a holy place and now a district headquarters is 58 kms. away from
\nMangalore. The Krishna temple here built and the mein deity of Krishna was
\ninstalled by Acharya Madhwa (1200-1280 AD) during the 13th century. He
\nfounded eight Mathas to conduct the services of Lord Krishna in turns. This
\nchanging of turn, Paryaya festival, is held once in two years in January. The
\nplace has Kadiyali Durga temple, Ambalapadi Shakti temple, Raghavendra
\nMatha and the Venkataramana swamy temple. Malpe a near by port has fine
\nbeach and the Vadabhandeshwara temple of Balarama. Manipal near Udupi is
\na great educational centre with a well equipped modern hospital and a
\npathological museum. It has a deemed University, MARE.
\n402 A Handbook of Karnataka<\/p>\n

Ulavi<\/strong> in Uttara Kannada, 32 km. from Yellapur can be reached from Haliyal
\nalso. It is amidst thick forests, where there is the Samadhi of Chennabasavanna
\n(the nephew of Saint Basaveshwara) who sought shelter here after leaving
\nKalyana in about 1167 when the Kalachuri king had resorted to a witch hunt
\nagainst the Sharanas after the death of Bijjala. Gavi Matha here is a series of<\/p>\n

caves in which the Sharanas lived. One cave is named after Akka Nagamma, Chennabasavanna\u2019s mother. The imposing structure here is the Samadhi of
\nChennabasavanna which has Nandi installed in the sanctum. The Shikhara of
\nthis sanctum has stucco figures of the Sharanas. The temple was expanded by
\nthe Sode rulers. Every month on Poornima days, a jatra is held and the annual<\/p>\n

jatra is held on Shivaratri days. Hundreds visit the place daily. There are some
\nrest houses for visitors. There is also a fort in ruins called Baburayana Kote.<\/p>\n

Yediyur<\/strong> in Tumkur district (Kunigal taluk) has the samadhi (matha) of
\nTontada Siddhalingeshwara Yati, a famous Veerashaiva saint who lived during
\nthe 16th century. The place is 30 km. away from Kunigal, Pilgrims who visit
\nthe place in hundreds daily are fed free, and there are rest houses for them.
\nThe Matha has a fine wooden chariot (ratha) with some interesting sculptures.<\/p>\n

The place has a Varadaraja temple and two Veerashaiva Mathas. The Matha\u2019s
\nbuilding has some old paintings on walls.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n
FORUM<\/strong><\/a><\/td>\nDIRECTORY<\/strong><\/a><\/td>\nBLOG<\/strong><\/a><\/td>\nBanagalore Darshan<\/strong><\/a><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Historical Places in Karnataka<\/a><\/strong><\/td>\nArcheology in Karnataka<\/a><\/strong><\/td>\nDams in Karnataka<\/a><\/strong><\/td>\nDistricts of Karnataka<\/a><\/strong><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Beaches in Karnataka<\/strong><\/a><\/td>\nHill Station in Karnataka<\/strong><\/a><\/td>\nIslands of Karnataka<\/strong><\/a><\/td>\nWaterfalls in Karnataka<\/strong><\/a><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Birds Sanctuaries in Karnataka<\/strong><\/a><\/td>\nNational Parks in Karnataka<\/strong><\/a><\/td>\nWildlife Sanctuary of Karnataka<\/strong><\/a><\/td>\nRivers in Karnataka<\/strong><\/a><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Holiday Resorts <\/strong><\/a><\/td>\nFairs in Karnataka <\/strong><\/a><\/td>\nFestivals in Karnataka <\/strong><\/a><\/td>\nTemples in Karnataka <\/strong><\/a><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

FORUM DIRECTORY BLOG Banagalore Darshan Historical Places in Karnataka Archeology in Karnataka Dams in Karnataka Districts of Karnataka Beaches in […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-162","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.holidaylandmark.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/162","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.holidaylandmark.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.holidaylandmark.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.holidaylandmark.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.holidaylandmark.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=162"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.holidaylandmark.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/162\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":163,"href":"https:\/\/www.holidaylandmark.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/162\/revisions\/163"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.holidaylandmark.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=162"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.holidaylandmark.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=162"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.holidaylandmark.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=162"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}