15 Must See Places in Karnataka
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Travel enthusiasts are never satisfied with their quest to
explore more and more new places. The world is full if unseen places and culture.
The delicacies and cuisines one gets to taste is unique from place to place.
Here is a list of 15 worth visiting places in Karnataka.
Each place is a package in itself with fascinating destinations within.
Welcome to Karnataka.
1.Mysore
Mysore is a royal city which is also known as City of
Palaces. The Jaganmohan Palace, Lalitha Mahal, Amba Vilas Palace, Cheluvamba
Mansion, Rajendra Vilas Palace, Jayalakshmi Vilas, there are several palaces in
and around the city.
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| Mysore Palace Amba Vilas |
Only Amba Vilas which is the main palace of Mysore is open
to public. Rest all historic building have been converted to star hotels, or
other government official buildings, or colleges or library.
Jagan Mohan Palace is present day’s art gallery which holds
several beautiful paintings of Wodeyar Royal Family and Mysore.
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| Mysore Chamundi Temple |
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| Mysore Nandi Bull Temple |
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| Mysore Brindavan Garden KRS Dam |
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| Mysore Karanji Kere |
Mysore has several other attractions like Mysore Zoo,
Chamundi Temple & Bull Temple on the Chamundi Hill, Brindavan Gardens, KRS
Back Water, Mysore Race Club,
2. Madikeri
Madikeri is a cool destination for a quick break from the
busy daily life. Madikeri is easily driveable from Bangalore and is a perfect
getaway for weekends.
Dubare where the wild jungle elephants are caught and
trained. The elephant camp shows how the elephants are bathed, fed, trained to
do several other activities.
The Golden temple in Kushalnagar where Tibetan monks seek
knowledge and education is a must see temple premises. Dalai La Ma holds a
prime position here.
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| Madikeri Tebetian Monestry |
Nisarga Dhama is another attraction in Madikeri which is in
the outskirts of Madikeri.
Inside Madikeri the famous Raja Seat is not to be missed. It
is said that the Royal King would drive to this seat and watch the surroundings
for a relaxation.
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| Madikeri Nisarga Dhama |
Abbey falls is another attraction which is located within a
private estate area in Madikeri. Also there are several coffee estates in
Madikeri though which you can trek.
You should not miss buying the coffee, honey, cardamom and
even black pepper. They have their unique natural fragrance in Madikeri (also
known as Coorg)
3. Chikmagalur
Chikmagalur which literally means ‘the tow of the younger
daughter’ in Kannada is again a town famous for coffee. The resorts and home
stays in the the estate area is a big treat one can give themselves.
The hill ranges around are mostly driveable. Baba Budan
Giri, Mullayana Giri are the popular destinations since they remain cool
throughout the year.
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| Chickamagalur hill regions |
Baba Budan Giri is religiously important for both Hindus and
Muslims. There are several caves and waterfalls which narrates the residing of
saints in the region ages ago.
Another prime attraction of Chikmagalur is Kemmangundi which
is a place with two prominent waterfalls. These waterfalls were a summer
retreat for the Mysore Royals too.
4. Belur & Halebeedu
The list of heritage places in Karnataka begins with naming
Belur & Halebeedu Temples. These temple show case one of the finest
architecture of South India. The famous architect Jakanacharya built the finest
temples for Hoysalas and Chalukyas.
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| Belur Chennakesava Temple |
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| Belur Chennakesava Temple Carvings |
The sculpture of dancers, goddess, kings, the emblem, the
avatars of vishnu, the purana stories, and most importantly the very famous Darpana
Sundari (the beauty with mirror) are to witnessed.
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| Halebidu Hoysaleswara Temple |
Read more about Hoysala Temples HERE
5. Bangalore
Bangalore, the capital city of Karnataka was once a
beautiful city of colorful gardens. Even to this day there are huge gardens and
parks. But the boom in technology has made Bangalore a hub for all engineers
and is one of the busiest cities in India.
The population is crazy with uncontrollable traffic.
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| Bangalore Iskon Temple |
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| Bangalore Nandi Hills, view from top |
There are several tourist attractions in Bangalore like
Cubbon Park, Vidhana Soudha, Bannerghatta National Park, Iscon Temple, Nandi
Hills.
Apart from the attractions in the city, there is a list of
destinations where you can drive away easily from the noisy Bangalore and relax
your weekend.
6. Bandipura
Bandipura is the stretch of National Park which extends into
the state of Tamil Nadu and is named as Madumalia Forest range.
The drive through the forest region is worth enjoying every
moment. There are possibility of getting a glimpse of deer, jungle elephants,
wild bisons, some beautiful birds. Stopping anywhere on the roads
through the
forest region is strictly prohibited.
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| Bandipura Bandipur Tiger Reserve |
You can go on a Jungle safari in the forest department
vehicles. Stay in the jungle resorts and spend your weekend amidst the forest and
watch forest animals and their best kept secrets.
7. Badami
Located at a distance of about 590 Km from Bangalore, Badami
is one of the important travel destination in Karanataka.
Badami is a place which is located in the Northern part of
Karnataka. It is a heritage site and is a protected monument by the
Archaeological department of India.
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| Badami Cave Temples |
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| Badami Rock Cut 4 Cave Temples |
The cave temples are very famous. The huge rugged sandstone rocks
inside which the rockcut temples are located are golden brown in color which is
as same as in color of almonds/badam. Hence the name Badami. There are
beautiful carvings
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| Shiva in the Tandava dancing pose with 18 arms, Badami Cave No.1 |
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| Vijaya Narasimha, Badami Cave No.3 |
Badami was the regal capital of Badami Chalukya dynasty.
There are old kannada inscriptions on the rocks which are
few of the earliest available poetries. The cave temples surround the Agastya
lake.
Bhuhtanatha temple, Mallikarjuna Temple, Archaeological
museum which holds sculptures from Badami, Pattadkallu and Aiholie are the
prime attraction here.
8. Pattadakallu
Pattadakallu is another important centre of Chalukya Empire
about 22 km from Badami. The emperors have built a large number of groups of
temples in Pattadakallu. The village of Pattadakallu lies on the bank of river
Mallaprabha.
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| Pattadakal Temple Complex |
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| Pattadakal Mallikarjuna & Kasivisweshwara Temple |
The temple monuments found here is one of the earliest
styles of Hindu architectural temples.
Temples of Virupaksha, Sangameshwara, Chandrashekhara,
Mallikarjuna, Kashivishwanatha, Jambulinga, Kadasiddeshwara, Papanatha, Jain Temples are all located in one complex
area.
9. Aihole
Aihole falls in to the same category as of Badami and
Pattadakallu. Aihole was the original capital of the Chalukyas before they
moved to Badami.
It was here they experimented with the rock cut temple
before building magnificent cave temples of Badami.
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| Aihole Ravanaphadi Rock Cut Shrine |
Aihole is called as the ‘Cardle of Hindu Rock Architecture’.
The historic complex at Aihole consists of about 125 stone temples, some of
which were constructed on experimental basis.
10. Kudremukha
The ghat section of Kudremukha is very rich in natural
resources and a long ghat drive is worth enjoying. The drive takes you close to
Mother Nature.
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| Kudremukha Ghat route |
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| Kudremukha Haunumangundi Falls |
In between the ghat section, there is a beautiful waterfalls
named as Hanumangundi, which is very popular among visitors.
11. Agumbe
Agumbe is another ghat section of Southern Karnataka. It is
this place where the famous television show of ‘Malgudi Days’ was shot. The
story was captured in this hilly village.
Agumbe provides excellent view for sunset and sunrise.
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| Malgudi Days |
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| Malgudi Days Scenes |
Agumbe provides excellent view for sunset and sunrise.
Agumbe is a place for forest and forest creatures (especially snakes - cobra) lovers. The forest is a place for many endangered species and poisonous creatures.
Agumbe Rainforest Research Station is where the snake lovers usually visit for studying and forest roaming for just photographing the snakes
12. Sringeri
Sringeri Sharadambe is where devotees pay respect during
their holy visit to the town.
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| Sringeri Sharada Peetham Sharadamba Temple |
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| Sringeri Sri Vidyashankara Temple |
Many children begin their ‘Akshara Abhyasa’, which is
writing with fingers for the first time at this temple.
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| Sringeri Fishes in River Tunga |
The temple surroundings offer great scenic views. More details about Sringeri Temple found HERE.
13. Maravanthe
Maravanthe is a village near Kundapur in Karnataka. It is
very famous for the beach stretch that it offers along both sides of the road
ways.
Maravanthe Beach is considered as one of the most beautiful beaches in Karnataka.
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| Maravanthe - Maravanthe Beach |
Maravanthe Beach is considered as one of the most beautiful beaches in Karnataka.
14. Udupi
Udupi is a place with all types of interests. The prime
attraction is Udupi Krishana Matha. Then comes many other temples in and
around. To name a few, Anantheshwara Temple, Chnadramouleshwara Temple,
Kadiyali Mahisha Mardini Temple. Ambalapady Mahakali Temple, Indrali Indrani
Panchadurga Parameshwari Temple.
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| Udupi Sri Krishna |
Read about Udupi Krishna Ashthami celebrations HERE.
Read about Tapta Mudradharana in Udupi HERE.
Malpe Beach and St.Mary’s island are two fascinating
locations where people from non-coastal region will enjoy a lot.
Manipal located at a distance of about 5 km from Udupi is an
educationl hub. Apart from the educational institutes, Manipal is famous for
its many view points where you can enjoy natural scenic views.
15. Beaches of Karnataka
The coastal line is a destination for beach holiday lovers. There
are many beautiful beaches in Karnataka to enjoy the sand, water and natural
beauty. Although there are no much scope for water sports in Karnataka.
Some of the must see beaches in Karnataka are Karwar beach,
Gokarna Beach, Murudeshwara Beach, Malpe Beach, Ullal Beach, Marvanthe Beach,
Kaup Beach, Padubidri Beach.
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| Padubidri Beach |
Gokarna and Kaup beaches being the most beautiful ones.
Apart from the list above, there are several other places of
great popularity in Karnataka. For a quick listing, Jog Falls in Shimoga, Yana
in Uttara Kannada, Gol Gumbaz in Bijapur, Bahubali Statues across Karnataka,
fort ruins of Kittur, Gokak Falls in Belgaum, Male Mahadeshwara Hills, the temples of Horanadu, Kollur, Subramanya, Dharmasthala and the
list goes on.
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