Karnataka Paradise PDF

Chapter XIV
Karnataka, The Tourist Paradise

Both nature and human efforts have combined to make Karnataka a Tourist
Paradise. Its long sea shore has silvery beaches. The tall Western Ghats are
covered lush green forests full of varied fauna, flora with a number of east and
west flowing rivers originating from the Ghats, enrich the soil of the land and
contribute to State’s agricultural prosperity. This rivers have created many
water falls which are a feast to the eyes of the onlookers. The plain area is
renowned for its beautiful river banks and projecting wonderful stony hills
looking like natural rock parks. The hilly tracks have many wildlife sanctuaries.
The Gangas, Kadambas, Chalukyas, Rashtrakutas, Hoysalas, Vijayanagara
Rulers, Bahamanis of Gulbarga and Bidar, Adilshahis of Bijapur, Wodeyars
of Mysore, Nayaks of Chitradurga and the Keladi rulers have raised wonderful
forts, beautiful temples with impressive plastic art in stone and magnificent
mosques and mausoleums of Indo-Saracenic style. The advent of the Portuguese
and the English introduced European Renaissance architecture, imitation
of both gothic and Indo-European styles. They built imposing churches and
captivating public as well as private buildings in Karnataka. The National Parks,
the Animal and Bird Sanctuaries provide the tourist the sight of wild animals
like elephants, tigers, bisons, deers, blackbucks, peacocks and a variety of
other animals in their natural habitat. The National Parks also acquaint the
visitor with a rich variety of flora like tall trees, bushy plants and creepers that
try to entwine him. Karnataka is known for its aromatic sandal wood and broad
and massive trees of pipal and banyan with their hospitable broad shade. If
one is spiritually inclined, there are living seers, whether Hindu, Christian
or Muslim who can provide one with
spiritual solace. There are also tombs
of great religious leaders of Hindu,
Muslim, Christian or Jaina. In the
precincts of these tombs even today
people seek spiritual solace.
Karnataka is blessed with many
waterfalls and the tallest water fall
in India is at Jog (Shimoga District)
where the river Sharavati jumps from
a height of 293 mts. into four cascades
locally called Raja, Rani, Rocket,
Roarer of awesome beauty. Presently
the falls become active with full force
only during one month following
the rainy season (July-October).The Irupu falls, Madikeri
A Handbook of Karnataka 530
Cauvery at Shivasamudra (in Mandya district) has twin falls, Gaganachukki

and Bharachukki, one km away from each other and their water has been
harnessed for production of Hydel power being the first of its kind in the country
was installed in 1902. Mandya district has also a fall of the Shimsha, 14 km
from Bluff, the power station of Shivasamudra. The river Shimsha is a tributary
of the Cauvery and its fall is in Malavalli taluk, Mandya district. Kodagu district
with its headquarters at Madikeri, a perennial hill-station, has the Abbi Falls,
five km away from it. The Irpu falls of the river Lakshmana Tirtha, in Kodagu
District, 48 km from Virajpet, has also an old Rameshwara temple near it.
Chikmagalur district has many water falls. The hill station at Kemmannugundi
has the Hebbe Falls and it is created by a stream later joining the Bhadra river,
and the water jumps down from a height of about 500 feet. Manikyadhara is
yet another water fall near the famous pilgrim centre called Baba Budangiri
Dattatreya Peetha and here water spills down like small balls and visitors can
enjoy a memorable shower bath. The Kallatti Falls at Kallattipura in Tarikere
tq is 10 km from Kemmannugundi; water leaps down here from a height of
400 feet and there is an old Veerabhadra temple very near the Falls. Mysore
district has the picturesque Chunchanakatte Falls at the place of the same
name, besides which there is a Rama temple. Uttara Kannada is famous for its
Unchalli (Lushington) also called ‘Keppa Joga’ Falls, about 450 feet in height
and the Aghanashini river creates this water cascade at a place which can
be reached from Yellapur (19 km away) and also from Siddapur (12 km) via,
Kolsirsi, Heggarne and Unchalli. From Unchalli one has to walk five km from
through the thick forest to reach the witnessing spot of this falls. Remnants
of wooden Guest house built by Mr. Lushington, the then collecter of Karwar
facing this wonder full falls is even today noticed. The Magod Falls (situated
at a distance of eight km from Yellapur) of the Bedti River can be reached
from Siddapura (35 kms) as well as Yellapur in Uttara Kannada. The Chaya
Bhagavathi falls, (five kms away from Narayanapur) in Surpur tq, the Yattipota
falls near Chincholi, the Gurmitkal falls (four kms from Gurmitkal) in Yadgiri
Tq. the Kotikal falls near Badami and the Kabbargi Falls in Koppal district are
noteworthy. Belgaum District has the famous Gokak Falls, which is eight km
away from the Gokak Town and Gokak Road Railway Station. The 170 feet tall
cascade here is called ‘Mini Niagara’ for its spread and shape. Hydro Electric
Power was harnessed here to mechanically run the cotton mill as early as in
1887. There are many beautiful old temples at Gokak falls beginning from
Badami Chalukyas till Later Chalukyan times and Vijayanagara periods and also
a suspension bridge across the river Ghataprabha. The artificial but, attractive
waterfalls at Sogala (Baihongal Tq.) needs special mention. The Mahadayi river
creates the Vajrapoha Falls amidst the thick Jamboti forest in Khanapur taluk.
While the river travels towards Goa, it is called Mandovi. A second fall of it
at the lower valley from a height of 50 mtrs. although inaccessible, can be
Karnataka, the Tourist Paradise 531
Shivasamudra, Mandya District
gokak falls, Belgaum District

reached from Asoge, which is six kms. away from this fall. Near Bangalore is
Muthyalamaduvu falls not far away from Anekal, and 40 kms from Bangalore.
The proper season to visit this pearl valley or muthyala madullu is between
September and January and Gokak Falls must be visited in July-August when
it will be in full bloom.
To the religious-minded and the devotees of every denomination, there are
places worthy of a visit. One of the oldest mosques of Karnataka is in the
Gulbarga Fort, built in 1367. by the Bahmani King Muhammad Shah I. It is
the biggest mosque in Karnataka, and when compared in plan and design,
the mosque resembles the mosque at Cardova in Spain. The Jamiya masjid in
Ferozabad of Gulbarga Tq is of Bahamani period. Hirabibi masjid at Hirapur
(Gulbarga), masjids at Gogi, Sagar etc. are noteworthy. The Jamiya mosque
in Bijapur is another wonderful huge monument built by All Adilshah (16th
century). It has a proportionate dome and its mihrab is gorgeously painted. The
Malika Jahan mosque in black stone is another notable mosque in Bijapur.
Bidar has the famous Solha-kamb mosque with 16 cylindrical pillars built in
1423. The Andu masjid, (Bijapur), the Mahal masjid of Afzalpur and the Khali
masjid of Aland built during Adilshahi period are some beautiful examples of
Islamic architecture. Raichur has Ekminar mosque and Lakshmeshwar (Gadag
dt) has artistically raised mosque in the style of a Hindu temple of Adilshahi
times. Belgaum has the fine Safa mosque of Adilshahi times in the fort built
by Asad Khan Lahiri. Another mosque in the fort is Jamia Masjid raised by
Sher Khan of Bijapur in 1586-87. Bhatkal has magnificent Chinnada Palli and
the mosque at Mangalore port is known for its fine wood work. The handsome
Jamiya Mosque at Srirangapattana with its two tall minarets is the creation
of Tipu. Sira has a mosque of Mughul times. The Mosque in the City Market,
Bangalore, is a large modern structure in marble with a series of windows
crowned by arched canopies and rows of minaret-like pillasters. Tara Mandal
masjid in the Taramandalpet near Nagarthpet, Bangalore is the oldest mosque
of Tippu time.
The Dargas of Muslim Saints and Kings are equally famous. The Bande
Nawaz Darga at Gulbarga is in a sprawling complex where a Mughul mosque
is also seen. The Mausoleum of Ahmed Shah Wali, at Ashtur near Bidar is
a tall structure with paintings in it. This prince is venerated as a saint by
both the Hindus and Muslims. Bijapur has two princely Mausoleums. Ibrahim
Rauza, a twin structure is standing on an arched platform. One end of the
platform has a tomb and the other end a mosque, both domed structures; the
domes emerging from lotus petals and surmounted with metallic pinnacles.
Make a beautiful sight. The Gol Gumbaz is a famous mausoleum of another
prince. The Yakub Kadri darga at Yadagiri, Sarmast darga at Sagar, Ladle
Mashak darga at Aland, Amin Sab darga at Ijeri (Jevargi tq), Chanda Husaini
darga at Gogi, Sayad Abib Sha Wali darga at Hirapur near Gulbarga. Haji
Ibrahim Rauza, Bijapur
Khudanma Husaini darga at Chincholi, Chita Sha Wali darga at Chitapur,

Khaji Shahabuddin darga at Karjagi (Afzalpur tq) are some of the important
dargas situated in Gulbarga District. The Panje Sab Darga at Talikote. Hajisab
and Badakalsab darga at Tikota (Bijapur tq) and Hasan Dongri dargah at Bilgi
are noteworthy. Darga of Malik Rihan is the most notable with its Polygonal
layout, a Mughul Structure at Sira. The Gumbaz at Shrirangapattana where
rest Haider and Tipu’s mortal remains is a tall structure with a huge dome Its
doors have fine inlay work. Syed Madani Darga at Ullala near Mangalore is a
modern structure. At the Asar Mahal palace of Bijapur, Hazrat Bal, a hair of the
Prophet is believed to be preserved in a holy casket. Wherever there is Muslim
population they also raise dargas (“chillas”) of Mehboob Subani (famous Saint
from Baghdad) and Chamansha Wali. Uruses are also held at these places.
Many of the uruses are very large gatherings, attended by Hindus also as at the
Raja Bagh Sawar urus at Yamanur near Navalgund or the one of Ahmadshah
Wali at Ashtur near Bidar, which is also considered as the jatra of Veerashaiva
Saint Allamaprabhu. A Veerashaiva priest officiates at it, beginning the rituals
by doning green robes.
For those interested in churches, the best are at Bangalore, Mysore and
Mangalore. Though Christianity was propagated by the efforts of the Portuguese
in Kanara {coastal area) far earlier than on the plateau, many of the churches
they raised on the coast during the 16th to 18th centuries were razed to the
ground by the Mysore ruler in 1790s. Mangalore has the magnificent St.
Rozario Cathedral with its tall frontal towers. The original building was of
1526, rebuilt in 1910. The Milagres Church with beautiful and imposing facade
accommodating many artistic images on its parapet, reminds one of St. Peter’s
Basilica in Rome. Equally notable is Our Lady of Sorrow Church at Kodialbail
built in 1857. It has a tall facade divided into four rectangles of equal size with a
pediment atop them. Mangalore has the Shanti Cathedral of the Basel Mission
(now C.S.I.) raised in 1862 which is a simple structure with its well-planned
layout.Virajpeth in Kodagu has a Catholic Church in Gothic style. It celebrated
its bicentenary in 1993. The small Anglican Church in Madikeri, now houses
the Government Museum managed by the State Archaeology Department. It
has some rare antiquities and beautiful glass paintings.
The St. Mary’s Church in Belgaum is a huge granite structure built in 1869
in the Camp area with fine piers in the prayer hall and gorgeous stained glass
windows. The St. Philomina Church at Mysore with its two towers of imposing
size can be the pride of any town and the building has a crypt. The Abbe Dubois
Church (Srirangapattana) is worth mentioning.
Bangalore has its oldest St. Mary’s Basilica in Shivajinagar supposed
to be raised around 1600, rebuilt in 1832, and it has a tall Gothic tower at
the entrance. St. Marks Cathedral that took the present shape in 1927, is
Milagres Church, mangalore

another Imposing structure in the former Cantonment area, now of the Church
of South India. The St. Patrick’s Church with North-South alignment in Greeco-
Roman style, was originally built for Irish soldiers in 1844 and rebuilt in 1898.
The Trinity Church on the Mahatma Gandhi Road was the official Anglican
Church of British times which was attended by Residents and other officers. It
took its present shape in 1908; though originally built in 1851, it has fine ionic
pillars and a portico with a majestic look. Its nave is 90 feet long and the back-
wall has fine wooden carvings.
The Buddhists had their Tara Bhagavati temples at Belgami (Balligave) near
Shiralkoppa (Shimoga dt), Koliwada and Dambal, (both in Gadag dt). Remains of
the razed stupas and a large number of Buddhist plaques of Satavahana period
were unearthed recently at Sannatti and Kanaganahalli nearby in Gulbarga
dt. Buddha Vihara at Aihole and Buddhist remains at Badami (between cave
2 and 3) of Badami Chalukya period are noteworthy. Kadri in Mangalore has
three Buddhist bronze images in the Manjunatha temple; and of these, that of
Avalokiteshwara is more than five feet tall, and is of ninth century. The Tibetan
Settlements at Mundgod in Uttara Kannada and Bailukuppe in Mysore district
look like mini-Tibet with their multi-coloured beautiful stupas and artistically
painted prayer halls. The two New Baudha Viharas at Gulbarga are worth
mentioning. The Mahabodhi Society in Bangalore has a magnificent stupa, and
a huge temple on the model of the Bodhagaya temple has been built inside the
compound.
Jainism had been a very old religion of Karnataka and Shravanabelagola
with its 58 feet tall Gommata (intalled in 981-82 AD) and many Jaina basatis on
two rocky hills is the most important Jaina Centre. It is in Hassan dt. and in the
neighbouring district of Shimoga is Humcha, famous for the worship of Yakshi
Padmavathi. Kambadahalli (Nagamangala taluk) known for its Panchakuta
Jaina Basadi (dwikuta and trikuta) of 10th C A.D. is unique by its varied
amlashila adorning the shikaras of the trikuta temple with a huge monolithic
pillar in front. Simhanagadde in Chikmagalur dt. (Narasimharajapur tq) has
an Jaina Matha. Dakshina Kannada has many Jaina centres. Mudabidre
has the biggest Jaina Basadi in Karnataka called Thousand-pillared basadi
with wonderful Jaina icons, both in metal and wood. The pillars of this 16th
century structure are highly artistic. At this place, there are many more Jaina
monuments. Neighbouring Karkala town has a Gommata statue installed in
the 15th century, and a beautiful Chaturmukha basadi. Another town nearby
is Venur which also has monolithic a Gommata installed in 1604; also has the
Shantinatha Basadi. Dharmasthala, a famous Shaiva Centre, has a monolithic
Gommata installed in the last century. Belgaum district has the beautiful Kamala
basadi in Chalukyan style in the Belgaum Fort. The ancient centre Tavanidi
near Nippani and newly created centre at Shedbal, where 24 Tirthankaras in
white marble have been installed in a cluster, are quite imposing. Lakkundi in
Thousand Pillared basadi Moodabadri, Dakshina Kannada District
Gadag district has a huge Brahma Jinalaya of Chalukyan style, built by a noble
lady, Attimabbe. Near Mysore is Gommatagiri with a 20 feet tall Gommata
monolith. Tippuru in Maddur Tq has a 20 ft.Gommata image of 10th Century
A.D. A picturesque hill, Maleyur in Chamarajnagar taluk with a Parshwanatha
basadi atop the hill and also the samadhi of the great Jaina Savant Pujyapada
is another holy centre. This place on a rocky hill has serene atmosphere.
To the Shaivas, Gokarn a is a great all-India centre where the Atmalinga
(Mahabaleshwara) of Shiva, brought by Ravana, is believed to have been
installed. Nearby is Murdeshwar where a huge modern Shiva temple in Dravidian
Style has been raised, renovating an ancient shrine. Both the places are on the
sea-shore in Uttara Kannada. At Hampi is the famous Virupaksha Temple,
venerated by generations of poets, scholars, kings and commoners. Madikeri
has the famous Omkareshwara temple built by the Kodagu rulers during the
19th century. Its domes and arches make it look like an Indo-Saracenic building.
Dharmasthala in Dakshina Kannada is the most popular Shaiva centre in
Karnataka. Nanjangud in Mysore dt. has the huge Shrikantheshwara temple,
more than 1000 years old. The Chamarajeshwara in Chamarajanagar is built
(in 19th Century) by Krishnaraja Odeyar III in memory of his father Chamaraja,
and both these huge temples have fine stucco images. The Nanjangud temple
is a museum for the study of Shaiva Iconography with its fine stone figures in
the round. Bangalore has the Ulsoor Someshwara temple of the 16th century
built by the Kempegowda family with an imposing Rayagopura.
The Shiva temple at Kudala Sangama in Bagalkote district is famous for

its association with Saint Basaveshwara. Equally remarkable pieces of art are
the Virupaksha and the Mallikarjuna at Pattadakal in Bagalkote dt. Temples
at Talakadu, Vijayapura and Mudukutore (Mallikarjuna on a hill) are together
famous as five holy Lingas (Panchalingas) and are on the bank of the Cauvery.
On Shivaratri day, jatras are held at all these centres.
The Veerashaivas have many venerated places, either associated with
Basaveshwara or his contemporaries. Basavana Bagewadi, place of birth
and Kudala Sangama, the place of his spiritual practices, are in Bijapur and
Bagalkot dts. The latter is at the confluence of the river Krishna and the
Malaprabha. Basava Kalyana, the ancient Chalukyan capital in Bidar district
was the place where he conducted his socio-religious movement. Ulavi in Uttara
Kannada, a quiet place amidst forests, has the ‘samadhi’ of Chennabasavanna,
Basaveshwara’s nephew. Belgami (Balligavi), the famous Chalukyan art centre
in Shimoga dt. is identified as the birth place of Allama Prabhu and Uduthadi
near it, is the native place of Akka Mahadevi.
Bhoga nandishwara Temple, Chikballapura District

Later Veerashaiva saints are associated with many places. Kodekal
(Gulbarga dt.) Basavanna temple, Kadakola Madivallajjana Matha, Sharana
Basaveshwara temple and Dasoha Math at Gulbarga are few more places of
worship. The Mahadeshwara Betta in Chamarajanagar dt. is associated with a
Veerashaiva Saint ascribed with many miracles. Yediyur in Tumkur dt. has the
‘gadduge’ of Tontada Siddhalinga Yati, another renowned saint. Balehonnur in
Chikmagalur dt. and Ujjini in Bellary dt. are the two among the five (Pancha)
major important Veerashaiva Peethas of India in Karnataka. Athani has the
‘samadhi’ of the famous Veerashaiva Saint Shivayogi. Some of the outstanding
Veerashaiva Mathas are seen at Naganur near Bailhongal and Kalmatha in
Belgaum, Durudundeshwara Matha at Arabhavi and Mahantaswamy Matha at
Murgod are in Belgaum dt. Murugha Matha (Dharwad), Annadaneshwara Matha
(Mundargi), Tontadarya Matha at Gadag and Dambal, Moorusavira Matha
at Hubli, Murugha Matha and Hukkeri Matha (Haveri), Taralabalu Matha at
Sirigere, Murugharajendra Matha at Chitradurga, Banthanala Shivajogi Matha
at Chadachan and Mahantaswamy Matha (Ilkal) are equally notable. The
‘samadhi’ of Sharanabasappa Appa at Gulbarga, the Belimatha in Bangalore,
Siddhaganga Matha near Tumkur and Jagadguru Shivaratreshwara Matha
at Mysore and Suttur are equally important. Kolar District has Nidumamidi
Matha. These places and many more of the Veerashaiva Mathas are visited by
pilgrims in thousands.
Of the Adwaita School profounded by Adi Shankara, there is the famous

Matha at Sringeri in Chikmagalur District. Kudli has another Matha in the
same tradition in Shimoga dt. Adwaita Matha at Swarnavalli (Uttara Kannada)
has several palmleaves collections and this Matha has a large number followers
especially the Havayaks of Uttara Kannada district and elsewhere. Avani in
Kolar dt., Shivaganga in Tumkur dt. and Sankeshwar in Belgaum dt. are the
other prominent centres of this school. Of the Adwaita Sampradaya, are the
famous Siddharudha Matha at Hubli and the Shivananda Matha at Gadag.
Dattatreya worship is popular in Karnataka and Devala Ganagapur in
Gulbarga dt. where the famous saint from Karnataka, Narasimha Saraswati
had stayed for long, and Dattatreya devotees from all over throng the place.
Kurugadda, an island in the Krishna in Raichur dt. has the samadhi of Sripada
Vallabha, another devotee of Dattatreya, the guru of Narasimha Saraswati. At
Balekundri near Belgaum is the ‘samadhi’ of another devotee of Dattatreya
called Pantha Balekundri Maharaj. Murgod in Belgaum dt. and Agadi in
Haveri dt. have similar centres. Inam Dattatreya Peetha at Bababudan Giri
in Chikmagalur dt. is worshipped by both Hindus and Muslims. As a Muslim
devotee of Dattatreya, Dada Hayath Khalandar stayed and worshipped
Dattatreya at this shrine (cave) and the latter’s ‘samadhi’ (tomb) is also seen on
the hill. Maniknagar near Humnabad is another centre of Dattatreya worship
and was consecrated by the presence of a saint, Manik Prabhu.
For the representation of the Shaivas, there are Nathapanthis.
Handibadaganath in Khanapur taluk. Appachiwadi near Nippani and Kadri
in Mangalore are their notable centres. Bhairava, a manifestation of Shiva
is worshipped in many places, and of these Adichunchanagiri in Mandya dt.
and Seethi Betta in Kolar dt. are quite famous. Adichunchanagiri has now the
famous Matha of the Vokkaliga community.
Mailara Marthanda or Malatesha or Khandoba is another manifestation
of Shiva, whose temples are seen at Gudda Guddapur in Ranebennur taluk,
Mannetti Mailara in Bellary dt., Khanapur in Bidar dt., Mangasuli in Belgaum
dt., Bellur and Mailarapattana in Mandya dt. All these are popular centres of
pilgrimage.
Another popular manifestation of Shaivism is Veerabhadra, He is supposed
to be the son of Shiva. Popular centres of his worship are spread all over
Karnataka, but Yedur on the banks of the Krishna and Godachi in Belgaum
dt., Mugbalu and Savanadurga in Bangalore dt., Channappanapura in Mysore
dt, Koppa in the Chikmagalur dt. and the Uddhana Veerabhadra temple at
Hampi are some notable pilgrim centres of this God.
Shakti, the consort of Shiva is worshipped by many. The village deities like
Maramma, Durgamma, Patalamma, Sappalamma,Plague Amma, Matangamma
etc., have been identified with her. Of the Shakti centres to be noted are
Chandralamba at Sannati (Gulbarga), Bagavanti at Ghattaraki, Mayavva at

Chinchli, Yellamma at Saundatti, Banashankari near Badami (Bagalkote dt.),
Bhuvaneshwari at Hampi, Marikamba at Sirsi (Uttara Kannada), Mookambika
of Kollur, Annapurneshwari of Horanadu, Chamundeshwari in Mysore and
Hemadramma at Bannur (Mysore dt.), Mahalakshmi at Doddagaddavalli near
Hassan, Lakshmi at Goravanahalli, Hasanamba at Hassan, Honnadevi of
Shivaganga, Mariyamma at Huskur, Banashankari at Bangalore and the one
near Badami and Kolararramma at Kolar are considered to be ancient. These
places are visited by devotees of Goddess Shakti.
Among the Vaishnava Centres, Udupi and Melkote are the foremost, the
former connected with the Dwaita school and the latter Vishishtadvaita. Lord
Krishna (The image is said to have been found in a huge lump of Gopichandana
sailing from Dwaraka in Gujarath coast) at Udupi was installed by Acharya
Madhwa (1200 - 1280 AD) in the beginning of 13th C.A.D. and he founded
eight Mathas to help conduct services of the Lord at Udupi. The Madhwa
Vaishnavas have their own holy places like Sonda in Uttara Kannada, where
Vadiraja Swamy’s ‘Brindavan’ is seen. The pioneering Uttaradi Matha of
the sect is at Hospet. The moola Brindavanas of Jayateertha and Akshobhy
theertha are at Malkhed on the bank of the river Kagina and is considered to
be a very Vibrating pilgrimage centre for Madhwas. The Navabrindavana or
the ‘Brindavanas’ of nine great seers of the sect is at Anegundi to the north of
Hampi in an island amidst the Tungabhadra. Mulabagal in Kolar dt. has the
Brindavana of Sripadaraja. Abbur, Nanjangud, Sosale Bhimanakatte, Mahishi,
Shri Krishna Matha, Udupi

Manur, Santebidanur (Andhra Pradesh), Mantralaya (Andhra Pradesh) and

Savanur are holy places to the Madhwas, the last named having the Brindavan
of Satyabodha Teertha of Uttaradhi Matha, a Contemporary of Haider who paid
him honours. The great Vaishnava saint, Kanakadasa’s samadhi is at Kaginele
in Haveri dt. where recently a Matha has been founded with the name Kanaka
Guru Peetha. Kanakadasa one of the exponents of Haridasa Literature visited
Udupi Krishna temple and the God is said to have turned backwards and given
him darshan through the ‘Kanakana kindi’. also called Dashvatara Kindi.
Places like Mannur, Malkhed, Honnali, Kudli, Sosale, Yaragola Holehonnur,
Honnali, Budikote etc., are also noteworthy Madhwa centres in the State.
Srivaishnavism was preached by Ramanujacharya during the 12th century
and he stayed at Saligrama (Mysore dt. where there is the Bhashyakara Temple
in his memory). Tonnur and Melukote in Mandya dt. At the last place he is
believed to have renovated the Cheluvanarayana Swamy temple and conducted
the pious for long. These are holy places to Srivaishnavas and also to others.
There is the Parakala Matha at Mysore and Jeeyar Yatiraja Matha at Bangalore
(Malleshwaram).
Apart from the above places which are holy to Srivaishnavas, temples of
Vishnu and his incarnation are found all over the state. Reference is already
made to Udupi, Melkote, Biligiri Rangana Betta and Himavad Gopalaswamy
Betta. Narasimha is worshipped in notable places like Raibag, Surpali, Halasi,
Banawasi, Nagamangala and Maddur in Mandya dt. Zarani Narasimha near
Bidar. Devarayanadurga and Sibi in Tumkur dt., Toravi near Bijapur and at T.
Narasipur in Mysore dt. Ranganatha has two famous centres of worship in islands
in the Cauvery at Srirangapattana and Shivasamudra. They are respectively
called AadiRanga, Madyaranga and Antyaranga (Srirangam in Tamil Nadu)
Both are visited by hosts of devotees. Equally famous Ranganatha temple is
seen at Anegondi in Koppal dt. The Chennakeshava at Belur. Keerti Narayana
at Talakad, Veeranarayana at Gadag, Soumya Keshava at Nagamangala are
famous Vaishnava pilgrimage centres. Vishnu in Bhuvarahavatara form found
at Halasi (Belgaum dt.) Varahanatha Kallahalli (Mandya dt.) and Mysore are
unique and note worthy. Chunchanakatte in Mysore District and Hiremagalur
near Chikmagalur and K.R.Nagar have very old Rama temples. Hanuman
as a popular Vaishnava deity has his temples in Hampi, Bannur (Mysore),
Banaswasdi near Bangalore, Karanji Anjaneya in Bangalore, Yalagur in
Bagalkot dt., Mulbagal in Kolar dt. Kadaramandalagi in Haveri dt. and Kengal
Anjaneya and Sanjeevaraya near Channapattana and a host of other places.
Muttatti on the banks of Cauvery in Mandya dt. also has a famous Hanuman
Temple called Muttatiraya.
Subrahmanya, son of Shiva, has his worshipping centres at Sandur in

Bellary district (picturesque hill resort), Ghati Subrahmanya in Bangalore
Rural district and Kukke Subrahmanya in Dakshina Kannada district, In
certain areas, Kartikeya is identified with serpent worship and an elaborate
ritual called Nagamandala is performed in a huge arena decorated with colourd
powders and flowers. Around this, special dance
rituals are performed by trained priests. Witnessing
Nagamandala or a Yakshagana in coastal Karnataka,
will be a unique privilege to the visitor. So is seeing
Bhuta worship rituals which are colourful and
captivating. Other folk arts like Veeragase, intended
to please God Veerabhadra hold one spell bound.
Dollinakunita to please Biredevaru is a mighty
performance. Curious and funny is Somanakunita
which entertains the onlookers though the huge
mask wearing artists. The Kamsale dance by the
Devaraguddas (devotees) of Mahadeshwara and
Pathada kunitha of old Mysore region are fascinating. A Yakshagana Artiste
The pageant of folk arts of Karnataka like Yakshagana, Bayalata etc., captivates
the audience for a long period.Janapada Loka near Ramanagara (Mysore-
Bangalore Road) and the Regional Resources Centre at the M.G.M. College,
Udupi, provide audio-visual tapes, and there is a huge Folk Museum in the
Mysore University.
The Sikhs have their famous Nanak Zhara
in Bidar, a place believed to have been visited
by Guru Nanak. Gurudvar Nanak Math in
Gulbarga of modern times is noteworthy.
There is a modern Gurudwara at Ulsoor in
Bangalore, built of white marble. The Parsees
have their fire temple in Bangalore. Gurudwara at Halsur, Bangalore
The State has many National Parks and Wild Life Sanctuaries. Of the
National Parks one at Bannerghatta near Bangalore is about 100 sq.km. in
area Within Which is a Tiger Safari. Bandipur in Mysore and Chamarajnagar
dt. is more than 800 sq.km. in area and famous for its wild elephants .The
Kudremukh National Park, 600 sq km in area is on the ranges of the Western
Ghats and is known for all kinds of flora and fauna. The Kudremukh Iron Ore
Co. at Malleswara is amidst the park and has maintained a township and a
guest house. The Nagarahole National Park spread over an extent of 640 sq
km includes areas both in Kodagu and Mysore districts, has forest lodges to
accommodate visitors and this park is famous for its tiger population. The
Shola forest
bababudangiri, Chikmagalur
Biligiri Rangana Betta (BRT Hills)
Western Ghats, Karnataka

Brahmagiri Wild Life Sanctuary is in Kodagu where nature in all its wild growth
and animals in all their wild movements can be seen. This is at more than 2000
to 3000 ft above MSL. Ranebennur Wild Life Sanctuary in Haveri district is
more than 100 sq km in area and is known for its agile blackbucks population.
Adichunchanagiri has a Peacock Sanctuary. It is a hilly place where there is a
Bhairava Temple and a Matha of the Vokkaligas and peacocks can be seen in
gay abandon in the mornings. Dandeli Wild Life Sanctuary in Uttara Kannada
District is famous for bisons, deers and a variety of other wild fauna.
Ranganatittu near Srirangapattana is a small island in the Cauvery where
there is a Bird Sanctuary and emigrant birds of all types like pelican, storks and
large numbers of other varieties are found perching on the trees and bushes,
feeding or busy flying to feed their young ones. Gudvi Bird Sanctuary in Sorab
taluk and Mandagadde Bird Sanctuary in Tirthahalli taluk are famous, and they
are in the Shimoga district. An equally famous Bird Sanctuary is at Kokrebellur
near Maddur in the Mandya district. Lovers of wild life who admireserenity of
the forest and trekking at the hill tracks can visit these places and enjoy the
natural bounty of the land of Karnataka. Karnataka has some outstanding
Trekking spots. Places like Yana and Kavale caves in Uttara Kannada District.
Gottamgotta (Gulbarga dt), B.R. Hills (Chamaraj Nagar), Kabbal durga (Bangalore
dt.) Basavanabetta in Mandya dt. Mahadeshwara Betta in Chamarajanagar dt.
Madhugiri, Siddara Betta and Shivaganga (Ramanagara) , Nandi and Kolar hills
in Kolar district etc., are noteworthy. Herein you come across tanks, rivulets
and water falls to help cool your heels. The chirping sound of birds and of wild
insects provide you with fine natural music.
Karnataka has many cool and pleasant hill resorts of which Kudremukh is
one, mentioned above. Kemmannagundi in Chikmagalur district (in the Western
Ghats) is another hill resort surrounded by a park with good accommodation
facilities arranged by the Horticulture department (housed at Lalbag, Bangalore).
Biligiri Ranganabetta in Chamarajnagar dt. is famous for its ancient Srinivasa
temple atop a hill around which temple, there exists a Wild Life Sanctuary. Wild
elephants are seen around the place. The place is inhabited by Soliga tribes.
Himavathgopalabetta (Gopalaswamy Betta) is another resort where there is a
Venugopala temple atop the hill. Rest house and food facilities are provided in
the small hamlet that has grown around the temple.
Devarayanadurga in Tumkur district has temples of Lakshmi Narasimha
and Yoga Narasimha atop the hill which is a cool resort and the whole hill is
surrounded by picturesque fortification. Nandidurga in Kolar dt. is an ancient
place with the Yoganandiswara Temple of Chola times atop it and fortifications
around it, built by Haider and Tipu. The place is provided with lodging facilities,
and the Horticulture Department has raised an attractive park above the hill.
Mahatma Gandhi had stayed here more than once when he was in poor health.
Agumbe known as the Chirapunji of Karnataka in Shimoga district, though

not a hill resort, is a hill track from where the sunset can be observed and it is
a heavenly experience. There are hill resorts at Ramdurga in Bellary district,
Biligiri Rangana Betta in Mysore district, Siddara Betta in Tumkur district
, Tadiyanda Mol in Kodagu district and also at Jogimatti in Chitradurga
district.
The rivers of Karnataka have several reservoirs of tourist importance.
Reservoirs like KRS (Mandya dt), Narayanapur and Almatti (Bijapur dt.),
Chandrampalli (Gulbarga dt.) Navil Thirtha (Belgaum dt.), Shimsha (Mandya
dt.) Munirabad (Koppal dt.) Lakkavalli (Chikmagalur dt.), Gorur (Hassan dt.),
Bichanahalli (Mysore dt.), Harangi (Kodagu dt.) Marikanive (Chitradurga dt.),
Gajanur (Shimoga dt.), Hidkal (Belgaum dt.), Karanja (Bidar dt.), Varahi (Udupi
district ), Supa dam (Uttara Kannada) etc. can serve as interesting picnic and
tourist spots.
If you want to bask in the sunshine of the sea shore or get beaten by the
oceanic waves, there are fine beaches. At Bengre, which is almost an island
and at Ullal, both near Mangalore, are notable beaches. Ullal has provision
for cottages and food facilities. Not far away from Mangalore is the beach at
Thanneerubhavi near Suratkal where there is the Regional Engineering College.
Malpe near Udupi (both places were associated with great Vaishnava saint
Madhwacharya) has a long magnificent beach and also an island near it.
Maravanthe in the Kundapur taluk of Udupi district has a fine beach on
one side and river Sauparnika on the other, running parallel to the coast for
a considerable distance before its confluence with the sea and the highway
runs in between sea and the river provides the tourists an enchanting travel
experience and the sunset here is a magnificent divine spectacle. Kapu beach
near Kundapur is also an enchanting tourist spot. Gokarna, the holy town
in Uttara Kannada, has a very long beach which has also become a second
resort to many people who visit Goa. Karwar has a number of beaches like
Blue Lagoon Beach, Ladies Beach around it and Poet Rabindranath Tagore had
unforgettable experiences at Karwar beach to which he has given expression
to in poetic prose. Om beach, Murudeshwar and Kasarkod are other beautiful
serene beaches of Uttara Kannada Dist. These are only a few among the many.
The beaches not only provide you an encounter with the sea, but also give you
a chance to taste sea food available there.
The sea coast has some captivating islands too and of these the St. Mary`s
Island or Tonseparu near Malpe has peculiar pillar-like natural rock formations.
The Nethrani Island near Murdeshwar is another captivating Island. Basavaraja
Durga near Honavar is an island fort raised by the Keladi rulers during 16th
and 17th centuries. It is surrounded by a strong fortification raised by gigantic
laterite blocks and the hill has a flat top. Devagad and Kurmagad are two
islands near Karwar. Visiting these places will be a wonderful experience.
If the visitor is interested in old paintings, the mural paintings of Vijayanagara

times are seen at Hampi Virupaksha temple and also at Haradanahalli in the
Chamarajanagar dt. Earlier, there were some paintings in Cave No. 3 at Badami
of the 7th century. They have faded. There are old paintings of considerable
antiquity at the Jaina Matha in Shravanabelagola. Paintings of Bijapur times
are seen at Asar Mahal of the 16th-17th century. Asar Mahal has mostly floral
figures now fading. Ragmala paintings and portraits of kings and queens
like Chand Bibi are preserved in the Bijapur Museum. A place near Bijapur,
Kumatagi has also some wall paintings around a swimming pool. Eighteenth
century paintings are seen at Dariya Daulat Palace at Srirangapattana, some
of them are war scences, others personal portraits. The Sibi Temple near
Tumkur also has paintings of the 18th century of secular nature besides some
astounding erotic figures.
The Eighteenth century paintings are also seen at Chamarajnagar and at
Haleparivaradavara Chavadi in Kollegal and the Nalkunadu Palace in Kodagu.
The paintings on an wooden plank from Kittur have been transferred to the
Hire Matha at Amminbhavi in Dharwad dt. The 19th century paintings are
seen in the palace of Nippani, {Belgaum dt.), Nargund (Gadag dt.) and two
temples in the precincts of the Mysore palace. The Jaganmohan Art Gallery has
mural paintings and also traditional paintings of gods and goddesses drawn
on cloth and also on glass. The traditional paintings of Mysore are preserved
at the Chitrakala Parishat in Bangalore too and they are mostly framed
paintings of gods and goddesses of the Mysore style. Small round ‘Ganjifa’
cards and various ‘snake and ladder’ type game boards of the 19th century
also have fine paintings. Sritatvanidhi, a manuscript of the 19th century has
hundreds of miniature paintings. In this series are nine unpublished coloured
illustrated manuscripts originally prepared during the time of Krishnaraja
Wodeyar III of the Mysore Royal family, are now found in the Oriental Research
Institute, Mysore and of which only Shaktinidhi has been recently published.
Sritatvanidhi’s illustrations are considered to be outstanding and have been
recently published in parts by Prof S.K.Ramachandra Rao.
Schools of art also have good collection of modern paintings. The Ideal Fine
Arts College at Gulbarga, Vijaya Fine Arts College at Gadag, Arts School of
Halbhavi at Dharwad, Arts School of Minajigi at Hubli, Hadapad’s Ken School
of Art, Chitrakala Parishat and Kalamandira at Bangalore and Art School at
Davanagere may be specially mentioned. Art exhibitions called ‘Kala Mela’ are
generally held in Bangalore, Davanagere, Udupi, Dharwad, Hubli, Gulbarga,
Mysore, Mangalore and other centres. Chamarajendra Academy of Visual Arts
(CAVA) is a Government institution which is functioning in an old heritage
building at Mysore.
Of the handicrafts of Karnataka, brocade weaving can be seen at Bangalore,
Hubli, and other places. Wood inlay work is practised at Mysore and it is a
unique art. Lacquerware working can be seen at Channapatna, Kinahal and

Kalaghatgi. Kinahal in Koppal district is doing special type of works. Sculptors
are seen at Mysore, Shivarapatna, Bangalore, Gadag and other centres, carving
stone figures. Sandalwood carving is practised by the Gudigars at Sagar, Sorab,
Kumta and Honavar who undertake both big and small delicate Pieces. They
also use other soft and hard wood as the medium, since sandalwood is very
costly. Their delicate works have few equals. Bidar has a special metallic craft
called Bidariware in which on a black metal surface fine silvery or gold designs
are embossed artistically. The Lambanis are known for their special embroidery
work. Doll making is also a special talent found in Karnataka. Wonderful braziers
are found at Nagamangala (Mandya dt), Gollaradoddi near Ramohalli (Bangalore
dt.), Udupi and Chikkodi (Belgaum dt). Observing the nimble fingers at work
on cane or bamboo or with chisel is a hair-raising experience. The Canara Bank
at Jogaradoddi and the Sandur Industries at Sandur have opened workshops
to make various type of craftsmen to sit under a single roof and work together.
A show room is also opened to help them secure remunerative prices for their
products. Govt. Cauvery Emporia at Bangalore, Mysore and other centres have
showrooms of handi craft products of Karnataka.
Of the Museums in the state, for art lovers, Jaganmohan Art Gallery housed
in an old gorgeous palace of Mysore is a must. There are not only fine art
works (including some by Raja Ravi Varma) in colours, metals, ivory and wood
but a huge collection of musical instruments too of yore. The Mysore Palace
has a large collection of art works from various countries, besides a gallery of
armoury of olden days including a sword that can be worn round the waist like
a belt.
Bangalore Government Museum (1880) too has a collection of ancient arms,
a sculpture gallery and a collection of old coins, which are shown at special
request. There are exclusive painting collections of noted artists K. Venkatappa
and K.K. Hebbar and plaster of paris sculptures of the former. At the district
Museum in Shimoga (housed in an old palace) queer items of Keladi rulers
are preserved. The Gulbarga Museum has not only the items of Bahmanshahi
times but also a huge collection of Buddhist sculptures (Decorative plaques)
from Sannati. Chitradurga Museum (1947) has many antiquities connected
with the local chieftains, hero-stones, weapons and other items. There are
State Government Museums at Gulbarga, Kittur, Hassan, Keladi, Raichur,
Basavakalyana, Huvina Hadagali, Dharwad, Gadag, Srirangapatna and
Shimoga which are worth Visiting.
The Central Government (Archaeological Survey of India) maintains a rich
collection of armoury, coins, manuscripts and paintings at the Museum near
Gol Gumbaz, Bijapur. Hampi {at Kamalapura) has a similar site museum of
Vijayanagara days, and it also contains many objects unearthed during recent
excavations there. Srirangapattana’s Daria Daulat Palace has a Museum on
Girija Kalyana, a mural painting at Virupaksh Temple Mural Painting at Khajina Gowda Wade, Raichur
Mural Painting in Revanasiddeshwara Temple, Sira

Jagn mohan, Palace, Mysore
Museum in Mysore
Tipu (1959) which contains manuscripts, drapery, coins, arms and paintings of
his time. Halebidu, Balligave, Banavasi, Lakkundi, Aihole, Badami, Bagali etc.,
have Museums maintained by the central A.S.I.
In addition to the Folk Art Museum at the Mysore University, the museum
at the Janapada Loka at Ramanagara maintained by Karnataka Janapada
Parishat founded by H.L. Nagegowda has to be specially mentioned. The
Kannada Research Institute, Karnataka University, has a famous Museum
of antiquities and its eqigraphical gallery is the most notable. There is the
Visweswaraya Industrial Museum at Bangalore adjacent to the State Museum,
founded (1962) by the Indian Council of Scientific and Industrial Research.
The finest and the best Museum in Karnataka is the ‘Manjusha’ seen at
the famous pilgrim centre Dharmasthala which has a huge collection of all
items like vessels, implements of day-to-day use, jewellery, watches, clocks, art
pieces, typewriters, cars, coins, weapons, icons, manuscripts, copper plates,
curious items, drapery etc., dating back to several centuries. Shashwati is a
unique museum for women, having the items they used, created, wore etc.,
giving a complete picture of their life. It is situated at the N.M.K.R.V. College for
Women at Jayanagar, Bangalore.
Karnataka can boast of the best pathology museum in India at the Jawaharlal
Nehru Memorial Medical College, Belgaum, run by the K L E Society. It is both
educative and entertaining, both to a layman and a medical person because all
sorts of aberrations in human body in all its dimensions are attempted to be
unmasked with detailed academic notes being provided at this museum.
Karnataka has one of the finest zoos in the country at Mysore. The Sri
Chamarajendra Zoological Garden founded in 1892, spread over an area of
100 acres, has a collection of nearly 1000 animals of all variety including many
exotic ones like Sloth Bear, Chimpanzee, Orangutan etc., and also the White
Tiger. The Bannerghatta National Park near Bangalore, has the Tiger Safari.
The Natural Museum and the Fantasy Park at Mysore are recent additions
worth mentioning. The big Acquarium with varieties of coloured fishes at Bal
Bhavan, Bangalore, is noteworthy.
No survey of Karnataka from the tourist point will be complete without
mentioning about its historical forts. The whole range of ancient capitals such
as Bidar, Gulbarga, Bijapur, Vijayanagara, Badami, Banavasi, Basava Kalyana,
Srirangapattana, Keladi, Chitradurga, Mysore, etc. had their forts. In addition,
forts were built at strategic centres. There are hill forts at the Nandi Hills (Kolar
dt.), Savanadurga (Ramanagara dt.), Madhugiri, Pavagada, Nijagal, Midigeshi
etc., in Tumkur dt., Uchangi in Davanagere dt., Bellary and Sandur, in Bellary
dt., Jamalabad in Dakshina Kannada, Manzarabad near Sakleshpur in Hassan
dt. and Kavaledurga in Shimoga dt., Yadgiri, Waghangeri, Jaladurga, Vanadurga,
Shahapur and Surapur in Gulbarga dt., Nargund fort built by Shivaji in Gadag
dt. and Parasgad and Hargapur forts in Belgaum dt., also raised by Shivaji.
Bangalore, Devanahalli, Magadi (Ramanagara dt.), Aymangala in Chitradurga

dt., Chikbanavar in Hassan dt., Belgaum etc. have fortifications around some
part of the towns even now. Rehmanghad and Gummanayakanapalya in Kolar
District. Old forts have huge granite stones used without plastering materials.
Raichur, Mudugal, Koppal forts too are noteworthy. Srirangapattana fort is
protected by the arms (branches) of the Cauvery. The coastal island forts like
Bahadurgad, Basavaraja Durga, Devagad and Kurmagad have already been
mentioned. Old forts exist in hundreds in Karnataka. A visit to them gives an
idea of the ancient architects’, stone workers’, builders’ and military strategists’
skill and fore-thought. They carrye your memory to the past, helping you to
trace the foot-prints on the sands of time and make you think of men who
fought to protect or to scale them, blood that was shed, intrigues involved in
capturing them, and a long pageant of past events.
To substitute the efforts made till now to pinpoint the centres of special
interest to visitors and tourists of various tastes and temperament, further
efforts, are made here to describe some notable and outstanding tourist
spots in Karnataka. It is calculated that every year on an average two to
three crore people visit Bangalore for a variety of reasons and they also turn
tourists and visit Mysore in considerable numbers. They do not know that
Karnataka has outstanding tourist spots and good facilities to visit them and
also stay at those places. There is enough facility for trekking, water sports,
sports like golf, snooker and other sophisticated games. Bangalore and Mysore
have horse racing seasons too. Dasara at Mysore is a great Cultural festival.
Oflate, this festival is being Celebrated on a large scale and sytled as ‘Nada
Habba’. The Annual festivals of Hampi Utsav (November) and Kadambotsav
(December) are conducted by the State Government regularly at Hampi and
Banavasi respectively. Vairamudi and Rajamudi at Melukote is other unique
occasions when the Utsavamurthy of Lord Narayana adorned with a diamond
studded dazzling crown (‘mudi’) is taken in procession. During which lakhs of
people tourists especially from aborad congregate. The Bangalore Karaga on
Chaitra Poornima night is also a colourful festival. With this background, some
important places are introduced here, in an alphabetical order.
Adichunchanagiri in Mandya dt, 21 km. from
Nagamangala and 66 km from Mandya is a noted centre
of Bhairava worship on a hill. It was formerly a Natha
Pantha centre and is now a seat of the Swamy of the
Vokkaliga community. The Gangadhareshwara Temple
of the place attracts piligrims in thousands during its
annual Jatra. The place has a Peacock Sanctuary locates
in natural settings.. The Matha provides accomodation in
its guest house to visitors. The place can be reached by
bus too. Bhairaveshwara
Aihole is a great centre of Badami Chalukyan art. The temples numbering

over 100 of different styles were raised from the 6th to the 12th century and
many experiments in temple construction were carried out, making Percy
Brown to call it “one of the cradles of temple architecture.” The place name
Aihole which apparently is found mentioned as ‘Ayyahole’ was also called
Ayyapura or Ayyapolal can (an agrahara) in several inscription from the same
place. According to mythology Parashurama after fulfilling his vow of avenging
his father’s murder, is said have come to the malaprabha shore and washed
his hands and at the sight of the river turing Red he uttered ‘‘Ai ai! Hole! and
this later become Ayyahole. Agasthya is believed to have killed Vatapils brother
giant Ilavala here and thus name ‘Ilavalapuri’ is another Version. It is 510 km.
from Bangalore, 24 km. from Hungund and can be reached from Bagalkote. It
has a Jaina and a Vedic rock-cut shrine, both of about 6th Century A.D., the
former having fine Tirthankara images in and around and the latter Nataraja
dancing, Matrikas surrounding him, in life size but in relief. The place has the
Durga Temple which is apsidal and the Ladkhan which is square in plan. Other
important temples are Huchimalligudi, Gaudaragudi and Chakragudi, all in a
variety of designs. The Meguti on a hill is a Jaina basti which has the famous
Aihole inscription of Pulikeshin II and also a Buddhist two-storied rock-cut
Durga Temple, Aihole

shrine below it. The temples here are full of attractive plastic art instone, and to
a student of temple architecture a visit to Aihole is a must. Siddanakolla near
it has a beautiful Lajj’agowri sculpture in a rare sitting posture near a small
pond, besides the Siddesvara Temple of Badami Chalukya period.
Amritapura in Tarikere taluk Chikmagalur dt. 247 km. away from Bangalore
is known by its famous
Amriteshwara temple
(Hoysala) built by Amrita
Dandanayaka during
the 12th century. It has
a star shaped ground
plan, and like many
other Hoysala temples,
is full of plastic art
instone and is one of
the finest in the style.
The earliest inscription
found in the temple is
of 1197 and the temple
has a wonderful life-size Amriteshwara Temple, Amritapura
image of seated Saraswathi.
Anegundi is to the North of Hampi across the thungabhadra and is to be
reached by crossing the river with basket boats from Talawar gatta (Humpi)
or by road from Ganagavati. It has the famous Huchappayyan Matha, now
in ruins with fine Chalukyan glazing pillars and worn out paintings on its
ceiling. The ruined palace of the last rulers, Aravidu dynasty, is seen here
and their descendants also stay at Anegundi. There is Navavrindavanas or the
Samadhis of nine Madhwa Saints in an island Kuregadde of the Tungabhadra.
The Brindavanas include those of saints Padmanabha Thirtha Kavindrathirtha,
Vageeshathirtha, Raghuvariyathirtha, Vyasaraja thirtha and others. There is
the cave shrine of Sheshashayi, the Ranganatha temple, Gagan mahal (Hawa
mahal), an interesting Indo-Saracenic structure and a Jaina basti which has
a wonderful decorative Chalukyan door frame. Until 1949 Anegundi was a
Samsthana ruled by
the Chieftains, who
were decendants of
the Aravidu dynasty.
one old wadha of this
family is still seen
here.
Navabrindvana, Anegundi
Annigeri in Dharwad
district, 30 km. from
Hubli on the Hubli-
Gadag line has the
famous Amriteshwara
temple of Kalyana
Chalukya period. It
was the headquarters
of the once famous rich
province of Belvola-300.
It was the last capital of
Chalukya Someshwara
IV (1184-89). It is the Amriteshwara, Annigeri
birth place of great Kannada Poet Pampa and has a Jain basadi of Parshwanatha.
A partially ruined Banashankari Temple and seven mosques are seen at the
place, in addition to two Veerashaiva Mathas. Near the railway station is an
ancient Veerabhadra temple with some astounding erotic figures.
Aralaguppe is a place in Tumkur dt., six km. from
Banasandra railway station where there is a famous
Kalleshwara temple in the Ganga-Nolamba style of the
9th century A.D.
Its ceiling has wonderful dancing Shiva sculpture with
musical accompanists and eight Dikpalas surrounding
him with all their paraphernalia.
There is a Chennakeshava temple of the Hoysala style.
The image of Vishnu in the garbhagriha is magnificent.
There are four Ganga temples at the place.
Amriteshwara, Annigeri)
Arasikere a commercial town and a railway
junction in Hassan district, famous for its coconut gardens and is 41 km.
from Hassan and 176 km. from Bangalore. The Kattameshwara temple here,
is also called Chandramoulishwara and referred to as Kalmeshwara in a
record of 1220 A.D. It is a fine
Hoysala monument with a rare
polygonal frontal mantapa
with special design. There is
a fine Haluvokkalu Temple.
There is also Sahasrakuta
Jinalaya built in 1220 in the
Hoysala style by Racharasa, a
minister of Ballala II. Malekal
Tirupathi near Arasikere has
a Venkataramana temple atop
a small hillock being regularly
visited by many devotees. from Kattameshwara Temple , Arasikere
allover the State.
Avani in Kolar dt. is 13 km. from Mulabagal, and the place has a Shankara
Matha and a wonderful complex of temples of the Nolambas who were ruling
from Henjeru or Hemavati in the Madakshira taluk in Andhra Pradesh during
the A.D. 9th and 10th Centuries. An early record calls it as the ‘Gaya of the
South’. According to a legend, sage Valmiki had his Ashrama here, and Sita gave
birth to the twins at the same spot. There are Rameshwara, Lakshmaneshwara,
Bharateshwara, Shatrughneswara and also Sita and Subrahmanya temples.
The Lakshmaneshwara, here is full of plastic art and the most ornate. Atop
small hill here Agni Tirtha, a pond, and the Ekantha Ramaswamy Temple are
also seen.
Rameshwara Temple Complex, Avani
Bagalkote It was aprominent city in the Badami Chalukya times. It was a

commercial centre. Now Bagalokot is a (1997) new district. Carved out from
the Bijapur district and consists of taluks of Bagalkot, Bilagi, Jamakhandi,
Mudhol, Hungund and Badami. It has a total area of 6,954 sq. km and a
population of 16,52,232 Many prehistoric settlements have been identified here,
such as Terdal, Gombigudda, Pattadakal, Yelahatti etc. This place is already
submerged due to back waters of the Almattidam, has been shifted to a near
by place called Navanagara, is famous from early times and was the capital of
Bagadage - 70 under the Later Chalukyas, later ruled by the Adilshahis and the
Marathas. Now it is famous for its Cement Production.
Badami the ancient capital of the Early Chalukyas is 500 km. from Bangalore
and 113 km. from Bijapur, was also known as ‘Vatapi’ and ‘Badavi’. Its fort was
raised by Chalukya Pulakeshin I in 543. He made it his capital and it lasted
Bhoothananatha group of Temples, Badami

till 753 A.D. The place is known for its wonderful rock-cut shrines of Vedic
tradition. The fort was renovated by Hyder, and Tipu-built a fine mosque here.
The first rock-cut shrine has 18 armed unique Nataraja, at the outset engaged
in Tandava dancing, a remarkable figure. On the ceiling of one of the caves is
Nagaraja and Vidhyadhara couple. Figures of funny Kubjas or dwarfs are seen
in variety of poses. There are more than life-size Bhuvaraha and Trivikram
figures in the II cave. The third cave is the most important and it is called the
Vaishnava cave caused to be wrought in 578 A.D. by Mangalesha and here are
figures of Paravasudeva seated on coiled serpent, Bhoovaraha, Narasimha and
Harihara, all engraved in vigourous style, and are taller than life-size figures.
There are also bracket figures with secular scenes on the pillars in the rock-cut
shrines. The cave at the top is a Jaina, full of figures of Thirthankaras, Yakshas
and Yakshis. The Gommata figure here has long locks. The ‘Upper Shivalaya’
on the rocky fort on the other bank of Agasthya pond has been identified
as an earlier Vaishnava Temple, ‘Malegitti Shivalaya’ as of Surya and Lower
Shivalaya as of Ganapathi. The Jambhulinga Shrine housing Brahma, Vishnu
and Shiva is another important monument of the place. Queen Vinayavathi
built it in 699 A.D. Badami rock-cut shrines are engraved in hard red sand
stone and the figures here are of unrivalled beauty. Banashankari near by, has
the Banasankari temple, a big pond encircled by open pillared mantapas and
an old temple of Rashtrakuta times. Annual Jatra gather on Banada Hunnime
in the month of January.
Bagali, situated at a distance of nine km. from Harapanahalli, on the Hadagali
Road in Davanagere dt. was known as ‘Baguli’. Here is a complex of temples
called Kalleswara which is mentioned

in an inscription of 1013. There are
twin temples of Later Chaklukyan times
with attractive intricate plastic art of
erotic sculptures on their outer walls
and 59 shining polished pillars inside
the temple and its Kapotas’ have most
peculiar erotic figures. The A.S.I. has
maintained a sculpture shed near this
magnificent Chalukya monument.
Kalleshwara Temple Bagali
Banavasi in Uttara Kannada District was the traditional capital of the
Kadambas is found mentioned as Vanavasi, Vyjayanthi, Banousi in several
inscriptions. It is a very ancient place, as Ashoka is said to have sent his
Buddhist missionaries to ‘Vanavasa’ and a family called Chutus the feudatory
line of the Satavahanas was ruling from here. The place is on the bank of
the Varada river and its laterite fort is surrounded by the river on its three
sides. Recent excavations at Banavasi have brought to light some Buddhist
brick monuments. Chutu prince Nagashri built a Buddhist Vihara, a tank and
installed a Naga image at the place according to a Prakrit record of the place. The
striking monument at Banavasi, the Madhukeshvara temple has been renovated
and expanded by Kalyana Chalukyas, Vijayanagara and the Sode rulers. The
Kadamba Nagara (stepped pyramidical) shikhara is seen on the garbhagriha of
this temple. Around this main temple are shrines of Vithoba, Ardha Ganapathi,
Rama etc., and to its left is Parvati Shrine and to the right, Narasimha temple of
Vijayanagara times. The temple has an intricately carved monolithic cot with
highly artistic designs. Records here indicate that Buddhism and Jainism were
popular at this place. Not far away from Banavasi is Gudnapur with a massive
Madhukeshwara Temple Complex, Banavasi

tank and a Jain temple now housing Veerabhadra. There must have been a
Manmatha temple at the place as indicated by the recently discovered Gudnapur
inscription of Kadamba Ravi Varma.
Bangalore is the capital of Karnataka
from 1956 and it took the status of a capital
in modern times from 1831 when the British
Commissioners took over the administration
of Mysore State from the Mysore Prince. The
old town of Bangalore was built on the left
bank of the ‘Vrishbhavati’ River, which takes
its birth as the foot of the Dodda Basavanna
image in Basavanagudi saysa stone record
here. The place name is found mentioned
in a 9th century AD record of Begur as
‘Benguluru’ ‘Bengu’ meaning a Shrub
colloquially called Rakta Honne (Benga
trees) . Kempegowda II gave the same name
to the new town, he founded i.e., the present
Metro City. Earlier, it was the headquarters
of the Yelahanka Nadaprabhus who ruled
under Vijayanagara Empire and built the
new town with the fort. Kempegowda II is
believed to have raised the fort in 1537 as
per the orders of Emperor Achutharaya of
Vijayanagara. The old Gavipura natural cave Kempegowda Tower, Sankey Road, Bangalore
shrine of Gangadhara built during the Ganga period came to be expanded during
the Vijayanagara period and the monolithic Basava in Basavanagudi was got
engraved by this family. The family also built the most beautiful Someshwara
Temple at Ulsoor. The dynasty also created many tanks which include the
Ulsoor tank, Dharmambudhi tank (present Bus Stand), Chennamba tank (now
called Chennamma tank) near BSK II stage and Kempambudhi tank. In 1637
Bijapur Army conquered Bangalore and granted it as Jagir to Shahji, Shivaji’s
father. Shahji and his son Ekoji had Bangalore under their control till 1687
when it was conquered by the Mughul army and the city was given on lease
to Chikkadevaraya of Mysore. He built the Venkataramana temple and a new
fort beside the existing old fort. Bangalore which had grown as an industrial
and commercial centre under the Kempegowda family and the Marathas, was
further developed by Chikkadevaraya as he invited weavers from Baramahal
(Tamilnadu) area to come and settle down in Bangalore. Later Bangalore was
granted as Jahgir to Haider and when he usurped power from the Wodeyars,
he strengthened the new fort by using granite blocks.
He built a palace near the Venkataramana temple and started Lalbagh, the
famous Botanical Garden of Bangalore. Later a beautiful Glass House was built
in 1889 due to the efforts of the government modeled on the Crystal Palace of
England. This imposing structure has been renovated with attractive imported
coloured glasses recently. Bangalore was captured by the British in 1791 under
the leadership of Lord Cornwallis and it was returned to Tipu after he signed a
treaty with them. He dismantled the existing fort as it was found to be more useful
to his enemies than to himself. Under Haider, Bangalore grew as a prosperous
commercial city also catering to the needs of luxury of the Srirangapattana
court. But under Tipu, its trade declined. The British who defeated Tipu in
1799 handed it over to the Mysore Hindu Prince. Diwan Purnaiah rebuilt the
demolished fort. The British stationed their troops in 1809 at Ulsoor and a twin
town, Bangalore Cantonment emerged helping introduction of European way
of life and modern ideas to the old Bangalore town which became the capital in
1831. The Atharakacheri, High Court, Central College, and Museum buildings
were raised in the European Renaissance style and English education was
introduced into Bangalore.Many churches in European Renaissance style
were built in Bangalore during this period. Modern Textile mills like Binny
Mill were started in the city. The city came to have a municipality in 1862
and the Cantonment area also had a separate Municipality called Civil and
Military Station. The two came to be merged in 1949 to form the Bangalore City
Corporation. After Independence, many Central Government Industries were
started in the city. There are ancient temples at Begur, Madiwala (Tavarekere),
Kadugodi, Hesaraghatta and Dommalur. Other temples like Gavi Gangadhara
in a natural cave, Basavanagudi with monotithic Nandi, Rangaswamy temple
built around 1600 in the Rangaswamy Temple street, the Someshwara temple at
Ulsoor and Kadumalleswara temple in Malleshwaram which had received a grant
from Ekoji, are some of the interesting monuments. In addition, a large number
of new temples have come up. The Dharmaraya temple of the Tigala community
celebrates the famous Karaga festival on the full moon day of Chaitra. Satya
sai Baba Ashram otherwise called ‘Brindavan’ started its activities about more
than two decades at Kadugodi. Besides havbing a huge Prarthana Mandir, the
Ashram runs several educational institutions. Its Bangalore Branch of the High
Tech Mega Hospital has been widely appreciated for its dedicated services and
utmost cleanliness. Omkar Hills, situated on the outskirts of Bangalore near
Kenchenahally is an important religious centre with serene natural settings,
where a huge Banyan tree crowns a circular hillock. Alround the sumit of this
hillock a series of mantapa symbolizing the religious insignia of all the major
religions Hinduism, Jainism, Buddhism, Christianity and Islam have been
built with brick and cement in respective traditional styles of architecture.
The Omkar Ashram has also takenup the stupendous task of building the 12
Jyotirlinga temples being a miniature representation of respective architectural
styles of India. Every year devotees throng this spot especially during the
swamiji’s birthday. A huge Electronic clock designed by HMT having a temple
gong and Shanka for the hourly time beatings are embedded, which gives a
pious and pleasant sound to a distance of nearly 1.5km radius. Being just 13
km. from the city this is an important religious place for peace aspiring tourists
and devotees. The Art of Living Centre Ashram has recently been built by Saint
Ravishankar on the Kanakapura Road near the city. Special Bhajans and Art
of Living courses are organized on weekly basis. Of late it is attracting tourists
from India and also abroad. A huge Rajarajeshwari temple built in Dravidian
style at Kenchenahalli on the Mysore Road and the Meenakshi Temple on the
Bannerghatta road have been raised more than a decade ago are attracting
A View of the Sankey Tank, Bangalore
A Panoramic View of the Ulsoor Tank, Bangalore

Cubbon Park, Bangalore
Flower show at Lalbhag Glass House Bangalore, Modelled on Crystal Palace Lonodon
Ranganatha Temple Avenue Raod, Bangalore
Gavi Gangadhareshwara Temple, Bangalore

Bangalore Palace, An immitation of windsor Castle, Loandon.
Delhi Gate Bangalore Fort, an artwork by Janmes Hunter

a large number of devotees Amrita Anandamayi Ashram has also started its
branch in the city and has been attracting thousands of devotees regularly. Sri
Koladamath on the Siddaiah road has been undertaking several social as well
as people oriented programmes since several decades.
Iskcon now situated atop a small hillock arranged in a row of rising
shikaras overlooking the hillock is an attractive spectacle. It spreads in an
area of seven acres on the West of chord Road in Rajajinagar is an hitech
temple complex and is regarded as an important tourist destination of this
garden city. The temple complex has been architecturally designed in such
a way that it is visible as a glowing hillock during night and can be described
as a visual bounty. How this huge temple complex came to be created makes
an interesting episode. About 25 years ago ISKCON was founded (1978) in a
rented building (Rs.2000 PM) and made a humble beginning. Later on with
the efforts of the organisers it gained prominence and today it is one among
the most celebrated 108 ISKCON branches functioning all over the world. Its
natural elevation of the land area has been fully exploited and an attractive
but, complicated architectural designing has been accomplished with utmost
cleanliness and perfection. There are five typical Dravidian shikharas built at
three stages with a tall attractive rayagopura at the main entrance. The central
garbhagriha has been designed on the Egyptian Pyramidical Model with three
cells in a row comprising the images of Sri Nitay Gowrang in the first cell to
the left Sri Radhakrishna Chandra in the central cell and Krishna-Balarama in
the cell to the right. There are short but, attractive Dravidian styled shikharas
above all the three cells. There is a spacious/pentagonal central hall in front
of the three garbhagrihas with a hallow domical ceiling decorated with delicate
stained glasses intercepted by brass partitions. The pentagonal roof drops have
excellent Mysore traditional glass paintings depicting Krishna’s life history. The
artistic designing of this pentagonal hall has been a beautiful creation with
aesthetic outlook has been largely appreciated.
Besides these there are small shrines dedicated to Sri Venkatesha and Sri
Narasimha with separate short Dravidian styled shikhars. Facing the main
temple is a 56 ft. tall dwajasthambha covered with gold plated decorated brass
sheets. Special pujas are offered thrice daily one at sunrise, at noon and in the
evening. Annually special pujas are performed during Gokula Ashthami (Lord
Krishna’s birthday), Nandotsava and Vaikuntha Ekadashi. Daily delicious
prasadam prepared with utmost hygienic method are offered to the devotees
visiting the temple. Another impressve programme of this organisation is the
‘Akshaya Patra’ yojana initiated mainly to cater the needs of less privileged
children studying in government schools in the rural areas. Recently, the same
scheme is being extended in and around the city of Hubli. Being very much inside
the Mega city The ISKCON temple offers a beautiful, serene and calm atmosphere
for the visiting devotees. ISKCON also conducts elocution competitions on the
Krishna’s lifetime episodes and also on other Vaishnava philosophy. It conducts
also several cultural activities all through the year. Bhakti Vedantha, a monthly
magazine dedicated to spread the gospel of Vaishnava philosophy and also
the spiritual ideologies of ISKCON is being published regularly. Vishwa Shanti
dhama, Lord Shiva (near Air Port)

etc., are the new additions to the long
list of temples in Bangalore. Mukthi
Naga Temple The Bruthath Mukthi
Naga Temple, situated near the Big
Banyan Tree (dodda Aalada Mara)
in Ramohalli in the neighbourhood
of Kengeri village, has been built
over a small hillock in picturesque
surroundings. Traditionally this place
was called Junjappana bayalu where,
it is believed, numerous serpents were
dwelling. Ramohalli is situated at a
distance of 18 kms. from Bangalore
off the Bangalore-Mysore road. To
approach this spot (5 km. from the
Highway) one has to take deviation
after Kengeri near Kumbalgodu
village. It is just one km. from
Ramohalli bus stand. In accordance
with the sanctity of the place the
construction of the Mukthi Naga
Temple is underway. At present the
tallest image of the seven hooded Naga
has been installed inside a spacious
Mukti Naga Temple, Ramohalli, Bangalore
garbhagriha. There is a navaranga in
front of the garbhagriha still under construction. It is proposed to build this
with 24 pillars in typical Dravidian style by using granite stone. This temple is
surrounded by small shrines like Parvati Devi, Thrayambakeshwara, Lakshmi-
Narasimha and Patladamma. This huge Mukthi Naga Temple, built in 2005,
is being managed by a private trust under the stewardship of Dharmadhikari
Daivagna Subrahmanya Shastri.
The Muslims have the Taramandal Sangeen Jamia Masjid built by a Mughal
Officer in around 1687. The Ibrahim Shah Shahib’s Mosque at Kumbarpet
was raised in 1761, the Jamia Mosque at the City market is the creation of
the 1940s and it is a vast modern building, equally impressive, built by using
white marble. There is a dargha of Mastansab Wali at Cottonpet which is highly
respected by Hindus as well as Muslims.
The oldest Church in Bangalore is St. Mary’s Basilica in Shivajinagar
supposed to have been originally built in around 16th Century, but took the
existing shape in 1832. There is the Trinity Church of the Anglicans on the
M.G. Road and St. Marks Cathedral on the same road. St. Patrick church was
originally for Irish Catholic soldiers and St. Andrew’s, on the Cubbon Road
for the Scottish soldiers. The Catholic Cathedral is St. Xaver’s, a large granite
building. The London Mission raised the Hudson Memorial Church. There are
many Jain Basadis of which the one in Gandhinagar and Jayanagar notable
though modern. The Sikhs have their Gurudwara at Ulsoor, and Parsis have
their fire temple. Bangalore has beautiful gardens like Lalbagh and the Cubbon
Park, which are the pride of the city. One of the fine large modern buildings
raised by using granite is Vidhana Soudha built in traditional Dravidian
style. Of late the government has constructed Vikasa Soudha beside Vidhana
Soudha immitating the same traditional Dravidian style of Vidhana Soudha
is nearing completion. Tipu’s palace is a wooden structure and Bangalore
Palace is modelled on the Windsor Palace of Britain. Bangalore has the Govt.
Museum, Sir M. Visveswaraya Industrial Museum and the Jawaharlal Nehru
Planetorium. Bangalore is well connected by roads, railways and airways and
has pleasant weather, attracting tourists from far and near. Bangalore being
a celebrated education and advanced technical education as well as higher
research facilities, boasts of several Educational Institutions suchas Bangalore
University, Indira Gandhi National Centre for Arts-South Zone (IGNCA) started
recently, Agricultural University, the Indian Institute of Science, Institute for
Astrophysics, Indian Statistical Institute, Institute for Social and Economic
change (ISEC), National Law School, Regional Institute of English, National
Aeronautical Laboratory (NAL), Indian Institute of Information Technology (IIIT)
and many others. Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) and Institute
of Management and all modern amenities for education. It has industries
producing tractors, railway coaches, aeroplanes, etc. and finer things like silk
sarees and sandal wood images. It is called the electronic and Silicon City of
India, for its unparallel progress in the field of computer science and Information
Technology.
International Technological Park: The 28 hectares International Tech Park,
Bangalore is located in Whitefield – 12 kms from Bangalore Airport and 18 kms
from the city centre. It currently comprises of four buildings – ‘Discoverer’,
‘Innovator’, ‘Creator’ and ‘Explorer’ totaling close to 1.6 million sq.ft. of office,
production, commercial and retail space. All these buildings are centrally
air-conditioned, set in attractively landscaped surroundings, the buildings
have a very a modern facade with granite cladding for the lower three floors
and glittering glass and aluminium paneling for the floors above. The four
buildings are connected at the lower ground floor level which houses the Tech
Park Mall. The Mall comprises of various amenties, services and recreational
centre complementing the ‘work, live play’ environment. Office space modules
are customed to the tenants requirements and a number of configurations are
possible. Office units are available for lease or purchase. Apart from the world
class services and amenities, the buildings are provided with reliable power
by a Dedicated power plant, water supply, communications network with five
leading service providers located in the park and other necessities. The ITPL
is built on the plug-and-play concept, providings tenants with all necessary
amenities, ample car parking, a state-of-theart Building Management System
and more, making business a pleasure. Adding to these benefits is the fact
that the International Tech Park ahs become a landmark in the IT scenario,
and a perfect address for any business in IT or IT – enabled services. It has a
Residential Tower of 51 apartments, infrastructure and other facilities. The
Residential Tower is ideal for those who wish to live close to their offices. There’s
St. Patrick’s Church, Residency Road, Bangalore
Fnancis Xavier Cathedral, Bangalore

Hazart Sayyad Masjid, Bangalore
Hazarath Tavakal Masthan Sab’s Dargah, Balepet, Bangalore

Biocon Tech Park, Bangalore

a separate parking lot with space allotted for each apartment as well as a
children’s playground. The residents enjoy complete benefits of the Tech Park
Mall which provides business convenience to the tenants like banking, shopping,
restaurants and travel reservations and Health Club. The Residential Tower is
a safe place to live in with round-the-clock security and other safety features.
The IT Corridor of Bangalore runs between Electronic City till Old Madras Road
which possesses hundreds of Software as well as Hardware companies, a real
tourist spot frequented regularly by people across the Globe.
Bankapura in Haveri district about 80 km. away from Dharwad is in
Savanur taluk The town was built by Bankeya, a commander of Amoghavarsha
Nripatunga (9th century) and later under the Chalukya many beautiful
temples were raised in the
city including the wonderful
Nagareshwara temple in
the fort. There is another
Chalukya temple in the town
called Siddeshwara. When
the place was conquered by
Ali Adilshah in about 1567,
his records claim to have
destroyed many temples and
the Nagareshwara inspite of
the damage it has suffered
is a magnificent monument.
There is a beautiful mosque
in the fort. Pancharabhavi,
Nagareshwara Temple, Bankapura
a swimming pool like structure in the town has an attractive queer design.
Bankapur has the Kilari Cow Breeding Centre and a rabbit breeding centre
with its office inside the fort. The Bijapur commanders, who had this place
as their headquarters, later shifted to Savanur, and were famous as Savanur
Nawabs.
Basava Kalyana, the taluk
headquarters in Bidar Dt, is 80
km. away from Bidar. It was the
capital of the Later Chalukyas,
It has an old fort renovated by
the Bahamanis and inside it
is an Archaeological Museum.
Not much ancient remains of
the Chalukyan or the Kalachuri
times remain here except
the dilapidated Narayanapur
temple of the Chalukyas in the
outskirts of the town. There is a
modern Basaveshwara temple, Stone Horse, Basava Kalyana
Prabhudevara Gadduge,celebrated Jurist of the Kalyana Chalukyan period.
Vijnaneshwara’s Cave, Madivala Machiah’s Pond, Akka Nagamma’s Cave,
fully renovated Siddheshwara temple and a new structure called Anubhava
Mantapa. The Qaji’s mosque is an impresive structure. There is also Raja Bagh
Sawar Dargah. Basava Vana has been formed to commemorate the eighth birth
centenary of Saint Basaveshwara.
Basavana Bagewadi in
Bijapur dt. is 43 km. to the
east of Bijapur and is a Tq.
headquarters where Sharana
Basaveshwara was born
(12th Century). It was an
agrahara. Basaveshwara was
the son of the head of this
institution. The main temple
here the Basaveshwara,
is of Chalukyan style, but
called as Sangamanatha
in records. The Samadhis
of Siddharameshwara and
Gurupadeshwara of the Basaveshwara Temple, Basavana Bagewadi
Inchageri school of spiritual pursuit are seen here. A spot here identified as
Basava’s ancestral house is declared as protected zone by the Trust.
Basaral Having a famous Hoysala temple, Basaralu is at a distance of 24
km from Mandya to its north. During the Hoysala times it was an agrahara
called Basurivala. The Mallikarjuna temple here was built by Harihara, the
Dandanayaka of the Hoysala king Narasimha II, in the name of his father.
The temple was endowed by

Narasimha II, Virasomesvara,
Narasimha III and Paleyagar
Kempa Bhairarasa, as known
from the inscriptions.
The Mallikarjuna temple
ranks among the most fine
examples Hoysala art. The
temple is built on a stellar
platform measuring one metre
in height. This is a trikutachala
structure. The sanctum in the
west has at its front a sukanasi Mallikarjuna Temple. Basaral
and the northern and southern sanctums open to navaranga extending to the
east. The southern sanctum has at its entrance, the Vaishnava dwarapalas. An
image of Surya is placed now in place of Vishnu. On the lintel of the navaranga
are found the relief sculptures of Tandaveshvara and dvarapalas on its either
side. The navaranga walls have fine artistic perforated windows. The niches
in the outer walls have within them the sculptures of Saraswati, Ganesha,
Mahisasuramardini. The adhistana has six horizontal friezes sculptured with
the rows of elephants, horses, lions, panels of Puranic scenes, crocodiles and
swans. The episodes from Ramayana are depicted on the southern entrance
followed by the episodes from Mahabharata and Bhagavata. The sculptures on
the walls which draw the attention of the visitors are Durga, Yoganarasimha,
Bhairava, Halayudha, Manmatha-Rati, Bali-Vamana. Near this temple is the
Vishnu temple also built during the Hoysala times.
Belavadi in Chikmagalur dt. is
known for its fine Veeranarayana temple
of the Hoysalas. It is a triple (‘trikuta’)
shrine with its cells housing beautiful
images of Veeranarayana, Venugopala
and Yoganarasimha of wonderful
workmanship. It has a record of 1206
and the temple must be previous to it and
the place is 29 km. from Chikmagalur.
The local people claim that it was the
Ekachakranagara of Mahabharata days.
There is also a Ganapathi temple called
as Huttada Ganapathi. Verranarayana Temple, Belavadi
Belgaum ancient ‘Venugrama’ (Bamboo village) is the District Head Quarters

and was also Divisional Headquarters till recently, 502 kms away from Bangalore,
on the Bangalore-Pune National Highway. It was the capital of the Rattas who
shifted to this place from Saundatti during the close of 12th century A.D. The
place has a fort inside which built by one Ratta Officer called Bichiraja in 1204
A.D. exhibits the execution of a totally refined style of temple architecture. It has
excellently and artistically carved Kamala Basadi having huge protruding lotus
petals of stone (Kamala) in its ceiling and this

beautiful structure in Chalukyan style houses
Neminatha Teerthankara image. The place came
under the Sevunas (Yadavas) and Vijayanagara
and later conquered by Mahamood Gawan
in 1474 on behalf of the Bahamanis. The fort
was strengthened by the Adilshahis and there
is an excellent structure, Safa Mosque with
three entrances, has rich floral and impressive
calligraphic designs. Two of its pillars have
Kannada Inscriptions in Nagari Scripts, one of
1199 of Ratta King Kartaveerya IV and another
of 1261 is of Sevuna (Yadava) Krishna. The
Persian Inscription here states that the mosque
was built by Asad Khan, Bijapur Commander.
The Jamia Masjid in the fort was built by Sher
Khan in 1585-86,. There is a dargah of Khanjar Statue of Rani Channamma, Belgaum
Wali near it. Belgaum later came under the Mughuls (who called it Azamnagar)
and the Marathas till its conquest by the British in 1818. Then the British
founded their Cantonment here and made it the head-quarters of Maratha Light
Infantry. The St. Mary’s Church here was built in 1869. The Maruthi temple
here is quite vast and has some antiquities of Chalukyan times. The fort has
Chalukyan Pillars spread all over. The Kapileshwar temple in Shahpur area was
of Chalukyan times, now totally renovated. Shapur a suburb of Belgaum was in
Sangli State. Vadgaon - Madhavapur another suburb of the Belgaum city was
in a separate state called Junior Kurundawad. Near Vadgaon, a Satavahana
settlement has been indentified with the head of stucco Buddha figure has
been excavated. Belgaum has a City Corporation. It is a place with pleasant
weather. It played a leading part in the freedom movement. The Jawaharlal
Nehru Medical College here has a highly educative pathological museum.
Kamala Basadi, Fort, Belgaum.

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

province of antiquity called Banavasi - 12,000, is 12 km. away from the taluk
hq. viz., Shikaripur and three km from Shiralkoppa. It was the place where
Allamaprabhu was born and Akkamahadevi was married to Chalukya Governor
of the palce called Kaushika or Keshimayya. The palace has the Kodimatha
which was the Kedareshwara Matha of the Kalamukhas who were known for
their learning. They ran a centre of learning Ghatikasthana or a University
here. The Matha is a beautiful Chalukyan triple shrine on the bank of a tank.
The Tripurantaka temple adorned by the narrative panels of Panchatantra
stories, is another Chalukyan temple. Allamaprabhu is believed to have been
attached to this temple. It was a cosmopolitan town with Mathas of five various
denominations. A Buddhist Tarabhagavathi image has been found here. There
was also a Buddhist Vihara here. There is a small Nagareshwara temple, the
Panchalingeshwara temple and Veerabhadra temple which are all Chalukyan.
The Kalika temple is of Vijayanagara times. Hoysala Vishnuvardhan’s famous
queen Shantala, and the builders of the Belur Temple, Dasoja and Chavana
belonged to this place. A Chalukya general installed a Bherunda Stambha to
commemorate his victory. The place has a museum run by A.S.I. Belgami had
been a great centre of learning and cultural activity.
Kedareshwara Temple, Belgaum
Bellary is a district headquarters, situated at a distance of 306 kms to the

north-west of Bangalore. It has spread round two rocky hills, and one of them
called Balahari Betta has a temple. The fort built round the hill in Vijayanagara
times is still intact. It passed into the hands of Bijapur, Marathas, the Nizam
and Haider. After the fall of Tipu, the town was ceded to the British by the
Nizam. The Durgamma (Ballaramma) temple here has the deity represented
by the heap of earth. The place has two large mosques. A Government Medical
College was founded here in 1961 Bellary now has grown as a great centre of
apparel manufacturing.
Beautiful stone Fort, Bellary
Belur in Hassan district (222 kms. from Bangalore) also a Taluk

Head Quarters is famous for its magnificent Hoysala temple complex.
The Chennakeshava temple here was completed in 1116 A.D. by Hoysala
Vishnuvardhana to commemorate his victory over the Cholas Calling the god
as Vijaya Narayana. The magnificent image is 3.7 mtr. tall and the temple
standing on a platform has exquisite plastic art work on its outer walls and
bracket figures of dancing girls in various poses, in perfect proportion. There
are shrines of Kappe Chenniga, Andal, Saumya Nayaki, etc., in the precincts
of this temple enclosed by a Prakara with ‘gopura’ (entrance tower) built by
Belur Nayaka, a Vijayanagar feudatory. The temple here is a classic example of
Hoysala art and Belur was one of the Hoysala capitals.
Chennakeshava Temple, Belur

Bhadravati, an industrial town
in Shimoga dt., 256 km. away from
Bangalore, was formerly called
‘Benkipura’. There is a 13th Century
Lakshminarasimha Temple in Hoysala
style here. The Visveswaraya Iron and
Steel Works, a Cement Factory (1938)
and Paper Factory (1935) function at
this place on the banks of the Bhadra
river.
Lakshmi Narasihma Temple, Bhadravti
Bhagamandala, Kodagu dt. 288 km. from Bangalore and 35 km. from
Madikeri is on the banks of the
Cauvery. It has a Shiva temple
called Bhagandeshwara. It has
gabled roofs covered with copper
plates and has magnificent
wooden carving representing
Shaivapuranas gaily painted. The
attractive wooden figures, big and
small engage the attention of the
onlooker. Ganapathi, Vishnu and
Subrahmanya are other shrines
here. This serene place with
natural beauty will have big jatra Bhagandeshwara Temple, Bhagamandala
on Tula Sankramana.
Bidar, the District headquarters, described as Viduranagara, a place
of Mahabharatha times, is 740 kms. to the north of Bangalore. It is a cool
place, being at an altitude of 664 metres. The Bahmanshahi rulers made it
their capital, in c, 1426 and fortified it. It is still intact. Inside it are the Solha
Kamb mosque (1423) and palaces like Takht Mahal, Chini Mahal and Rangeen
Mahal; some of them are highly decorated with mosaic and wood work etc. The
fort has magnificent doorways and massive bastions. Gawan’s Madrasa in the
town is a gorgeous imposing building of Indo-Saracenic style. After the decline
of Bahamanis, the Barid-Shahis
ruled over Bidar and it was taken
over by the Bijapur rulers in 1619.
Later it fell to Aurangzeb, and
finally it came under the Nizam.
Jharani Narasimha temple here is
quite famous. Ashtur near Bidar
has tombs of Bahmani Sultans
which are tall structures, and
one of them has paintings. The
Gurudwara at Bidar is built at
Nanak Zhira, which is described
as a fountain created by Guru
Fort, Bidar
Nanak during his visit.
Bijapur, the district

headquarters, 579 km. away
from Bangalore is one of the
most important centres of
Indo-Saracenic art, being
the capital of the Adilshahis
of Bijapur (1489-1686). The
place is found mentioned as
‘Vijayapura’ in an inscription
of 12th Century A.D. The Gol
Gumbaz here has the biggest
dome in India, 126 feet in
diametre at its base and is the
Mausoleum of Mohammed
Golgumbaz Illuminated, Bijapur
Adilshah (1626-56). It has an
astonishing whispering gallery
and it covers an area of 15,000
square feet. Ibrahim Rauza is
a marvellous mausoleum of
Ibrahim II (1580-1626) which
stands on a platform supported
by rows of arches, and at one
end is the mosque and at the
other the tomb. Henry Cousens
called this, ‘the Tajmahal of
the South”. Anand Mahal,
Gagan Mahal, Asar Mahal
Bara Kaman Structure, Bijapur
etc. are the other important
monuments of this place. There are fine tanks
like Tajbavadi and Chandbavadi.Asar Mahal
has attractive paintings now fading away due
to weathering. The fort round the town has
96 bastions and six imposing doorways.Mulk-
Maidan here is a huge gun weighing 55 tons.
Near Gol Gumbaz is a Museum. The place
has a Municipal Corporation. It has many
grand artistic mosques like Kali Masjid, Mecca
Masjid, Malika Jahan’s Mosque and the Jami
Masjid, the biggest one with a proportionate
large dome. The Mahtar Mahal, the entrance of
mosque has delicate stone brackets of intricate
workmanship. To the west of the citadel is a
Dattatreya temple, where a pair to sandals of
Narashimha Saraswati are worshipped and
the shrine was raised by Ibrahim II. There is
a Parshwanatha basadi (1927) in the city and Parshwanatha Image, Bijapur
many modern temples of which twenty Shivalinga temple (1954) is notable.

Bijapur had a population of over one million in its hay days and was a great
commercial centre, called as “the Queen of Deccan”. After its take over by
Aurangzeb, the city lost its importance. It regained its importance after the
British who made it their district headquarters during 1870s.
Chamarajanagar, the district head quarters, newly
carved out of Mysore dt. is 56 kms. away from Mysore, formerly
called Arikutara situated in Punnata Nadu during the Ganga
period. It was the birth place of Chamaraja OdeyarVTII, in
whose memory the Chamarajeshwara temple was raised
(1825), It also has Parshwanatha basadi, Lakshmikantha
and Virabhadra temples of early Times. Narasamangala, an
ancient place close by, having an intact temple of the Ganga
period is another important place with rich antiquities to be
essentially visited by the tourists.
Chamarajeshwara Temple
Chikmagalur, the district headquarters of
the coffee growing Malnad area, is 251 kms. from
Bangalore and was known as ‘Kiriya Mugali’ in
inscriptions and ‘Piriya Mugali’ is Hiremagalur,
an extension of this town where there is a
Kodandarama temple of Hoysala times. (Mugali
is the name of a plant). The Sangeen Mosque here
is an old structure. Jarni Mosque built during
the 19th century is the largest one in the district.
St. Joseph’s Cathedral and St. Andrews Church
(1880) are the other impressive monuments. The
Kattiramma temple here has a priest of the SC
community. The Kannika Parameshwari and
the Rukmini Panduranga are modern temples.
The town is placed in the backdrop of the
Chandradrona Parvata or Bababudan Hill of the
Western Ghats and Inam Dattatreya Peetha is 35
km. from here. Kodanda Rama Temple, Hiremagalur
Chitradurga, the famous hill

fort town, the district headquarters,
202 km. away from Bangalore is on
the Pune-Bangalore road. It had a
feudatory dynasty of Vijayanagara,
called the Nayakas known for their
heroic exploits. They built this hill
fort with seven rounds of ramparts,
a picturesque sight. In the high forts
there are temples of the Sampige
Siddheswara, Hidimbeshwara (a
cave shrine), Ekanatheshwari,
Phalguneshwara, Gopalkrishna, Ekanatheshwari Temple Prakara, Chitradurga
etc., amidst thick rocky surroundings. Those who know the heroic history of
Chitradurga rulers will go into raptures while seeing the magnificent bastions,
doors and ramparts of this vast hill-fort. The Galimantapa, opposite to the
Hidimbeshwara is a unique tall stone structure. Near Rangayyana Bagilu
is the Archaeological Museum. In the town are temples of Chennakeshava,
Venkataramana, Anjaneya etc. and the Murugharajendra Brihanmatha is a
venerable centre of the Veerashaiva sect.
Dambal or Dhammavolal now in Gadag dt. is 21 kms. from Gadag. It
is also known as ‘Dharmapolalu’ in ancient inscriptions. It was a Buddhist
Centre too. The Doddabasappa and the Someshwara are the two notable
Chalukyan temples here and the
Doddabasappa has multigonal
star-shaped garbhagriha.With
fine sculptural representations
and a huge Nandi image. The
Someshwara could have been an
old basadi. In the old ruined fort,
there is a huge Ganapati image
in a small shrine. The town has a
400 year old vast tank. There is the
Thontada Siddhalingeswara Matha
at the place. Doddabasappa Temple, Dambal
Davanagere, now a district Headquarters, 267 km. from Bangalore, on
the Pune-Bangalore Road is also a modern industrial town that grew round
a tank where itinerant traders took rest. The tank had the name Davanikere,
‘Cattlerope Tank’, dauoni being the rope tying the cattle. It was earlier a suburb
of ancient centre Betur, a township under the Sevunas, and it was granted as a
Jahgir by Haider Ali to Appaji Ram one of his officers who was responsible for its
growth as a commercial centre. Davanagere grew as a centre of textile industry.
It has also grown as an educational centre with a medical and engineering
college. The Iswara of Anekonda Village is an important temple here.
Devala Ganagapura in Afzalpur
taluk Gulbarga dt. is 651 km. away
from Bangalore. It is to be reached
from Ganagapur railway station. Sri
Narasimha Saraswati who had stayed
here for long and was granted a jahgir
by the Bahmani Sultan. The Saint
had cured the Sultan of a serious
(incurable) boil. The saint is treated
as an incarnation of Dattatreya and
devotees from Maharashtra and
Dattapaduke, Devala Ganagapura
Karnataka throng the place daily.
Dharmasthala is a very prominent Shaiva Centre where Manjunatha
(Shiva) is worshipped by Madhwa Vaishnava priests of Shivalli tradition and the
temple administrator or Dharmadarshi is Jaina and the temple treats Bhutas
(the remnants of animistic cult, in which departed persons are deified and
treated as the ‘ganas’ of Shiva. It is 75 km. from Mangalore and is amidst hilly
green attractive settings. The temple has the main Manjunatha Linga and Devi.
The place has Chandranatha Basti and a Gommata monolith 11.9metres in
height, installed in 1980’s. The ‘Manjusha’ Museum here is unique. Buses are
available from all major centres of Karnataka and choultries for stay are plenty.
There is a well executed food serving system for all the tourists irrespective
of their caste or creed. The temple management runs many institutions of
learning.
Sri Manjunatha Temple, Dharmasthala
Dharwad, a district headquarters on the Pune-Bangalore Road, 437 km.

from Bangalore is the cultural headquarters of North Karnataka. It was the
home of Alur Venkatrao, the father of Karnataka Unification Movement, poet
Bendre and outstanding Hindustani Vocalists Mallikarjuna Mansur. Now a part
of Hubli - Dharwad Corporation, Dharwad became the district headquarters
when it came under the British from the Marathas in 1818, and grew to be a
centre of learning due to the English School opened in 1848, high school opened
by the Basel Mission in 1868 and the Training College was initiated in 1867
which became the centre of Kannada Movement. The Karnataka Vidyavardhaka
Sangha (1890) sowed the seeds of Kannada Renaissance.
Mentioned as “Dharawada” in a record of the 12th century of the Kalyana
Chalukyas, the place came under the Sevunas, Vijayanagara, Bijapur, Mughuls,
Marathas, and Haider and Tipu. The Vijayanagara rulers built a fort here
which was strengthened by Bijapur rulers. Its door-frame alone remains now.
The Durgadevi temple near the fort is renovated now and the Someshwara on
Kalghatgi Road has a Chalukyan temple and a tank. The Mailara Linga temple
at Vidyagiri is a Kalyana Chalukyan monument converted into a mosque by
Fort Gateway Dharwad
Bijapur army but again changed as a temple by the Peshwas. The place has
many temples like Venkataramana, Nandikola Basavanna, Dattatreya, Ulavi
Basavanna etc. The Murugha Matha is a centre of religious activity. The
Sanskrit College is a four-storeyed building of the late 19th Century. The
Karnataka University (1949), the Agricultural University (1986) and the All
India Radio Station gave new life to the educational and cultural life of the the
city. Dharwad played a prominent part in the freedom movement. Dharwad
firing in 1921 which killed three Khilafat Workers caused a stir in the country.
Dharwad has churches of the Basel Mission and the Catholics.
Doddagaddavalli
is a village 14 km. from
Hassan known for its
Lakshmidevi temple with
five garbhagrihas, built in
1114 A.D. by a merchant
called Kallahana Rahuta.
It is one among the; earliest
Hoysala works. It is called
Dakshina Kolhapura and
Lakshmi worshipped
here represents Shakta
Lakshmi. Bhairava and
other deities are also
worshipped here. Mahalakshmi Temple, Doddagaddavalli
Gadag-Betgeri is a twin city

Municipality on the Dharwad-
Guntakal Railway line, 80
km. from Dharwad and Gadag
has become the district head
quarters since 1997. It is a great
centre of Kalyana Chalukyan art
with the large Trikuteshwara
temple, originally Rashtrakuta,
later expanded by the Kalyana
Chalukyas into a vast complex,
and it has Trikuteshwara temple
complex triple shrines once
Trikuteshwara Temple Complex, Gadag- Betgeri
housing Shiva, Brahma and
Surya. The Saraswati temple in its precinct has the finest shining decorative
pillars, and the Saraswati image, though now damaged, is the finest examples
of Chalukyan Art. Recently a newly carved Saraswati image in the same
Chalukyan style has been installed as the earlier one had broken up. The
place has the Someshwara and Rameshwara temples of Chalukyan style, is
also known for its religious harmony. The Veeranarayana temple of Chalukyan
times, completely renovated in Vijayanagara times including the image of
Narayana too replaced. The great Kannada poet Kumaravyasa composed his
famous Karnataka Bharatha Kathamanjari by staying in this temple. Gadag
has a mosque of Adilshahi times, highly artistic. There is a Church too of the
Basel Mission (Now C.S.I.). Betageri has many artistic herostones, some dating
back to 9th-10th centuries. (‘Kaldugu’ is the old name of Gadag and ‘Battakere’,
‘Round Tank’ of Betgeri). Gadag-Betageri are famous for weaving industry, and
of late, Gadag has excelled In printing. To reach Lakkundi, Dambal, Itgi and
Kukanur, Gadag is the gateway.
Gokarna situated in coastal Karnataka is 453 kms. from Bangalore and
about 55 kms. from the district head quarters Karwar, is described as a Shaiva
Centre, on par with Kashi and Rameshwar and
the Mahabaleshwara Temple here has indications
of atleast being originally built during 11-12th
Century and the Portuguese destroyed it during
the 18th century and it was renovated then. There
is a famous Ganapathi Temple and the deity here is
two-armed, standing, and is atleast 1500 years’ old.
Tamragauri is another shrine here. The Bhadrakali
and Venkataramana temples, Jatayuteertha,
Kotiteertha etc., are other holy places here. Gokarna
has a long beach on the west and the Western Ghat
ranges closeby in the east and is in a wonderful
natural settings. Atmalinga brought by Ravana got
struck here and his efforts to extricate it resulted
in his throwing the coverings of the Linga to
Dhareshwar, Gunavanteshwara, Murdeshwar and Dwibahu Ganesha, Gokarna
Shejjeshwar Temples (the last place is near Karwar), according to tradition. All
these places are in Uttara Kannada district.
Gulbarga, the district and divisional head-quarters, formerly in the Nizam’s
State, is 623 km. from Bangalore, was the first capital of the Bahmanis from
1347. Kannada records call the place as ‘Kallumbarige’, or ‘Kalubarige’ and it
Sharana Basaveshvara Temple, Gulbarga

was named later by Muslims as Gulbarga, giving it a floral touch. In Kannada
‘Kalburgi’ means a stony land or stone roofing. The fort here was originally
built by one Raja Gulchand, a feudatory of the Warangal Kakatiyas, and was
rebuilt by All-ud-din Bahmani with 15 majestic towers. Inside the fort is the
huge wonderful mosque built by
Muhammed Bahmani in 1367 and
it covers 38,000 sq. feet area. The
place has a huge sprawling complex
housing the tomb of Bande Nawaz,
the great Sufi saint, who came
to Gulbarga in 1413. His tomb’s
walls have paintings and a mosque
built by the Mughuls is near the
tomb. The Khandar Khan’s mosque
and Hirapur mosque (1585) built
by Chandbibi are some other
monuments here, and the tomb of
Sultan Hassan and Firoz Shah are
imposing structures. In all there are
Dargah of Khwaja Bande Nawaz, Gulbarga
seven mausoleums of Bahamani
sultans. Sharana Basappa Appa’s tomb here is highly venerated. The place has
many modern temples and Gulbarga University is housed here. outside the
city in an attractive campus. The State Archaelogy Museum here has Buddhist
plaques brought from Sannati. The City has a Municipal Corporation.
Halasi in Khanapur taluk, 14 km. from Khanapur Railway Station, and
was the second capital of the Kadambas of Banavasi, It has the oldest basadi
of Karnataka, built by the Early Kadambas who patronised Jainism. But
the basadi is in dilapidated condition now. The huge Bhuvaraha Narasimha
temple here was rebuilt by the Goa Kadambas during the 12th Century A.D.,
and has fine tall images of Varaha, Narasimha, Narayana and Surya. Halasi
was the headquarters of a major province called Halasige - 12,000 under the
Kalyana Chalukyas. The place has a fort, and also temples of Gokarneshwara,
Kapileshwara, Swarneshwara and Hatakeshwara. The place is in the background
of Western Ghats in lush green atmosphere.
Bhuvaraha Temple, Halasi
Halebid (former Dwarasamudra) in Belur taluk, Hassan

dt., 27 kms. away from Hassan was the capital of Hoysalas
after Belur. It has one of the finest Hoysala temples said
to have been started by Ketamalla, a commander of
Vishnuvardhana in a 1121 A.D. The twin Shiva Temples
with a common platform and two garbhagrihas, one besides
the other have a common broad navaranga. One of them
houses Vishnuvardhana Hoysaleshwara Linga and the
other Shanthaleshwara Linga. In front of the Hoysaleshwara
is the Nandimantapa and behind that is a shrine of Surya
with a two-metre-tall image. The temple doorways are
highly ornate and impressive. Outer walls have rows of Gajasuramardhana, Halebid
Intricate figures narrating episodes from epics like Ramayana, Bharatha and
Bhagavata. The place has a Parshwanatha basadi with highly polished pillars
in which on-lookers queer images are reflected. There is a Museum of the A.S.I.
The Kedareshwara temple is another monument built by Ketaladevi, Ballala II’s
Queen. Chatchatnahalli (nearby) has an attractive Hoysala Trikuta temple with
rich architectural refinement built by Chatta Dandanayaka in 1220.
Hampi the site of the capital
of Vijayanagara (1336), 10 km.
from Hospet in Bellary dt. was an
ancient city and Buddhist remains
of the early Christian era are found
here. Known as Pampakshetra,
because of Pampadevi temple, is on
the banks of Tungabhadra. On the
Hemakuta Hill behind the famous
Virupaksha temple of Chalukyan
times, there is a Badami Chalukya
temple. Poet Harihara in Kannada
has praised God Virupaksha during
the 12th Century. This, rocky hilly
area with Anegundi to the north of
the river is identified as Kishkindha
of Ramayana times. Virupaksha An aerial View of Virupaksha Complex, Hampi
temple was provided with a long Kalyana Mantapa which is a pillared pavilion
with complex artistic monolithic pillars by Krishnadevaraya (1509-1529) in
commemoration of his victory against Bijapur and the Gajapatis. Its entrance
tower called Bhistappayyana Gopura became the model for all Vijayanagara
Gopuras built all over South India, called as Rayagopuras. Also called as an
Open-Air Museum, Hampi has the Krishnaswamy temple, Hazara Ramaswamy
Temple, Achutaraya Temple housing Ranganatha, Kodandaramaswamy
temple, Vithalaswamy temple, Irugappa’s Basti (called Ganigitti Jinalaya
(1385), Uddhana Virabhadra temple, monolithic Lakshmi Narasimha (29
Feet tall installed by Krishnadevaraya in 1529), huge Badavi Linga, Kamala
Mahal, Elephants’ stable, Mahanavami Dibba, monolithic Ganeshas called as
Kadalekalu and Sasivekalu Ganesha and a large number of other temples and
monuments. Recent excavations have brought to light many palace foundations,
a fine stepped tank with polished stone Royal enclosure, several Noblemen
quarters and some Jaina bastis and some Buddhists plaques. The ‘Moorish
quarter’ has a mosque. The foreign visitors to the capital during the 15th
and 16th centuries have called it bigger than Rome. They are stunned by the
grandeur of its Dasara Festival and the trade of the town. People from the East
and the West were seen there. The City was destroyed and deserted in 1565,
but its remains continued to be intact, though in ruined condition, spread over
more than 25 square km. area. Kamalapura has an ASI Site Museum. The
Kannada University is also functioning from a new campus nearby, named as
“Vidyaranya”. Hampi is included in the World Heritage Sites by UNESCO.
Hangal, now in Haveri dt. is also a taluk headquarters. It was the capital of
the Hangal Kadambas, feudatories of the Chalukyas of Kalyana. It is mentioned
as ‘Panungal’ in early records and identified by tradition with Viratanagara
of Mahabharatha days Eighty km. away from Dharwad, it was once the
headquarters of a district called Panungal-500. The Tarakeshwara temple here
is a huge structure with wonderful series of images and polished tall Chalukyan
pillars spread over a vast area. The Virabhadra, Billeshwara and Ramalinga
etc., are other important temples
and the Ganesha temple near
Tarakeshwara has a northern
curvilinear (Nagara) Shikhara.
The town is on the left bank of
the Dharma river, and has ruins
of some fortification on the river
bank. There is also a famous
Veerashaiva Kumaraswamy
Matha here. Tarakeshwara Temple, Hangal
Harihara, on the banks of Tungabhadra, is 277 km. from Bangalore on the

Pune-Bangalore Rd,in Chitradurga dt. The rivulet Haridra joins it here and the
place was called Kudalur, and it is called as Harihara now because of the temple
of the name (of Hari and Hara unified), built by Polalva Dandanayaka under
Hoysala Narasimha in 1233 left on the bank of the Tungabhadra river. This
is a highly artistic monument
reflecting a high degree of
architectural perfection and
artistic speculation. This is a
higly artistic monument. There
are also temples of Srirama,
Dattatreya and Ishwara and the
place grew to be an industrial
centre with the Kirloskars
starting their unit. Now the
Harihara Polyfiber factory is
started near Kumarapatna, a
suburb of Harihara, but within
Hari -Hareshwara Temple, Harihara
Haveri dt. border.
Hassan The district headquarters, Hassan town is at a distance of about
150 kms from Bangalore connected by roads and railway and has all modern
amenities including hotels. The originally town was supposed to be called
as Chennapatna which was founded in 11th century by Bukkanna Nayaka,
a Chola officer. He erected a fort and petta on the site of his encampment.
Channapattana means a handsome city. He also created a large tank.
According to tradition this place was conferred on Sanjeeva Krishnappa
Nayaka, by the Hoysalas. The smiling Goddess Hasanamma is believed to have
directed him to build a fort. The Nayaka did accordingly and named the fort
Hasana after the Goddess. Thus this place is believed to have been established
in late 12th century. The Sthalapurana speaks of this place as called as

‘Simhasana’ and associates it with Janamejaya of the Kuru dynasty.
This place was one of the prominent centres of Hoysalas. This was also
ruled by various dynasties from the days of Gangas. Chikkadevaraja won over
this place in 1690 A.D.
There are two Hoysala temples dedicated to Chennakeshava and
Virupakshehswara. The former temple was built by Pradhana Heggade
Lakumaiah, a chief under Narasimha I and the latter is believed to have been
renovated by Vidyaranya, the pontiff of the Sringeri Matha. The Hasanamba
temple is a structure of post Vijayanagara period. The presiding deity is an
anthill and the temple is devoid of an architectural excellence. In this temple
complex, a shrine is dedicated to Siddeshwara. This temple opens only once in
a year on Ashwayuja bahula dwitiya for a duration of one week.
Together with these temples, there are the shrines of Kolala Gopalakrishna
and Gangadhareshwara situated of the bank of the local tank Devigere. There
is also a Jaina basti which is about 900
years old.
This place known as a ‘Poor man’s
Ooty’ is gaining tourist importance, with
facilities for tourists to stay in government
guest houses and hotels. Regular bus
service from Bangalore, Mysore, Madikeri,
Mangalore, Hubli and Shimoga exists.
From here reaching, Belur Halebidu and
other Hoysala Centres of art is easy. It
has railwayconnection also to Bangalore
and Hubli, and Hassan – Mangalore line is
closed for gauge conversion which may be
over soon Siddeshwara Temple, Hassan
Haveri, now a district head quarters, situated on NH4, is 340 kms away
from Bangalore. It derives its name from the tank that lies 2.5 kms from the
town, built in 10-11th Century. It has few ancient temples and the Siddeshwara
temple complex here of Chalukyan times is known by its sculptural decorations.
Ugranarasimha and Kalleshwara are the
other important temples of early times.
The Virakta Matha, Hukkeri Matha,
Hosamatha, Murugaswami Matha and
the Raghavendra Matha of Madhwa
tradition are important. The annual fair
of the Hukkeri Matha occurs in the month
of January, while Siddeshwara fair falls
during Dasara period. It was known for
cardamum processing till recently, and is
now famous for its beautiful cardamum
garlands.
Siddeshwara Temple, Haveri
Horanadu in Chikmagalur district,

situated 15 kms. from Kalasa. Besides
its local history, it is also famous by its
Annapurneshwari temple and its scenic
beauty. Piligrim from different parts visits
it in large number through out the year.
Thousands of devotees are being fed by the
temple authorities regularly, in accordance
with the name of the presiding deity of the
place. Annapurneshwari Temple. Horanadu
Hosaholalu An ancient agrahara, situated at a distance of two km east
of Krishnarajapet is Hosaholalu, a great centre of the Hoysala period. The
Lakshminarayana temple, the Hariharesvara temple and the Viranjaneya
temple, the Parswanatha Basadi and also the remains of the fort around the
town are the places worthy of visit here.
The Lakshminarayana temple is a trikutachala having the Lakshminarayana
image in the central shrine and with an antarala and a five-tiered vimana. The
shrine to the right has the idol of Lakshminarasimha, but the shrine to the left
is vacant now, but formerly had the image of Venugopala as is sculptured on
the lintel. All the three shrines open to a common navaranga. In the devakostas
of the navaranga, the sculptures of Ganapati and Mahisasuramardini are
Lakishminnarayana Temple, Hosaholalu

placed. The pillars in Hoysala style are highly polished and on the brackets
of the pillar are found the sculptures of beautiful damsels (the Madanikas), a
unique feature of the Hoysala art. In front of the navaranga are the pillared
sabhamantapa and the mukhamantapa. The temple is placed on a high platform

or adhishthana having the richly carved friezes of elephant, horses, foliage,
Puranic panel, makara (crocodile), swans etc. The wall has been divided in two
stages. The lower stage of the wall is ornamented with the sculptures of gods
and goddesses like Brahma, Vishnu, Lakshminarayana, Keshava, 24 forms
of Vishnu, Paravasudeva, Yoganarasimha, Lakshminarasimha, Indra, Rama-
Lakshmana, Harihara, Bhairava Bhairavi, Kali, Adhishakti, Govardhanadhari
Krishna, Kalingamardana, Lakshmi, Natyasaraswati, etc. In the upper part of
the wall is found the decorative motifs of single pillar, and dual pillar sikhara
and devakoshtas and episodes of epics are carved out. Images of gods are found
in some devakoshtas. Recently a Devi shrine has been is built to the leftside of
the temple. There are no inscriptions giving details regarding the temple, but
stylistically this temple can be assigned to the 13th century.
To the left side of this temple, on the way to the main entrance of the fort
is the Parshwanatha Basadi. This basadi has been restored in recent times.
In the sanctum are placed the images of Parshwanatha, Anantanatha and
Yakshi Padmavathi. In the navaranga one can see the beautiul sculptures of
Dharanendra Yaksha, Padmavathi Yakshi and a broken sculpture of Bahubali
which are said to be brought from Bilibetta.
Hubli, a part of Dharwad-Hubli twin
City Corporation is 408 km. away from
Bangalore, on the Bangalore - Pune
road, is both a railway junction and an
industrial town. Rayara Hubli, also called
‘Eleya Puravada Halli’ or ‘Purballi’ was
the old Hubli, where there is a Bhavani
Shankara temple and Jaina basti. Under
Vijayanagara Rayas, Rayara Hubli
grew as a commercial centre, famous
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
conquered it and the place came under
the Savanur Nawab who built a new
extension named Majidpura and trader
Basappa Shetty built new Hubli around
the Durgadabail (fort maidan). There
is the famous Moorusavira Matha, and
the Matha authorities claim that it was
begun by a Sharana of Basaveshwara’s
period. Hubli was conquered by the
Sri Jagadguru Gurusiddeshwara Gadduge, Hubli
Marathas from the Savanur

Nawab in 1755-56. Later
Haider conquered it, but
it was recaptured by the
Marathas in 1790, and the
old town was administered
by one Phadke under the
Peshwa and the new town by
Sangli Patwardhan. British
took old Hubli in 1817 and
the new town with 47 other
villages was handed over
to the British by the Sangli
Patwardhan in lieu of the
subsidy in 1820. Hubli is Hebic Memorial Church, Dharwad
a prosperous handloom weaving centre and has a Textile Unit. The Railway
Workshop started here in 1880, made it a reckonable industrial centre. The
Bhavanishankar temple in old Hubli and the impressive Chaturlinga temple in
Unakal are of Chalukyan times. The Siddharudhaswamy (1837-1929) Matha
in Old Hubli is visited by hundreds. In addition to the impressive Moorusavira
Matha, Rudrakshi Matha and Hanneradu Yattina Matha. There is Mahdi
mosque at Bandiwadagase and Mastan Sofa Mosque in Old Hubli. Of the
churches, the Church of Ascension (1905), Church of Holy Name (1928), St.
Joseph’s (1858) and the St. Andrew’s (1890) are notable. Unakal has a church
of the Basel Mission and there is a Gurudwara of the Sikhs in Vidyanagar. The
place has Medical (Govt.), Engineering and other colleges having all educational
facilities. It has Indira Gandhi Memorial Glass House and Nripatunga Park on
a Hillock. Kundgol, 15 km. south of Hubli, has the huge Shambhu Linga temple
of Chalukyan times.
Ikkeri a capital town of the Keladi Nayakas from 1512, is avery near to
Sagar in Shimoga dt. The Aghoreshwara Temple here of the Kalamukha sect is
a 16th Century monument of great attraction. There is also a Parvathi temple
nearby. The Italian traveller Pietro Della Valle gives a long description of this
capital he had visitied in
1623. Keladi is another place
nearby the original capital.
It has the Rameshwara and
Veerabhadra temples. There
is also a Museum having rich
collection of several sculptures
besides, having a rich treasure
of Palm leaf manuscripts. The
museum has also brought out
several invaluable books on
several subjects of historical
importance.
Aghoreshwara Temple, Ikkeri
Itagi in Yalburga taluk can be easily reached from Gadag (about 40 km.)
and is within the reach of Bhanapur, a Railway station in Gadag-Hospet line.
It has the best of the Kalyana Chalukya temple called Mahadeva, described as
“Devalaya Chakravarthi” (Emperor among temples) in early inscriptions, built by
Mahadeva Dandanayaka, a commander of great Chalukya ruler Vikramaditya
VI in 1112 A.D. This huge temple of fine polished pillars, intricately carved broad
doorways and deep Bhuvaneshwaris in the ceiling with miniature carvings
is a magnificent structure of
ever lasting beauty. There are
a number of other temples
around it and there is a huge
tank in front. A Saraswati
Matha meant for the residence
of students is also there. Percy
Brown called the temple “as
one of the best” after Halebid.
Kukanur, 10 km. from here has
the Navalinga temple complex
of the Rashtrakutas besides
the Mahamaya, Kalleshwara
and Mallikarjuna of Kalyana
Chalukya times. Mahadeva Temple, Itagi
Kalagi in Chitapura taluk, 60 kms from Gulbarga was formerly the

provincial headquarters of Mannedadi-1000 during Later Chalukyan times.
It has five Later Chalukyan temples. Among them, the Mallikarjuna temple
standing in the heart of the village built by Bana Mahamandaleshvara Vira
Gonkarasa in 1163 A. D. is a beautiful piece of architecture, erected by a team
of 12 sculptors headed by Ramoja. The Parswanatha basadi near Banasankari
temple, a trikuta of 11th Century A.D., housing Parswanatha Thirthankara in
the main shrine.
The Kalinga temple complex situated half a
km. south of the village on the bank of Kalagi
stream, has some temples richly adorned with
several dieties of lavish ornamentation. The
Karidevaru (Suryanarayana) here, a trikuta,
although now in ruins has the sculptures
of Vishnu, Brahma, Maheshwara, Bhairava,
Nataraja, Uma-maheshwara, Mahishamardini,
Ganapati and the Madanikas in different postures
on its walls. It may be the Jayalingeshwara
temple referred in a 13th century epigraph.
The Kaleshwara temple here, earliest of the
place, being referred to as Svayambhu Kaleshvar
in a record of 1103 A.D., spaciously placed, is
crowded by Nilakanta, Revana Siddeshwara,
Iswara, Someshwara and Bibbeshvara on either
Bracket Figure of Kalagi
sides with a common sabha mantapa. Adjascent to it are Kasivishvanath,

Ramalinga and Nandi temples. On the north bank of Kalagi stream are, Isvara
and Narasimha temples amidst a Puskarani.
Kambadahalli, A great Jaina centre with a complex basti of the Ganga
times, Kambadahalli lies at a distance of 16 km west of Nagamangala on the
Sravanabelgola road. The epigraphic evidence reveals that the place was called
Bindiganavileya Tirthabasadi. The tall manastambha here has helped to use the
word Kambadahalli for the place. There is a wonderful complex of seven basadis
comprising a trikuta Adinatha, a dwikuta basadi, and to the north of it another
dvikuta Santinatha Basadis built in three different stages. In the Adinatha
trikuta Basadi Adinatha Tirthankara’s image is in centre facing North and on
its either sides facing east and west Neminatha and Shantinatha Tirthankara
images are installed. In the antarala of the central sanctum the sculptures of
about two-metre tall Parswanatha and Yaksha-Yakshi are found. The sculptures
in the north-west corner of the navaranga are those of Santinatha’s Yaksha
and Yakshi. Other sculptures here are those of Dharanendra, Gomukha,
Kushmandini, Padmavathi and Jvalamalini. The central bhuvanesvari has the
beautiful carving of Suparsvanatha surrounded by the Ashtadikapalakas and
the Kshetrapalas.
The mantapa in front of the navaranga is a later addition. There is an
octagonal pedestal with Ashta-dikpalakas. The four-tiered adhisthana has
on it pilasters, decorated capitals and in the devakoshtas (niches) with the
Tirthankara sculptures in them. The kapota is decorated by the panel of hamsas
(swans). There are Dravida vimanas in three tiers upon the sanctums. The
An Aerial view of the Panchakuta Basadi, Kambadahalli

stupi of the eastern sikhara is circular whereas the stupi of the western and
southern sikharas are square and octagonal respectively, which is a special
feature rarely to be found elsewhere. About 10 ft. north of the mukhamantapa
of the trikuta basadi, there are two sanctums opposite to each other with
separate sukhanasis and navarangas. The space between these two sanctums
is now added an open mantapa. The sanctums have with them the images of
Tirthankaras in seated posture. The Santinatha Basadi which is to the north of
the Panchakuta Basadi is a structure of the 12th century built by Boppa, the
son of Gangaraja, the Hoysala General. The adhisthana of the this basadi has
fine sculptures of elephant, lion, horse, vyali, bull etc. The navaranga has in it
the sculptures of Neminatha, Dharanendra, Gomukha and Padmavati Yakshi.
The bhuvanesvari has the seated Tirthankara surrounded by Ashtadikpalakas.
In the western sanctum there is the idol of Shantinatha Tirthankara which is
3.5 metre high and the eastern sanctum is now used as the entrance. In front
of the Panchakuta basadi to the north there is Brahma Sthambha which is
about 15 mtr tall and is considered as one of the beautiful brahmasthambhas
in Karnataka, and it is this which has given the place name.
Kannambadi, a Becharak village having the Krishnarajasagar Dam built
across the river Cauvery. It had the Kanneshwara (Ganga) and the Gopalakrishna
(Hoysala) temples of 10th and 13th Century A.D. respectively, now submerged
in backwaters. Of late, both the temples have been shifted and re-constructed
on a higher plain in a make-shift place due to the efforts of one philanthrophist
of Bangalore. These temples are attracting the tourists in large numbers. The
sculptures of these temples which were preserved in the newly built temples at
North Bank village situated on the northern side of the K.R.S. Dam, are being
shifted to the make shift temple in a phased manner. Krishnaraja Sagar (Mandya
dt.) is a dam across the Cauvery, with the beautiful Brindavan gardens. The
garden with musical fountain is to be seen in the evenings.
Gopalakrishna Temple, Kannambadi

Karkala in Dakshina Kannada (52 km. from Mangalore) has been a notable
Jaina Centre with the seat of Jaina dynasty called Bhairarasas or the Santaras
whose prince Veera Pandya raised the
Gommata Statue here in 1432. They also
built the ornate Chaturmukha basadi
with four entrances, housing Arhat,
Malli and Suvrata Tlrthankaras in 16th
century characters the Ananthashayana
and Venkataramana temple, here are of
considerable antiquity and on the bank
of Ramasamudra tank is another basadi
of early times. The St. Lawrence church
here is highly venerated. Mudabidri in
Dakshnina Kannada, situated 35 kms.
away from Mangalore is one of the famous
Jaina Centres of South India. Among
the 18 basadis here, the Tribhuvana
Tilaka Chudamani Basadi, also known as
thousand pillared Basadi is the biggest.
Other basadis are also attractive and the
Jaina Matha has rare Jain manuscripts
and remarkable metallic images. It was
the capital of Chautas and in their old
palace, there are some wooden pillars
having Navanari Kunjara and Panchanari
Turaga motifs on them. Gommatashwara Statue, Karkala
Karwar is the district

headquarter 60 km from Bangalore
of Uttar Kannada district bordering
Goa. The town was founded in
1863 by the British, naming it after
Kadwad village (in the interior on
the banks of the Kali, where they
had their factory from 1638) which
they used to call as ‘Karwar’. Karwar
has one of the finest facilities for all-
weather port with a row of islands
like Anjadiv, Kurmagad, Devgad
etc., protecting it from storm. It has Water rafting, Karwar Beach
some of the finest beaches and is to the South of the Kali which meets the sea
here. Across the Kali, crossing a new bridge is Sadashivagad, a hill fort built
by Sonda Sadashiva Nayaka. Sadashivagad has a Durga temple and a Darga
of Peer Kamruddin. Binaga is to the South of Karwar. It has a modern Caustic
Soda factory. Goods movement along the Kali from her mouth reached Kadra,
later taken by land to the interior during medieval times. Anjadeev Island (under
Goa administration) is near Binaga. The Sea Bird Naval project of the Indian
Navy has come up near Karwar recently and is already functioning.
Kittur on the Dharwad-Belgaum Road, 33 km from Dharwad was the

headquarters of a Desagati (minor principality) which became famous due to
the revolt of Desayini Channammaji against the British in 1824. The place
has the ruined Wada, a bastion, which formed part of fortification. The State
Govt. Museum here has many antiquities collected from the Desai Wada. Inside
the fort is the Kalmeshwara-Temple and the place has Veerashaiva Mathas
called Chauki Matha and Hire Matha. Kittur has a Women’s Sainik School. At
Bailhongal, a taluk headquarters, the Samadhi of Channammaji, on which her
bronze statue is installed. Degaon, five kms from Kittur has a 12th Century
Kamala Narayana Temple in Chalukyan style, built by the Goa Kadambas.
It is a fine monument known
for its sophisticated art work.
Okkunda, 10 kms. from
Bailhongal was an important
town of Rashtrakuta times
(850 A.D.). Now submerged
due to Navilthirtha dam,
is known by its Jaina and
Shaiva Temples of Later
Chalukyan times which
are accessable only during
summer season. Remains of Palace and Fort Kittur
Kolar, the district headquarters, 72 km away from Bangalore is on the

Bangalore-Madras Road, called as “Kuvalalapura”, the first capital of the
Gangas, has the famous Kolaramma temple, originally of the Gangas, later
renovated by the Cholas. Kolaramma is Mahishamardini and she is one among
the seven Mothers (Sapta Matrikas) Installed there. In another shrine next to
it are attractive individual stucco figures of Sapta Matrikas. The Someshwara,
Venkataramana and Kodandarama are other major temples in the town.
Someshwara Temple built in early Hoysala period is a State protected monument
now in bad shape. The ‘Makbara’ here has the graves of Haider All’s relations.
Kolar is known for its local
product, the country blanket
(Kambli). Antaragange three
km away from Kolar, on the
Kolar hills has a perennial
stream emanating from
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 many
other seven villages. This
hillock overlooking the Kolar
town is a fine trekking track
for the Adventure Tourism. Someswara Temple, Kolar
Kokkare Bellur, A natural bird sanctuary, Kokkare Bellur village lies 18 km

away to the northwest of Maddur. From the mouth of January to July pelicans
come here from different quarters, build their nests on trees here and lay eggs
and raise their young ones and
later go back to their own places
after winter. The pelicans of
the Hejjarle species come here
in large number. Some of them
are slightly reddish, some are
slightly dark and many of
them are white. These pelicans
feed on fish from the tank in
the village. The villagers take
care to see that the birds are
not disturbed. The place is
also declared as the National
Protected Bird Sanctuary. Birds Sanctuary, Kokkare belluru
Kollur, one of the Shakti
worship centres of Karnataka,
situated 42 km. from Kundapur
in Udupi District is famous by
its Mukambika temple ascribed
to Adi Shankaracharya. The
Goddess installed on a Shri
Chakra, consecrated by the
saint Adi Shankara along with
the Chandramoulishwara of
the place was renovated and
worshipped by the Keladi
rulers in medieval times, is
in fine natural settings on the
base of “Kodachadri”. Mukambika Temple, Kollur
Koppal, now a district
headquarters is ancient
‘Kopana’ a major holy place of
the Jainas, has two Ashokan
inscriptions at Palkigundu
and Gavimatha. It has a hill
fort. It was the capital of a
branch of Shilaharas under
the Chalukyas of Kalyana.
Mundargi Bheema Rao and
Hammige Kenchanagouda
died fighting against British
here in June 1858 (during
the 1857 rising series).
A Sketch Map of Fort , Koppal
Palkigundu is described as
the Indrakila parvata of epic fame and there is an ancient Shiva temple called
the Male Malleshwara. Kinhal 13 kms away from Koppal is famous for its
traditional colourful lacquerware work.
Kotilingeshwara, Kotilingeshwara temple is situated in the village
Kammasandra in the Bangarpet taluk is attracting pilgrims from all over South
India. This place is located on the Bangarpet KGF road. This temple project was
initiated by saint Sambhashivamurthy who has his original hermitage called
Valmiki Ashrama at Kammasandra who was born here on 23rd August 1947
has an ambition of accomplishing the installation of one crore shivalingas by
the ardent devotees thronging the holy place. Hence the place gets the name
Kotilingeshwara. This temple complex consists of more than 70 Lakhs miniature
Shivalingas already installed by the devotees through their donations and
voluntary contributions. Besides this there are temples dedicated to Manjunath
and Brahma, Vishnu and Maheshwara. At the entrance to the temple complex
is a tall rayagopura built in Dravidian style. The Manjunatha temple consists
of a garbagriha, antharala and navaranga and an open mukhamantapa. Inside
the garbagriha is a tall Shivalinga and there is a smaller shikhara atop this.
There are some sculptures representing shivapurana. The Brahma, Vishnu
and Maheshwara temple has three cells in a row consisting of all the three
deities with an antharala and modern navaranga. In front of this temple is
a huge Bilwa tree where it is
traditionally believed young
couple tieing trunk is thus
surrounded by innumerable
miniature cradles tied on it.
There is a huge shivalinga
measuring 108 ft. tall and facing
this is a stone bull measuring
35 ft. tall. The annual jatra
is held here during shivaratri
when lakhs of people visit the
place. There are choultries
maintained by the temple trust
for the convenience of the Kotilingeshwara Temple, Near Bangarpet
pilgrims.
Lakkundi in Gadag taluk,
12 km from Gadag is one of the
most famous centres of Kalyana
Chalukyan art. The place has the
highly ornate Kashi Vishveshwara
temple in damaged condition,
a twin temple, one housing
Shivalinga and the other facing
it of God Surya, now not seen.
Another notable monument of the
place is the huge Brahma Jinalaya
Brahma Jinalaya, Lakkundi
ascribed to a noble lady called Dana Chintamani Attimabbe. This small town,
full of ruined temples like Mallikarjuna, Lakshminarayana, Manikeshwara,
Virabhadra, Nanneshwara, Someshwara, Nilakanteshwara and others.
Lakkundi also has a Museum of the A.S.I. There is a darga of Zindeshah Wali.
Lakshmeshwara, or ancient ‘Huligere’ or ‘Puligere’. the headquarters of
Puligere- 300 district in historical times, in Shirhatti taluk, is 72 km from
Dharwad. The Somanatha and the Lakshmaneshwara are famous temples here
and over 50 stone records
found here speak of its
cultural importance. It
was a Jaina Centre and
Shankha basadi appears
to be of the days of the
Chalukyas of Badami,
subsequently renovated.
The Kali Masjid here is
an ornate structure, built
by Bijapur Commander
Ankush Khan. Before
Independence, the place
belonged to the Miraj
Patwardhan State. Somanatheshwara Temple, Lakshmeshwara
Maddur, a taluk headquarters in Mandya dt. is 20 km from Mandya.
It is described in early Tamil records as “Maranduru” {in Tamil, Marandu
to mean medicine) 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 Narasimha-
Chaturvedi Mangalam in the
Hoysala records. Madduramma
is the village goddess of the
place. The Narasimha Swamy
Temple here of the Hoysalas
has the seven feet Narasimha
sculpture. The Varadaraja
temple is a Chola structure
with a 12 feet tall Varadaraja
image. Vaidyanathapura five
kms. from Maddur situated on
Shimsha bank is famous for its
Vaidyanatha temple of Chola
Narasimha Temple. Maddur
period. Shivapura nearby place
was the site where the first session of Mysore Congress was held in 1938. There
is a modern building ‘Satyagraha Saudha’ to commemorate it.
Madhugiri in Tumkur dt, 43 km from Tumkur, is famous for its massive

hill fort. Its ancient name is
Maddagiri and it has temples of
Venkataramana and Malleshwara
built by Vijayanagara feudatories.
There is also a Mallinatha basadi.
Rani Virammaji of Keladi was held
captive here by Haider Ali and
later, Marathas released her, but
she died on her way to Pune. The
fort has majestic gateways called
Antaralada Bagilu, Diddibagilu,
Mysore Gate etc. Midigeshi 19 km
from here is another tall hill fort
of importance in Medieval times. Rocky Hillock, Madhugiri
Madikeri, the headquarters of the Kodagu district is on the ranges of
Western Ghats, 250km from Bangalore. It was the capital of a royal family
called 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
walls of the building have some paintings. There is an old Church inside the
fort which houses the State Archaelogy Museum. The Omkareshwara Temple
and the tombs of the Kodagu
Rajas, Doddaveera Rajendra
and Lingarajendra are all in
Indo-Saracenic style. The Raja’s
Seat overlooking the valley
gives a panaromic view of the
surrounding coffee and paddy
growing lush geen lands. The
Kodavas have their own distinct
culture and folk arts; they are
know for their hospitality and
valourous military qualities.
Near Madikeri is ‘Roshanara,’
the residence of the late. Field
Marshall K.M. Kariyappa. Raja seat, Madikeri
Magadi, a taluk headquarters
of Bangalore Rural dt., is 41 km
from Bangalore. Kempegowda was
forced to leave Bangalore in 1638
and make Magadi his headquarters
where his family built the fort and the
Rameshwara temple. There is also the
Someshwara temple built in 1712 with
Kempegowda’s hazara near it. Its wall
paintings are now fading. Tirumale is a
Ranganatha Temple, Magadi
hill near the town where there is a vast Ranganatha Temple, but actually the
deity being worshipped is Srinivasa as Srinivasa is standing in samabhangi
with shanka chakra, varada and katihasta as per the Shilpashastra.
Mahadeshwara Betta, a hill
very close to the Eastern Ghats,
is 220 kms from Bangalore and
142 kms from Mysore and is in
Chamarajanagar dt. A saint called
Mahadeshwara who it is said,
could ride tiger, lived here during
the 14th and 15th century has
his gadduge here. The hill is full
of thick forests and thousands of
pilgrims visits the place which has
guest houses and other facilities.
It is a very picturesque spot of Mahadeshwara Temple, Mahadeshwara Betta
natural beauty.
Mandya, The district head-quarters, Mandya lies at a distance of
100 km southwest of Bangalore and 42 km
northeast of Mysore on the Mysore- Bangalore
highway. It is also connected by Railway. An
inscription speaks of the place as ‘Manteya’, its
old name and it was also an agrahara. Mandya
is an important industrial and commercial
centre. The Mysore Sugar company (1933) was
the first of its kind to be established in India.
Mandya and its surrounding villages bloomed
72 Mandya District Tourism Gazetteer 73 with
greenery after the creation of K. R. Sagar dam
and the farmers built good cooperative societies
and educational institutions. The district is
famous for its Bannur (sheep) mutton, an
extra-ordinary delicacy, which is served in local
hotels.
There is a Janardanaswamy temple here,
held in sanctity and its jatra in summer is
attended by thousands. The place is described
as ancient Vedaranya according to local Lakshmi Janardhana Temple, Mandya
tradition.
Mangalore is the ancient town ‘Mangalapura’ and is on the west coast
of Karnataka with both an old and a modern port. It is the head-quarters of
the Dakshina Kannada District. It was for long the capital of the Alupas. The
Vijayanagara rulers posted one of their governors here. It came under the Banga
feudatory and the Portuguese opened a factory here for trade and brought
Roman Catholic religion too. Conquered by Haider, it became the chief port of
Mysore and Sultan’s Battery near the port is the remnescents of his rule. When
it fell to the English (1799) they made

it the district headquarters of Kanara.
The Basel Mission that came here
in 1834 started an English school,
printing, tile (terracotta) factory and
weaving have helped to modernise the
place. The first Kannada neswpaper
‘Mangalura Samachara’ (1834) was a
missionary venture.
Mangalore has the old Mangaladevi
temple and the Kadri Manjunatha
temple where once Buddhists had
stayed. There are fine bronze statues of
Avalokiteshwara and Dhyani Buddha
and some laterite caves around
Kadri temple. The Venkataramana,
Mahamayi and the huge modern
Gokarna Natha are important
temples of Mangalore. Bengre has a
fine beach. The Light House Hill has
the Idagah. The St. Aloysius College
here has a chapel with fine paintings.
St. Rozario Church, Church of the
Most Holy Rosary and the Milagres
Mangaladevi, Mangalore
Church are some fine Christian
monuments here.
Shanti Cathedral of
the Bassel Mission
in also famous. The
port area has an old
mosque with fine wood
work. Dongarkery has
the Shamir mosque.
Mangalore is famous
for its Sea Food and
jasmine known for
its unique aroma.
A second grade
college, founded by
Madras Government
in Mangalore around
Rozario Church, Mangalore
1869, was the first
of its kind in Karnataka. Mangalore has now a University. It has tile, coffee
curing, fish processing and cashew processing units. Beedi production is a
home industry. Mangalore Fertilizers and petro chemicals Industries is a major
public enterprise. Mangalore has a City Corporation.
Melukote, the temple town in Mandya district is a great centre of pilgrimage.

The Cheluvanarayana Swamy here was for long worshipped by Acharya
Ramanuja {12th Century). The temple came to be expanded under Vijayanagar
and Mysore rulers. The latter
presented the temple with
many costly jewels including
Vairamudi, a diamond-studded
crown. On the hilltop there
is a Narasimha temple also.
Melukote is a great centre of
traditional Sanskrit learning and
the Samskrita Academy here
is a newly founded institution
having a huge collection of
ancient palm Leaf Manuscripts
with modern amenities. Cheluvanarayana Swamy Temple, Melukote
Mysore, the district and divisional headquarters, is the ancient royal capital
and the garden city. It is 139 km west of Bangalore. Though described as
‘Mahishapura’, the old records speak ‘Mayisooru’ which has nothing to do with
Mahisha or Mahishasura. In the inscriptions found here and elsewhere the
place name has been mentioned as ‘Mayisooru’ which means ‘mayi’ (antelope)
and ‘Ooru’ meaning place. The Mysore royal palace is a major attraction
with Indo-Saracenic exterior and Hoysala interior, completed in 1907. It is
illuminated during holiday evenings. The palace’s Kalyana Mantapa has fine
wall paintings of the Dasara procession and Durbar scenes done in 1930s
and 1940s by the Palace artists. Besides the several temples situated in the
palace complex, the Kote Anjaneya,
Kote Maramma, Parshwanatha (near
corporation), Kanyaka Parameshwari
(Doddapet and Shivaram Pet), Renuka
Yellamma (Mysore Karaga fame)
near zoo garden, Satyanarayana
(Vantikoppal), Raghavendra Math, etc.,
are also important. The Chamundi Hill
has a Mahishasura Statue outside,
done in cement and a large entrance
tower at the Chamundi Temple. Beside
this temple, there is a tenth century
Mahabala temple and records call the
hill as “Marbala Betta”. The hill has
steps and on way is a monolithic Nandi.
Lalita Mahal Palace is a hotel now.
Another Palace Cheluvamba mansion
which is a heritage building houses
C.F.T.R.I. The Jagan Mohan Art Gallery
also was a palace. The Parakala Matha
is an imposing building near this. Chamundeshwari Temple, Mysore
Illuminated Royal Palace, Mysore
Monolith Bull, Chamundi Hill, Mysore

Mysore has the famous zoo garden too. The Oriental

Manuscript Library is also housed in an impressive
building. The University was founded in 1916.
The Sutturu Matha, the Railway Museum, the
Premier Studio, the Ramakrishna Ashrama and
the Sachidananda Ganapathi (Dattatreya Peetha)
Ashrama are other attractions of Mysore. The St.
Philomina Church is an impressive Gothic style of
architecture with imposing towers in N.R. Mohalla of
Mysore. Mysore is the most important tourist centre
of Karnataka. Its Dasara festival is the most attractive
pageant. Brindavan Gardens raised on the other bank
of KRS dam with attractive musical fountain is very
close to Mysore city and also easily approachable.
Mysore has grown to be an industrial centre too with
the Railway worshop, Ideal Jawa Factory, B.E.M.L.
Unit, Vikrant Tyres, etc., The Natural Museum near Mahishasura , Chamundi Hill
D.F.R.L. in Siddartha Layout and the Fantacy Park on Bangalore Road are the
recent additions of tourist interest. It has a City Municipal Corporation. Of late
Mysore is being developed as a second IT city of Karnataka with the founding
of Software Industries of International repute. Mysore has been declared as a
State Heritage city recently.
St. Philomena Church, Mysore Dasara Procession

Nanjangud, a taluk head quarters in Mysore

district, situated 20 kms. from Mysore on the bank of
Kapila is famous due to the Nanjundeshwara temple,
almost 1000 years old. It is a big complex having
Nanjundeshwara and Parvati temples enclosed by
prakara with a huge Gopura on the entrance Gateway
and on the hara of the prakara, beautifully designed
stucco figures of gods and goddesses in rows are
executed effectively. It is interesting to note that Tippu
made donations to this temple of an Emerald Necklace.
There is a Raghavendraswamy Matha, Suttur Matha
and Siddappaji’s shrine of the Manteswamy tradition.
Nanjundeshwara Temple
Narasamangala, Situated in the
interior place, about twentyfour km from
chamarajanagar, Narasamangala belongs to
the same taluk and to be reached through
Amachavadi. This was an agrahara of scholarly
Brahmins called Narasimha Mangala, perhaps
founded by Ganga rules Narasimha (921-33
AD). The place has a wonderful temple of the
Gangas called the Rameswara. The monument
can be ascribed to 9th or 10th century AD.
This small temple has a magnificent shikhara
with remarkable stucco figures, still intact,
for more than 1000 years. The figures
include Shiva in standing A side view of the
Rameswara Temple, Narasamangala posture
on the head of Nandi, Tandaveswara, Uma,
and Dakshinamurthy, Vishnu, Garuda, Ugra
Narasimha etc. They are very proportionate
creations. The garbhagriha has a huge
Shivalinga in a square pedestal (peetha), one Rameswara Temple, Narasamangala
metre in height. To the northeast of the temple here is a shrine of Saptamatrikas.
To any lover of Ganga art, this place is a must. But the place, though having
motorable road, has no regular bus facility. It has a sculpture shed maintained
by the Archeological Survey of India.
Pattadakal saw the Badami
Chalukyan art in its full bloom. It is
22 km away from Badami and 514 km
from Bangalore. The best temples like
the Virupaksha (Trailokeshwara) and
the Mallikarjuna (Lokeshwara) were
built by the queens of Vikramaditya II
(734-44 A.D.) in memory of his three
victorious march against Kanchi, the
Pallava capital. These magnificient
Virupaksha Temple, Pattadakal
temples with their nicely engraved lively figures

on walls and the massive square pillars are
in sand stone. Pattadakal itself was known as
Kisuvolal (‘Red Town’) as the sand stone and soil
here are reddish in colour. The Sangameshwara,
Papanatha, Chandrashekhara, Jambulinga and
Kadasiddeshwara are the other major temples
here, and Pattadakal has also a Jaina basadi
of the Rashtrakuta times with two beautiful
elephants in its front. The Galaganath temple
here which is dilapidated, has curvilinear
(rekhanagara) shikhara. This place is included
in the World Heritage Series by the UNESCO. sunrise in the celling of Papanatha temple
Raichur, the headquarters of the district of the same name is 475 km
away from Bangalore. It has a hillfort originally built in 1294 by a Kakatiya (of
Warangal) officer and later expanded by the Bahamanis. A 41 -feet long slab
near the Raichur bus stand, fixed into the fort wall has a Telugu record and also
sculptures of the scense of how huge slabs were transported atop the hill with the
help of buffalo driven carts. The outer fortification has five majestic gateways, the
Sikandari Darwaza and Sailani
Darwaza being impressive. The
Navrangi Darwaza is created by
Vijayanagara rulers with many
court scenes of Vijayanagara.
The town has a majestic
Ekminar mosque of the days
of Mohammed Shah Bahmani,
The lone minaret is 65 feet tall.
The Jami Masjid here is the
biggest of its kind. There are
many modern temples in the
town of which Manikprabhu
and the Ramalingeshwara
Raichur Fort an art work by Ishwar
temples are notable.
Sandur is a taluk headquarters
in Bellary district. It is in a valley
surrounded by hills, and the hills
abound in quality iron and manganese
ore. Sandur is derived from ‘sandu’
in Kannada, meaning a ‘pass’. It was
formerly under the Maratha rulers
called the Ghorpades till 1947 and
the palace surrounded by a fort is
an attractive building. The town has
a Vithoba temple with impressive
pillars. One of the hill ranges has the
Kartikeya Temple, Sundur
attractive Kumaraswamy temple and also the Parvati temple. The Parvati temple
perhaps was the original Kumaraswamy temple of Badami Chalukya times
which now houses a recent Parvati figure and the Shanmukha {Kumaraswamy)
temple is a Rashtrakuta structure with a modern image. The twin temples are
excellent pieces of art and are in a sarene place, and are surrounded by rose
gardens. The place is 12 km. from Sandur town. Not far away from here is the
Nandihalli Post-Graduate Centre of the Gulbarga University and 16 km. away
from Sandur is Ramanadurga or Ramgad. There is a Rama temple on this cool
hill resort, commemorating Kumara Rama, a historical figure who died fighting
against Delhi Sultan’s army.
Sannati in chitapur taluk of Gulbarga district, situated 48 kms from chitapur
and 18 kms from Nalwar railway station, on the left
bank of river Bhima, is one of the important pre-
historic and historic sites of Karnataka. It was an
important Buddhist centre during both the Mauryas
and the Sathavahanas. So far four Asokan edicts
have been found at Sannati. In Kanaganahalli, a
near by place, Buddhist stupas of Sathavahana
period have been unearthed. Excavations held at this
place have proved beyond doubt of its Sathavahana
township. Some findings speak of its contact with
Rome. But now the Chandralamba temple of the
place has revived its lost glory. It is situated on a
mound containing Mauryan remnants, built later
during Rashtrakuta period and expanded during
Later Chalukya period. People from different places
throng here on the occassion of Sankramana,
Chandralamba Temple Sannati
Sravana and Navarathri.
Saundatti in Belgaum district is a taluk headquarters (74 km. from
Belgaum) and the town proper has a fort on the hill built during the 18th
Century, by the Sirasangi Desai with eight bastions. Earlier it was also the
capital of the Rattas who later
shifted their headquarters to
Belgaum. There are two small
Jaina basadis of Ratta times
and the temples of Ankeshwara,
Puradeshwara, Mallikarjuna,
Venkateshwara and the
Veerabhadra. The Puradeshwara
is of the Kalyana Chalukyas,
dilapidated now. The Ankeshwar
was built by the Rattas in 1048,
also in Chalukyan style. The
Renukasagar waters (from the
Naviluteertha dam across the
Malaprabha) touch the outskirts Yellamma Temple, saundatti
of Saundatti. Yellmmmanagudda, 12 km. away from Saundatti is on a hill. This

original Rashtrakuta basadi is now used to worship Yellamma or Renuka and
the devotees visit it in hundreds daily. Two km. away is Parasgad, a wonderful
hill fort, expanded by Shivaji, now getting dilapidated.
Shimoga a district headquarters,
274 km. from Bangalore is on the bank
of the Tunga river. It was a notable
centre under the Keladi Nayakas.
Their palace now houses a museum
of State Archaeology Department.
The Kote Seetharamanjaneya temple
and Sri Raghavendra Matha are the
oldest in the town. Shimoga is a
centre of paddy and areca trade and
there is a Govt. sandal oil factory
here. It is a cool place near the ranges
of the Western Ghats. The place has
the Bhimeshwara, Lakshminarayana
and Guddekal Siddheshwara temples
and the Sacred Heart Church of the Kuvempu University, Shimoga
Catholics.
Sirivala, situated 15 kms from
the taluk head quarters Shahapur,
on the right bank of Bhima has
more than 20 ancient temples.
Among them, 10 are within the
village seven scattered on the
Anabi road and the remaining
three situated on the other side
of the stream flowing across the
village. Among the last three,
named Sujnyaneshvara, Nannaiah
and Nagaiah temples, the last two
are of Rashtrakuta period. Among
Sujnyaneshwara Temple, Sirivala
the temples scattered across Anabi
road, five are Ekakutas and the remaining two are dvikuta temples in dilapidated
condition. The Pushkarnies at Sujnyaneshvar and on the Anabi Road, have the
narrative panels of PanchaTantra stories depicted beautifully. Of the ten temples
in the village, Siddalingeshvar temple is unique by its sarvatobhadra 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 designs.
One of the epigraphs of the place refer to Sharana Revana Siddaiah and his
father Shivayogi Shantimaiah and confirm their affiliation with this place. The
great Sharana Siriyalasetty is locally believed as a native of this place. There
are other temples like Bala Bhimeshvara, Mallikarjuna, underground temple,
Hanumantha, and an un named temple although in ruins are noteworthy.
Shivagange, a prominent pilgrimage centre in Bangalore Rural dt., is about

60 km. from Bangalore. It is a conical shaped hill and one of the caves has Shiva
(Gangadhara) shrine and another cave has Honnadevl of Ganga times originally
in a natural cave, which was expanded by the Hoysalas and subsequent rulers
including the Kempegowdas
of Bangalore. The place was
also known as Kakudgiri
according to tradition. One
can climb further on the hill
and there is Kempegowda’s
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 temple
called Shanteshwara, the
Shankara Matha of Sringeri
tradition and also a huge tank
which has relief sculptures A Panoramic View Shivaganga hill
narrating epic events. There is a Lingayat Matha called Mahanta Matha on
the hill, and once it is said, there were 64 Lingayat Mathas at the place. Of the
many images in the Shiva temple, one of Kempegowda as a devotee is notable.
Shravanabelagola in Hassan District, 157
km. away from Bangalore is an important Jaina
centre. There is a pond and two stony hills,
called Chandragiri and Indragiri. Chandragiri
has the Chandragupta basadi of the Gangas
and the Parshwanatha basadi here is the
biggest. The town below the hill has the Jaina
matha whose walls have very old paintings.
Indragiri has the Gommata monolith, 58’
tall, installed by a Ganga general and scholar
Chavundaraya, in 982 A.D. There is also
Siddhara basadi, Odegal basadi, Chennanna
basadi, Chauwisa Tirthankara basadi besides
the finely engraved Tyagada Brahmadeva pillar
with excellent floral designs. To the north of the
town is Jinanathapura which has Aregal basadi
and the Shantinatha basadi of Hoysala times.
Shravanabelagola has over 500 inscriptions,
and some of them record the death of Jaina
ascetics and laymen by observing starvation
(‘sallekhana’]. Gommata here is an image
of unrivalled beauty. Head Anoiting (Maha
Monoltithic Statue of gommateshwara,
Masthakabhisheka) festival is held once in 12 Shravanabelagola
years.
Sira Tumkur district a taluk headquarters is 52 km. from Tumkur. The

town called Siriya was founded by Rangappa Nayaka of Ratnagiri, a feudatory
of Vijayanagara. It was conquered by the Mughuls in 1686 and they raised a
beautiful garden called Khan Bag. The Jumma masjid here is a fine monument
built in 1896 and the Malik Rihan’s tomb is another impressive structure. The
fort is still there in parts, was expanded by the Mughuls. The Gopalakrishna
temple here has no image, and it is said to be housed in the Narayana temple.
The place was the centre of a Mughul Fauzdari and Kasim Khan was the first
fauzdar. Haider secured it as a gift later. Seebi, 24 km. to the south of Slra was
known earlier as Sibburu and
there is a Narasimhaswamy
temple built during the 18th
century by Nallappa an officer
under Haider Ali. Nallappa
has written ‘Haider-naame’
in Kannada. The temple
is profusely decorated
with mural paintings
depicting the themes of
Ramayana, Mahabharatha
and Dashavatara. There
are many secular themes
including erotic figures in Peer Mallik Rihan’s Dragah, sira
good number.
Sirsi, a taluk headquarters in Uttara Kannada is 90 kms. from Karwar. In a
record of 1150 AD from Tamadi Kallala in Siddapura Taluk, it is mentioned as
“Sirise”. The place has the Shankara,
Ganapathi and Veerabhadra of
early times, the Triyambakeshvara
and the Gopalakrishna are of recent
times. The Marikamba temple of
the place is said to have been built
in 1689, is most significant. Its
architecture is marvellous. Its Car
festival which occurs bi-annually in
the month of Magha is attended by
devotees in thousands. Mahatma
Gandhi, visited this place in 1934,
since Sirsi being a notable centre of Marikamba Temple, Sirsi
freedom movement,
Somanathpur, ten km. away from T. Narsipur, the taluk headquarters and
40 km, from Mysore, has the best of the Hoysala temples constructed when
the Hoysala art was in full bloom. The three vesara shikharas of the Keshava
temple are in good condition. Somanathpur was called Vidhyanidhi agrahara
and Somanath Dandanayaka, the commander of Hoysala Narasimha III built the
trikuta temple and the place was named after him. It is the finest monument of
the place. The other temples are the Panchalingeshwara. Lakshminarayana and
Narasimheswara. The Keshava temple is enclosed by a courtyard of 215 feet in
length and 177 feet in breadth. It stands on a platform with triple shrines with
three majestic shikharas on them with a common navaranga and main entrance.
It is profusely decorated on the outer walls and there are rows of figures of Natya
Saraswati, Natya Ganapathi, Mahishamardini, Varaha, Ishwara, Indra etc.,
and smaller figures narrating Vaishnava epics. The navaranga has 16 ankanas
each with a highly decorative floral or geometric designs. The Keshava image
in the main shrine is missing but Janardana and Venugopala are seen in other
two garbhagrihas, are really
charming. The shikharas look
like highly decorated rathas.
The panels on the walls of the
Keshava have sign-manuals
of sculptors like Mallitamma,
Baleya, Chaudeya, Chamaya,
Bharmaya, Nanjaya and
Yelasamayya. The Keshava
temple is a must for every
lover of Hoysala art. The
Panchalinga do not have
much of embellishment, but
it has five Shiva shrines in a
row. Chenna Keshava Temple, Somanathpur, (Art Work by S.Kalappa)
Sonda in Sirsi taluk of Uttara Kannada is 35 kms. away from Sirsi. It is

in the middle of thick forest. It was the headquarters of the Sonde rulers who
were feudatories of Vijayanagara. The place when occupied by Haider Ali in
1763 lost its importance though it was a major town earlier to that. Its large
number of monuments are spread over a wide area in the forest. It was a Jaina
centre, and has the samadhi of great scholar Bhattakalanka (died in 1604).
There is a small Jaina Matha here. The Swarnavalli Matha near sonda is of the
Smartha tradition. Arasappa Nayaka, a prince, was a devotee of Vadirajatirtha
(1480-1600), a great Madhwa
saint, who shifted his matha
(one of the eight of Udupi) to
this place and his Samadhi
(Brindavana) is seen here.
He is consideres as the first
saint to enter the Brindavana
alive much before saint
Raghvendratirtha of
Manthralayam.There is a
Trivikrama temple raised by
him. The Swarnavalli Matha
of the Havyaka Brahmins
found near Sonda has a rich
collection of traditional Palm Vadirajamatha, Sonda
Leaf Manuscripts. There is also the Shankaranarayana temple at Sonda and

the Gaddige Matha. The river Shalmala creates a falls of 91 metres height
called the Shivaganga falls, at a place five km. from Sonda. The Sahasralingas
on the rocky path of the river is a wonderful scene. Thousands visit this place
with utmost devotion.
Sringeri is one of four centres in India where Acharya Shankara founded
his Mathas. The place in Chikmagalur district is 334 km. away from Bangalore
and is a taluk headquarter. Sringeri has an old Parshwanatha basadi. There
is the Sharadamba temple ascribed to Acharya Shankara and the magnificent
Vidyashankara temple on the banks of the Tunga river, built during the 14th
century. It has 12 pillars inside called Rashikambhas and sun’s rays fall on a
specific pillar in the morning on each solar month. There is the Sachchidananda
Vilasa Ashrama, the
Kalabhairava temple, and
temples built in memory
of Narasimha Bharati and
Chandrashekara Bharati,
the previous pontiffs. The
Sringeri Matha grew to be
jahgir as Vijayanagara,
Mysore, and other families
made munificient grants.
Tipu also made liberal
donations to the matha.
Sringeri is a quiet serene
place with many guest
houses for visitors. It
is a centre of Samskrit An imposing architecture of Vidyashankara Temple, Sringeri
Learning also.
Srirangapattana in Mandya district
is a holy place. It was also the capital of
the Mysore rulers. Under Haider and Tipu,
it had a population of 1.50 lakhs. It is
14 km. from Mysore, and is an island in
between two branches of the Cauvery.
The Ranganath temple here is ascribed
to a chieftain who raised it during the
9th Century A.D. Later Hoysala prince
Vinayaditya expanded the temple during
the 12th Century. The fort here was built
in 1454. The Mysore rulers made it their
capital in 1610 in the days of Raja Wodeyar,
who took it from the Vijayanagara Governor.
The Ranganatha temple is called Adi Ranga
which has Hoysala, Vijayanagara and later
features and the Gppura (entrance) is in
Vijayanagara style. Not far away from the Sri Ranganatha Temple, Srirangapattana
temple is the mosque with twin impressive polygonal minarets. Its suburb,
Ganjam has Dariya Daulat palace of Tipu and Gumbaz, the Mausoleum of
Haider and Tipu both impressive structures 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, has many temples and old rest houses is a very
serene place. The Abbe Dubbois Church and Nimishamba temple nearby are
worth seeing.
Surpur, is a taluk centre in Gulbarga district, 520 km. from Bangalore.
Its real name is Surapur and
it was the headquarters of a
feudatory Nayakas in the heart
of Sagaranadu. The place has a
fine fort but the parts of palaces
inside are being dismantled.
Its prince Venkatappa Nayaka
had revolted against the British
in 1858. Meadows Taylor was
the Resident here and his
residence, Taylor Manzil is now
used as a guest house. There is
a Gopalaswamy temple in the Gopala Swamy Temple, Surpur
town.
Talakad in Mysore district is a holy place on the banks of the Cauvery,
29 km. from T. Narasipur, its taluk headquarters. It was the second capital of
the Gangas. They built the Pataleshwara and the Maruleshwara temples here.
Hoysala Vishnuvardhana conquering it from the Cholas, built the Kirti Narayana
temple. The Vaidyanatheshwara is another Shiva temple here. The Arkeshwara
at Vijayapura not far away from Talakadu, three Shiva temples here and the
Mallikarjuna on hill nearby called Mudukutore together are Pancha Lingas and
a Jatra in honour of these five Shiva temples is held once in 12 years called
Pancha Linga Darshana. Talakadu is full of sands, carried by the wind from
the dried bed of the river, which has a bund across it here, built by Madhava
Mantri of Vijayanagara
during the 14th century.
In summer, the dried
bed supplies the sand.
Excavations conducted
recently have brought to
light remains of the early
centuries of the Christian
era which include beads,
a gold smelting clin etc.,
and also the remains of
a basadi and two well-
like cylindrical structures
made by joining earthen Keerthinarayana Temple, Talakad (Non Under reconstruction)
rigs.
Talakaveri is the point of origin

of the Cauvery river in Kodagu
district, 28 km. from Madikeri on
the ranges of the Brahmagiri hill.
There is a small square tank from
which the Cauvery is believed to
emanate and move for some distance
as a subterranean flow. There are
two shrines dedicated to Ishwara
and Ganapathi here. On Tula
Sankramana day Cauvery is believed
to start her flow afresh from the Cauvery Ugamasthana, Talakaveri
square tank and a large Jatra takes place here. Brahmagiri has steps from here,
and atop the hill there are some remains of sacrificial attar. This quiet resort is
amidst hilly forest surroundings. Tinthini, in Surapur taluk of Gulbarga dt, on
the bank of Krishna is famous due to the religious harmony. Maunappaiah, the
Vishwakarma saint’s tomb here is worshipped both by Hindus and Muslims
with due respect.
Tumkur is the district headquarters, 70 km.
to the north of Bangalore. It is called Tummugere’
in a 10th Century record. The oldest temple here is
Lakshminarayana built in 1560. It came under Mysore
during the 17th century when a Maruti temple was
built. Nearby Kyatsandra the Siddhaganga Kshetra
is situated on a hill. There is a Veerashaiva Matha at
Siddhaganga known for its unique educational service.
It runs a free hostel feeding nearly 5000 students. It
also runs many educational institutions including an
engineering college. Siddhaganga has the samadhi of
Siddhalingeshwara, a Veerashaiva saint and there is a
natural spring called Siddhaganga. Anjaneya Facing the Tank, Tumkur
Udupi, a holy place and now a district headquarters is 58 kms. away from
Mangalore. The Krishna temple here built and the mein deity of Krishna was
installed by Acharya Madhwa (1200-1280 AD) during the 13th century. He
founded eight Mathas to conduct
the services of Lord Krishna in
turns. This changing of turn,
Paryaya festival, is held once in
two years in January. The place
has Kadiyali Durga temple,
Ambalapadi Shakti temple,
Raghavendra Matha and the
Venkataramana swamy temple.
Malpe a near by port has fine
beach and the Vadabhandeshwara
temple of Balarama. Manipal near
Sri Kirshna, Udupi
Cart Festival, Udupi

Udupi is a great educational centre with a well equipped modern hospital and
a pathological museum. It has a deemed University, MARE.
Ulavi in Uttara Kannada, 32 km. from Yellapur can be reached from Haliyal
also. It is amidst thick forests, where there is the Samadhi of Chennabasavanna
(the nephew of Saint Basaveshwara) who sought shelter here after leaving
Kalyana in about 1167 when the Kalachuri king had resorted to a witch hunt
against the Sharanas after the death of Bijjala. Gavi Matha here is a series of
caves in which the Sharanas lived. One cave is named after Akka Nagamma,
Chennabasavanna’s mother. The imposing structure here is the Samadhi of
Chennabasavanna which has Nandi installed in the sanctum. The Shikhara
of this sanctum has stucco figures of
the Sharanas. The temple was expanded
by the Sode rulers. Every month on
Poornima days, a jatra is held and the
annual jatra is held on Shivaratri days.
Hundreds visit the place daily. There are
some rest houses for visitors. There is
also a fort in ruins called Baburayana Chennabasavanna’s Temple, Ulavi
Kote.
Vajrapoha Falls, This scenic place 23 km from Khanapur is situated
amidst hilly surroundings of the Jamboti forest, not easily accessible. One has
to travel from Jamboti upto a point four km beyond Chapoli and then cross the
river Mahadayi which leads to an elevated flat hillock. The river flowing in a
serpentine fashion takes a first jump from a height of about 60 metre forming
a milky block and then falls into a rocky valley with thunderous sound. Then
the river takes another jump form a height of 50 metres, and the second jump
from a height of 50 meters. But the second jump cannot be viewed from this
point. The second falls can be reached from Asoga village near Khanapur by
walk covering a distance of six km. The place is fit for a visit between November
and January.
Yana, A revenue village 24 km from Kumta and 45 km from Sirsi. Yana can
be approached from Kumta via Katgal-Harita (on the Kumta- Sirsi road) after
taking a deviation to the far left of Harita. One has to walk a distance of 9 km
through the irregular forest route which is open only during summer. This leads
to a steep valley and then crossing the Vaddi Pass the spot can be reached.
The place can also be reached from Sirsi, via the Devimane Ghat and Harita
and also from Hegdekatta one can reach by walking nine km crossing the steep
ghats. There is no motorable road to reach the place. Standing at the foot of the
hill, one can see two beautiful steep hillocks of a height of 90 meters and 120
meters which are locally called Mohini Shikhara and Bhairaveshwara Shikhara
respectively. The rocks are a solid composition of black crystalline lime stone
whose sides have roughened due to constant exposure to air. A narrow path
leads about half way up the side of the huge rock to a big horizontal gap or a
deep cave measuring three meters at the entrance. Bees have closely nitted
Mohini and Bhairaraveshwara Shikaras, Yana

combs hanging from a ledge high on to the corners of the rocks. In the middle
of the cave there is a two meter tall Shivalinga, called Bhairaveshwar and water
drips from the hanging rock over the head of the Linga which is described as
Gangodbhava. To the south of this is a little cave opening which has the bronze
icons of Chandika and Durga. Through the middle of the rocks flows a stream
locally called Chandihole or the silver stream and it joins the Aghanashini river
at Uppinapattana. According to tradition Bhasmasura who had received super
powers from Shiva of reducing to ashes, anything that he could touch, ventured
to use this boon against the donor i.e., Shiva who was forced to take shelter in
these mountains. Vishnu in the form of a Mohini finally reduced Bhasmasura
to ashes. The white ash-like soil found all around the place is ascribed to this
burning of the demon. The annual jatra held here during Shivaratri attracts
thousands. It is a belief that, people should take bath in ‘Danditirtha’ (stream)
and take the holy waters then on to Gokarna for worshipping Mahabaleshwara
there.
Yediyur in Tumkur district (Kunigal taluk) has
the samadhi (matha) of Tontada Siddhalingeshwara
Yati, a famous Veerashaiva saint who lived during
the 16th century. The place is 30 km. away from
Kunigal, Pilgrims who visit the place in hundreds
daily are fed free, and there are rest houses for
them. The Matha has a fine wooden chariot (ratha)
with some interesting sculptures. The place has a
Varadaraja temple and two Veerashaiva Mathas.
The Matha’s building has some old paintings on
walls.
Siddalingeshwara Temple, Yediur

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Chapter XIV

Karnataka, The Tourist Paradise

Cauvery at Shivasamudra (in Mandya district) has twin falls, Gaganachukki

Shivasamudra, Mandya District

gokak falls, Belgaum District

Ibrahim Rauza, Bijapur

Khudanma Husaini darga at Chincholi, Chita Sha Wali darga at Chitapur,

Milagres Church, mangalore

Thousand Pillared basadi Moodabadri, Dakshina Kannada District

The Shiva temple at Kudala Sangama in Bagalkote district is famous for

Bhoga nandishwara Temple, Chikballapura District

Of the Adwaita School profounded by Adi Shankara, there is the famous

Chandralamba at Sannati (Gulbarga), Bagavanti at Ghattaraki, Mayavva at

Shri Krishna Matha, Udupi

Manur, Santebidanur (Andhra Pradesh), Mantralaya (Andhra Pradesh) and

Subrahmanya, son of Shiva, has his worshipping centres at Sandur in

Biligiri Rangana Betta (BRT Hills)

Western Ghats, Karnataka

Agumbe known as the Chirapunji of Karnataka in Shimoga district, though

If the visitor is interested in old paintings, the mural paintings of Vijayanagara

unique art. Lacquerware working can be seen at Channapatna, Kinahal and

Mural Painting in Revanasiddeshwara Temple, Sira

Jagn mohan, Palace, Mysore

Bangalore, Devanahalli, Magadi (Ramanagara dt.), Aymangala in Chitradurga

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

Durga Temple, Aihole

Rameshwara Temple Complex, Avani

Bagalkote It was aprominent city in the Badami Chalukya times. It was a

Bhoothananatha group of Temples, Badami

called Kalleswara which is mentioned

Madhukeshwara Temple Complex, Banavasi

A View of the Sankey Tank, Bangalore

A Panoramic View of the Ulsoor Tank, Bangalore

Cubbon Park, Bangalore

Ranganatha Temple Avenue Raod, Bangalore

Gavi Gangadhareshwara Temple, Bangalore

Bangalore Palace, An immitation of windsor Castle, Loandon.

Delhi Gate Bangalore Fort, an artwork by Janmes Hunter

dhama, Lord Shiva (near Air Port)

St. Patrick’s Church, Residency Road, Bangalore

Fnancis Xavier Cathedral, Bangalore

Hazart Sayyad Masjid, Bangalore

Hazarath Tavakal Masthan Sab’s Dargah, Balepet, Bangalore

Biocon Tech Park, Bangalore

The temple was endowed by

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

petals of stone (Kamala) in its ceiling and this

Kamala Basadi, Fort, Belgaum.

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

Kedareshwara Temple, Belgaum

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

Beautiful stone Fort, Bellary

Belur in Hassan district (222 kms. from Bangalore) also a Taluk

Chennakeshava Temple, Belur

Bijapur, the district

many modern temples of which twenty Shivalinga temple (1954) is notable.

Chitradurga, the famous hill

Sri Manjunatha Temple, Dharmasthala

Dharwad, a district headquarters on the Pune-Bangalore Road, 437 km.