Tourism in Karnataka - AbsoluteAstronomy.com

Karnataka , the land of the Kannadigas, is a state in South West India. It was created on 1 November 1956, with the passing of the States Reorganisation Act and this day is annually celebrated as Karnataka Rajyotsava...

, the eighth largest state in India

India

India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...

has been ranked as the fifth most popular state in the country for tourism.
It is home to 507 of the 3600 centrally protected monuments in India, the largest number after Uttar Pradesh. The State Directorate of Archaeology and Museums protects an additional 752 monuments and another 25,000 monuments are yet to receive protection. Tourism centres around the ancient sculptured temples, modern cities, the hill ranges, forests and beaches. Broadly, tourism in Karnataka can be divided into four geographical regions: North Karnataka

North Karnataka

North Karnataka is an arid plateau from elevation in the Karnataka state of southwest India. It is drained by the Krishna River and its tributaries the Bhima, Ghataprabha, Malaprabha, and Tungabhadra...

, the Hill Stations, Coastal Karnataka and South Karnataka.

The Karnataka Government has recently introduced The Golden Chariot

The Golden Chariot

The Golden Chariot is a luxury tourist train that connects the important tourist spots in the Indian states of Karnataka and Goa. It is named after the Stone Chariot in the Vitthala Temple at Hampi. The 19 coaches on the train are coloured purple and gold, and sport the logo of a mythological...

- a train which connects popular tourist destination

Tourist destination

A tourist destination is a city, town, or other area that is dependent to a significant extent on the revenues accruing from tourism. It may contain one or more tourist attractions and possibly some "tourist traps."...

s in the state and Goa.

North Karnataka

has monuments that date back to the 5th century. Kannada empires that ruled the Deccan had their capitals here. Badami Chalukyas monuments are located at Pattadakal

Pattadakal

Pattadakal is a village in Karnataka. It lies on the banks of the Malaprabha River in Bagalkot district. It is 22 km from Badami and about 10 km from Aihole...

, Aihole

Aihole

Aihole is a temple complex in the Bagalkot district of Karnataka, India. It is a very popular tourist spot in north Karnataka. It lies to the east of Pattadakal, along the Malaprabha River, while Badami is to the west of both....

and Badami

Badami

Badami , formerly known as Vatapi, is a town and headquarters of a taluk by the same name, in the Bagalkot district of Karnataka, India. It was the regal capital of the Badami Chalukyas from 540 to 757 AD. It is famous for rock cut and other structural temples...

. Aihole has been called the cradle of Indian architecture
Indian architecture
The architecture of India is rooted in its history, culture and religion. Indian architecture progressed with time and assimilated the many influences that came as a result of India's global discourse with other regions of the world throughout its millennia-old past...

and has over 125 temples and monuments built between 450 and 1100 BC. Rashtrakuta

Rashtrakuta

The Rashtrakuta Empire was a royal dynasty ruling large parts of the Indian Subcontinent between the sixth and the 10th centuries. During this period they ruled as several closely related, but individual clans. Rastrakutas in inscriptions represented as descendants of Satyaki, a Yadava well known...

monuments at Lokapura, Bilgi and Kuknur

Kuknur

Kuknur is in Yalaburga taluk in Koppal District, is a small town. is located about 40 km from Hospet and 7 km from Mahadeva Temple , Kuknur is renowned for its temples of the Rastrakutas and Chalukyas times, of these the Navalinga group of temples is famous.-History:Kuknur town was an...

and Kalyani Chalukyas monuments built in Gadag style of architecture
Western Chalukya architecture
Western Chalukya architecture , also known as Kalyani Chalukya or Later Chalukya architecture, is the distinctive style of ornamented architecture that evolved during the rule of the Western Chalukya Empire in the Tungabhadra region of central Karnataka, India, during the 11th and 12th centuries...

at Lakkundi

Lakkundi

Lakkundi in Gadag District of Karnataka is a tiny village on the way to Hampi from Hubli. Lakkundi 11 km from Gadag in the east...

, Gadag, Itagi

Mahadeva Temple (Itagi)

Itagi is in Yalburga Taluk, Koppal District, in North Karnataka, Karnataka, India. It is about 7 km from Kuknur. It is near to Lakkundi about 20 km.Itagi is famous for the Chalukya style Mahadeva Temple...

(in Koppal District

Koppal district

Koppal district is an administrative district in the state of Karnataka in India. In the past Koppal was referred to as 'Kopana Nagara'. Hampi, a World heritage center, covers some areas of Koppal District. It is situated approximately 38 km away...

) and the Vijayanagar empire temples at Vijayanagara

Vijayanagara

Vijayanagara is in Bellary District, northern Karnataka. It is the name of the now-ruined capital city "which was regarded as the second Rome" that surrounds modern-day Hampi, of the historic Vijayanagara empire which extended over the southern part of India....

are some examples. Hampi

Hampi

Hampi is a village in northern Karnataka state, India. It is located within the ruins of Vijayanagara, the former capital of the Vijayanagara Empire. Predating the city of Vijayanagara, it continues to be an important religious centre, housing the Virupaksha Temple, as well as several other...

in Bellary District has ruins spread over an area of 125 km². With some fifty four world heritage monuments and six hundred and fifty national monuments (ASI). An additional three hundred monuments await protection. The Deccan sultanate monuments at Bijapur

Bijapur, Karnataka

Bijapur Urdu:بیجاپور city is the district headquarters of Bijapur District of Karnataka state. Bijapur city is well known for its historical monuments of architectural importance built during the rule of Adil Shahi dynasty...

and Gulbarga

Gulbarga

Gulbarga is a city in the Indian state of Karnataka. It is the administrative headquarters of Gulbarga District. It was formerly part of Nizam's Hyderabad state...

show unique and discreet Hindu influences and rival the Muslim monuments of North India. Archeologically important locations like Sannati

Sannati

Sannati is a small village, located on the banks of the river Bhima in Chitapur taluk of Gulbarga District of Northern Karnataka. It is famous for the Chandrala Parameshwari Temple and the recent excavations by the Archaeological Survey of India.-Excavation:...

, Kanaganahalli

Kanaganahalli

Kanaganahalli is about 3 km from Sannati. An important Buddhist site, the place where an ancient Buddhist Mahastupa site found. It is on the left bank of the Bhima river in Chitapur taluk, Gulbarga District in North Karnataka, Karnataka, India. Nalwar is the nearest Railway station about 19 km...

in Gulbarga district

Gulbarga District

Gulbarga district is one of the 30 districts of Karnataka state in southern India. Gulbarga city is the administrative headquarters of the district...

have thrown more light on Buddhist centers of the 1st. c. BCE. - 3rd c. CE era. The first ever statue of emperor Ashoka

Ashoka

Ashok Maurya or Ashoka , popularly known as Ashoka the Great, was an Indian emperor of the Maurya Dynasty who ruled almost all of the Indian subcontinent from ca. 269 BC to 232 BC. One of India's greatest emperors, Ashoka reigned over most of present-day India after a number of military conquests...

with his queens and a Prakrit

Prakrit

Prakrit is the name for a group of Middle Indic, Indo-Aryan languages, derived from Old Indic dialects. The word itself has a flexible definition, being defined sometimes as, "original, natural, artless, normal, ordinary, usual", or "vernacular", in contrast to the literary and religious...

inscription Rayo Ashoka (ASI) has been found.

Badami

Badami

surroundings important locations are Kudalasangama

Kudalasangama

Kudalasangama in India is an important center of pilgrimage for people of the Lingayat faith. It is located about 15 km from the Almatti Dam in Bagalkot district of Karnataka state. The Krishna river and Ghataprabha river merge here and flow east towards Srisaila in state of Andhra Pradesh...

, Aihole

Aihole

, Pattadakal

Pattadakal

Pattadakal is a village in Karnataka. It lies on the banks of the Malaprabha River in Bagalkot district. It is 22 km from Badami and about 10 km from Aihole...

, Mahakuta and Banashankari.

Hampi

Hampi

surroundings region, they can be visited from Hampi/Hosapete, or from Hubli. There are Kuknur

Kuknur

, Itagi

Mahadeva Temple (Itagi)

, Gadag, Lakkundi

Lakkundi

Lakkundi in Gadag District of Karnataka is a tiny village on the way to Hampi from Hubli. Lakkundi 11 km from Gadag in the east...

, Dambal

Dambal

Dambal is a village in the Gadag district of the state of Karnataka, India. It was an ancient center of Buddhism and remained so as late as the 12th century.Dambal is at an elevation of 590 metres and its population is 21,096.-History:...

, Haveri

Haveri

Haveriis a town in Karnataka. It is the administrative headquarters of Haveri District. The name Haveri is derived from the Kannada words havu and keri, which means place of snakes. Haveri is famous for its cardamom garlands. It is said that Haveri had around 1000 maths in ancient days. One of...

, Kaginele

Kaginele

Kaginele, is the Karmabhoomi of Kanaka Dasa a great saint from Kuruba Gowda community. He lived and wrote most of his work here until his death. It is a village situated in Haveri district of Karnataka state, India. The "Keshava" temple is situated in Kaginele. Keshava was the family deity of shri...

, Bankapura

Bankapura

Bankapura is a panchayat town in Haveri district in the state of Karnataka, India. It is in Shiggaon taluk, is just 2.5 km from the Pune-Bangalore national highway NH4, 22 km from Haveri town. Bankapur is about 45 km from Hubli-Dharwad...

World heritage centres

Hampi
Hampi
Hampi is a village in northern Karnataka state, India. It is located within the ruins of Vijayanagara, the former capital of the Vijayanagara Empire. Predating the city of Vijayanagara, it continues to be an important religious centre, housing the Virupaksha Temple, as well as several other...

, Bellary District: The site of the capital of Vijayanagara
Vijayanagara
Vijayanagara is in Bellary District, northern Karnataka. It is the name of the now-ruined capital city "which was regarded as the second Rome" that surrounds modern-day Hampi, of the historic Vijayanagara empire which extended over the southern part of India....

(1336) and formerly the seat of the Vijayanagar Empire. Foreign visitors in the 15th and 16th centuries described Hampi as being bigger than Rome
Rome
Rome is the capital of Italy and the country's largest and most populated city and comune, with over 2.7 million residents in . The city is located in the central-western portion of the Italian Peninsula, on the Tiber River within the Lazio region of Italy.Rome's history spans two and a half...

. The city was destroyed and deserted in 1565 by marauding Moghul invaders and its ruins now lie scattered over a 26 sq. km area south of the river Tungabhadra. The rocky area near Anegundi
Anegundi
Anegundi is a village in Gangavathi taluk, Koppal district in the Indian state of Karnataka. It is part of the Hampi World Heritage Site.Anegundi, older than Hampi, is situated on the northern bank of Tungabhadra River...

to the north of the river has been identified as Kishkindha
Kishkindha
Kishkindha is mythical the monkey kingdom of the Vanara King Sugriva, the younger brother of Vali, in the Indian mythology of Ramayana times...

of Ramayana
Ramayana
The Ramayana is an ancient Sanskrit epic. It is ascribed to the Hindu sage Valmiki and forms an important part of the Hindu canon , considered to be itihāsa. The Ramayana is one of the two great epics of India and Nepal, the other being the Mahabharata...

times. Hampi is home to a 29 feet (8.8 m) monolithic Narasimha
Narasimha
Narasimha or Nrusimha , also spelt as Narasingh and Narasingha, whose name literally translates from Sanskrit as "Man-lion", is an avatar of Vishnu described in the Puranas, Upanishads and other ancient religious texts of Hinduism...

, which was installed by Krishnadevaraya
Krishnadevaraya
Śrī Kriṣhṇa Devarāya , , , and also known as Krishna Devarayulu in some inscriptions was the famed Emperor of the Vijayanagara Empire who reigned from 1509–1529 CE.He is the third ruler of the Tuluva Dynasty. Presiding over the empire at its zenith, he is regarded as an icon by many Indians...

in 1529. The remains of palaces and gateways can be seen.

Group of 8th century CE monuments, Pattadakal
Pattadakal
Pattadakal is a village in Karnataka. It lies on the banks of the Malaprabha River in Bagalkot district. It is 22 km from Badami and about 10 km from Aihole...

: Located on the banks of the river Malaprabha, Pattadakal was the second capital of the Chalukyas and contains examples of 7th and 8th century temple architecture. Four temples are in the south Indian Dravidian
Dravidian architecture
Dravidian architecture was a style of architecture that emerged thousands of years ago in Southern part of the Indian subcontinent or South India. They consist primarily of pyramid shaped temples called Koils which are dependent on intricate carved stone in order to create a step design consisting...

style, four in the North Indian Nagara style and the last one, the Papanatha temple represents a hybrid of the two styles. The oldest temples are the Sangameshwara, Mallikarjuna and Virupaksha Temples.

Western Chalukya

Aihole
Aihole
Aihole is a temple complex in the Bagalkot district of Karnataka, India. It is a very popular tourist spot in north Karnataka. It lies to the east of Pattadakal, along the Malaprabha River, while Badami is to the west of both....

: a former Chalukya trading city. There are around 140 temples including examples of early Chalukya, Rashtrakuta
Rashtrakuta
The Rashtrakuta Empire was a royal dynasty ruling large parts of the Indian Subcontinent between the sixth and the 10th centuries. During this period they ruled as several closely related, but individual clans. Rastrakutas in inscriptions represented as descendants of Satyaki, a Yadava well known...

and later Chalukya dynasties from the 6th to 12th century. It has a Jain and Vedic rock-cut shrine, both of about 6th Century. It has Tirthankara images and a Durga temple. The meguti on a hill is a jaina basti which has an Aihole inscription of Pulikeshin 2 and also a Buddhist two-storied rock -cut shrine below it. All the other Jain and Buddhist temples are built of stone and resemble Hindu temples. The temples were built during the Middle Ages before any style was established and hence there is a mixture of styles.

Badami
Badami
Badami , formerly known as Vatapi, is a town and headquarters of a taluk by the same name, in the Bagalkot district of Karnataka, India. It was the regal capital of the Badami Chalukyas from 540 to 757 AD. It is famous for rock cut and other structural temples...

: the capital of the early Chalukyas in the 6th century, is at the mouth of a ravine between two rocky hills. The town is known for its cave temples (all carved out of sandstone hills). Badami have four caves, the cave temple dedicated to Vishnu is the largest. In front of the cave temple, there is a reservoir called Aghastya Teertha dotted with temples on its bank. Among them, two are dedicated to Vishnu, one to Shiva and the fourth is a Jain Temple. Carvings in the cave temples display the Hindu gods, Narashima and Hari Hara. The temples also have paintings on the ceiling and bracket figures on the piers.

Basavana Bagewadi
Basavana Bagewadi
Basavana Bagewadi in India is an important center of pilgrimage for people of the Lingayat faith. It is located in Bijapur district of Karnataka state. This is the birth place of Basavanna, the founder of the Lingayat and is therefore an important center of pilgrimage for Lingayats....

: It is 43 east of Bijapur. In 12th century, Saint Basaveshwara was born here. It was an agrahara. The main temple here is in the Chalukya style and it was called as Sangamantha in records. The Samadhis of Siddharameshwara and Gurupadeshwara of the Inchageri school of spiritual pursuit are seen here.

Basavakalyana, Bidar District
Bidar District
Bidar is a district of Karnataka state in southern India. The historic city of Bidar is the administrative centre of the district. The district is located in the northeastern corner of the state, near the borders with Andhra Pradesh to the east and Maharashtra to the north and west...

: former capital of the Later Chalukyas. It has an old fort renovated by the Bahamani containing an Archaeological Museum. Few Chalukya or Kalachuri remains exist except the Chalukya Narayanapur temple in the outskirts of the town. There is a modern Basaveshwara temple, Prabhudevara Gadduge, Jurist of the Kalyani Chalukyas 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 and Raja Bagh Sawar Dargah.

Annigeri
Annigeri
Annigeri is a town in Navalgund taluk of Dharwad district in the state of Karnataka, India, located 20 km west of Gadag en route to Hubli and 35 km from Hubli-Dharwad.-Introduction:...

(30 km from Hubli): It has a Amriteshwara temple of the time of the Kalyani Chalukyas. It was the birthplace of great Kannada Poet Pampa and there is a Jain basadi of Parshwanatha. It was once a headquarters of Belvola-300. It was the capital of Chalukya Someshwara 4. In addition to Veerashaiva Mathas; there is a ruined Banashankari Temple and seven mosques and also an ancient Veerabhadra temple.

Bankapura
Bankapura
Bankapura is a panchayat town in Haveri district in the state of Karnataka, India. It is in Shiggaon taluk, is just 2.5 km from the Pune-Bangalore national highway NH4, 22 km from Haveri town. Bankapur is about 45 km from Hubli-Dharwad...

(80 km from Dharwad
Dharwad
Dharwad, also known as Dharwar, is a city and a DISTRICT PLACE in India's Karnataka state.Dharwad is the administrative seat of the Dharwad District. The municipality of Hubli-Dharwad covers an area of 200.23 km²...

): Under Chalukya many temples were raised in the city including the Nagareshwara temple in the fort and another chalukya temple called Siddheshwara. Ali Adilshahi destroyed many temples in about 1567. There is a mosque in the fort.

Dambal
Dambal
Dambal is a village in the Gadag district of the state of Karnataka, India. It was an ancient center of Buddhism and remained so as late as the 12th century.Dambal is at an elevation of 590 metres and its population is 21,096.-History:...

(21 km from Gadag): It was a Buddhist centre. There are two notable chalukya temples called Doddabasappa Temple
Doddabasappa Temple
The Doddabasappa Temple is a 12th century Western Chalukyan architectural innovation in Dambal, Karnataka state, India. The temple is about southeast of Gadag city and southwest of Ittagi in Koppal district. The sanctum contains a Shiva linga, the symbol of the presiding deity, God Shiva...

and Somewshwara Temple. Doddabassapa as polygonal star shaped temple garbhagriha and fine sculptural representations and huge nandi Temple. Someshwara could have been an old basati. The temple has a 400-year-old vast tank. There is an old Ganapathi image in old ruined fort. And we can also find a huge Ganapathi image in a small shrine.

Haveri
Haveri
Haveriis a town in Karnataka. It is the administrative headquarters of Haveri District. The name Haveri is derived from the Kannada words havu and keri, which means place of snakes. Haveri is famous for its cardamom garlands. It is said that Haveri had around 1000 maths in ancient days. One of...

: This town has Siddheshvara Temple
Siddhesvara Temple
The Siddhesvara Temple is located in the town of Haveri in Haveri district, Karnataka state, India. It is considered an ornate example of 12th century Western Chalukyan art and is well-known for the many loose sculptures of Hindu deities that exist in it, and is the finest testimonial for...

that was built in 12th century. Siddeshvara Temple situated in the heart of the city of Haveri, in side the well maintained garden.

Gadag: It is a twin city municipality and it is 55 km from Hubli-Dharward. It is a great centre of Kalyani Chalukyas art with the large Trikuteshwara
Trikuteshwara
The Trikuteshwara temple is a Hindu temple dedicated to Shiva. It is located in North Karnataka, India.-Deities:The temple is dedicated to Shiva, and has three lingams mounted on the same stone....

temple. It was latter expanded by Kalyani Chalukyas into a vast complex. The complex has triple shrines once housing Shiva, Brahma and Surya. The Saraswathi temple has the shining decorative pillars, and the Saraswathi image, and it is one of the largest examples of Chalukya art. The place has Someshwara and Rameshwara temples of Chalukya style. It has Veeranarayana temple of Chalukya times.

Lakkundi
Lakkundi
Lakkundi in Gadag District of Karnataka is a tiny village on the way to Hampi from Hubli. Lakkundi 11 km from Gadag in the east...

, 10 km from Gadag, Gadag District
Gadag District
Gadag District had a population of 971,952 of which 35.21% was urban as of 2001. Population increased 13.14% in the decade 1991-2001. The District is bounded on the north by Bagalkot District, on the east by Koppal District, on the southeast by Bellary District, on the southwest by Haveri...

: There were 100 temples and 100 wells but now few can be visited. These include Bhramhajeenalaya, Kasivisvesvara
Kasivisvesvara temple, Lakkundi
The Kasivisvesvara temple and sometimes called Kashivishvanatha temple is located in Lakkundi , Karnataka state, India...

and Kalyani.

Someshwara temple complex Lakshmeshwar
Lakshmeshwar
Lakshmeshwara is a town in Shirahatti taluk, Gadag district, North Karnataka, in the Indian state of Karnataka. It is about 50 km from Gadag and 55 km from Hubli. Lakshmeshwara is an agricultural trading town....

Someshwara temple complex is in Lakshmeshwar

Lakshmeshwar

Lakshmeshwara is a town in Shirahatti taluk, Gadag district, North Karnataka, in the Indian state of Karnataka. It is about 50 km from Gadag and 55 km from Hubli. Lakshmeshwara is an agricultural trading town....

in the Shirahatti

Shirahatti

Shirahatti is a panchayat town in Gadag district in the Indian state of Karnataka.-Geography:Shirahatti is located at . It has an average elevation of 659 metres .-Demographics:...

Taluk, Gadag District

Gadag District

Gadag District had a population of 971,952 of which 35.21% was urban as of 2001. Population increased 13.14% in the decade 1991-2001. The District is bounded on the north by Bagalkot District, on the east by Koppal District, on the southeast by Bellary District, on the southwest by Haveri...

, North Karnataka

North Karnataka

. The temple complex has the Someshwara temple of Shiva

Shiva

Shiva is a major Hindu deity, and is the destroyer god or transformer among the Trimurti, the Hindu Trinity of the primary aspects of the divine. God Shiva is a yogi who has notice of everything that happens in the world and is the main aspect of life. Yet one with great power lives a life of a...

along with so many Shiva temples in side the fort like compound.

Galaganatha
Galaganatha
Galaganatha is a small village located in Haveri Taluk and Haveri District, North Karnataka.It has a famous temple called Galageshwara Shiva Temple built by chalukyas. This large temple faces east and is situated along the Tungabhadra river. The rivers Tunga and Varada join at this place.- History...

Galageshwara temple

It is located in the Haveri District

Haveri District

Haveri is a district in the state of Karnataka, India with the potential to become a tourist hub. As of 2001, it had a population of 1,439,116 of which 20.78% were urban residents.-Tourism:Examples of tourist attractions in the district:...

. The temple has big open hall and pyramidal shaped Garbhagudi. The temple is situated along the Tungabhadra river.

Chaudayyadanapura
Chaudayyadanapura
Chaudayyadanapura is a small village in Ranebennur taluk of Haveri District in North Karnataka, Karnataka. All facets of Indian civilisation are exemplified in an exquisite Mukteshwara temple, with the highest degree of refinement.-Introduction:The North Karnataka is one of the richest areas of...

Mukteshwara temple, near Ranebennur in Haveri District
Haveri District
Haveri is a district in the state of Karnataka, India with the potential to become a tourist hub. As of 2001, it had a population of 1,439,116 of which 20.78% were urban residents.-Tourism:Examples of tourist attractions in the district:...

, North Karnataka
North Karnataka
North Karnataka is an arid plateau from elevation in the Karnataka state of southwest India. It is drained by the Krishna River and its tributaries the Bhima, Ghataprabha, Malaprabha, and Tungabhadra...

Mahadeva Temple (Itagi)
Mahadeva Temple (Itagi)
Itagi is in Yalburga Taluk, Koppal District, in North Karnataka, Karnataka, India. It is about 7 km from Kuknur. It is near to Lakkundi about 20 km.Itagi is famous for the Chalukya style Mahadeva Temple...

Mahadeva Temple at Itagi in the Koppal district

Koppal district

, North Karnataka

North Karnataka

, built during 1112 CE. This temple is an example of dravida articulation with a nagara superstructure.
This Temple is also called Devalayagala Chakravarti in Kannada (Emperor among Temples).

Shambulinga Temple Kundgol
Kundgol
Kundgol is a panchayat town in Dharwad district in the Indian state of Karnataka.-Introduction:Kundgol is Located in Dharwad District of Karnataka is about 14 km south-west of Hubli and 32 km south-west of Dharwad....

Kundgol

Kundgol is a panchayat town in Dharwad district in the Indian state of Karnataka.-Introduction:Kundgol is Located in Dharwad District of Karnataka is about 14 km south-west of Hubli and 32 km south-west of Dharwad....

is about 15 km from Hubli-Dharwad. This place is famous for Hindustani music and Huge Shambulinga Temple.

Hooli
Hooli
Hooli is in Belagavi / Belgaum District in North Karnataka India.It is about 9 km from Saundatti.-Introduction:Hooli has so many temples, every temple has its own well. Even at remotest location on the hills has couple of temples....

Panchalingeshwara Temple

Lakshmeshwar
Lakshmeshwar
Lakshmeshwara is a town in Shirahatti taluk, Gadag district, North Karnataka, in the Indian state of Karnataka. It is about 50 km from Gadag and 55 km from Hubli. Lakshmeshwara is an agricultural trading town....

has Someshwara temple complex, Jinalaya.

Kudalasangama
Kudalasangama
Kudalasangama in India is an important center of pilgrimage for people of the Lingayat faith. It is located about 15 km from the Almatti Dam in Bagalkot district of Karnataka state. The Krishna river and Ghataprabha river merge here and flow east towards Srisaila in state of Andhra Pradesh...

Kudalasangama

has Sangamanatha temple which belongs to Chalukya. It is a Karma Bhumi of Basavanna. Kudalasangama development authority has developed this place as one of the International tourism place. From Kudalasangama Almatti Dam

Almatti Dam

The Almatti Dam is a dam project on the Krishna River in North Karnataka, India. The annual energy design is 713 million units. It was completed in July 2005....

is about 12 km, it has got North Karnataka

North Karnataka

's biggest Rock Garden.

Kadamba dynasty

Halasi
Halasi
Halasi also called as Halsi or Halshi, is a town in Khanapur Taluk, Belgaum District in North Karnataka, Karnataka, India. It is 14 km from Khanapur and about 25 km from Kittur. It is famous for having been the capital of a branch of Kadamba Dynasty...

Halasi The place is in Background of Western Ghats in lush green atmosphere. It was the second capital of the Kadambas

Kadambas

The Kadamba Dynasty was an ancient royal family of Karnataka that ruled from Banavasi in present day Uttara Kannada district. The dynasty later continued to rule as a feudatory of larger Kannada empires, the Chalukya and the Rashtrakuta empires for over five hundred years during which time they...

of Banavasi

Banavasi

Banavasi is an ancient temple town in Uttara Kannada District bordering Shivamogga district in the South Indian state of Karnataka .-History:Banavasi is one of the oldest towns in the Karnataka state...

. The huge Bhuvaraha Narasimha temple has tall images of Varaha, Narasimha, Narayana and Surya. The place has a fort, and also temples of Gokarneshswara, Kapileshwara, Swarneshwara and Hatakeshwara.

Hangal
Hangal
Hangal is a town in Haveri district in the Indian state of Karnataka. It is 75 km away from Hubli-Dharwad.It is on the left bank of the Dharma river, and has ruins of some fortification on the...

Hanagal was the capital of Hangal Kadambas

Kadambas

, feudatories of Kalyani Chalukyas. It was mentioned as Panungal in records and identified by tradition with Viratanagara of Mahabharatha days. It is on the left bank of the Dharma River. The Tarakeshwara temple here is a huge structure with series of images and polished tall Chalukya pillars. The other temples are Virabhadra, Billeshwara and Ramalinga etc. There is a Veerashaiva Kumaraswamy Matha here.

Banavasi
Banavasi
Banavasi is an ancient temple town in Uttara Kannada District bordering Shivamogga district in the South Indian state of Karnataka .-History:Banavasi is one of the oldest towns in the Karnataka state...

Banavasi was the capital of Kadambas

Kadambas

. The place is on the bask of the Varada river and its laterite fort is surrounded by the river at its three sides. It is an ancient place as Ashoka

Ashoka

is said to have sent his missionaries to 'Vanavasa'. There are also some Buddhist brick monuments. Chutu prince Nagashri built a Buddhist Vihara, a tank and installed a Naga image at the place according to a Parkrit record at the place. There is also a monument at Banavasi, Mudhukeshvara temple and also Kadamba Nagara Shikhara is seen on the garbhagriha of this temple. Records here indicate that Buddhism

Buddhism

Buddhism is a religion and philosophy encompassing a variety of traditions, beliefs and practices, largely based on teachings attributed to Siddhartha Gautama, commonly known as the Buddha . The Buddha lived and taught in the northeastern Indian subcontinent some time between the 6th and 4th...

and Jainism

Jainism

Jainism is an Indian religion that prescribes a path of non-violence towards all living beings. Its philosophy and practice emphasize the necessity of self-effort to move the soul towards divine consciousness and liberation. Any soul that has conquered its own inner enemies and achieved the state...

were popular.

Deccan Sultanates

Bijapur
Bijapur, Karnataka
Bijapur Urdu:بیجاپور city is the district headquarters of Bijapur District of Karnataka state. Bijapur city is well known for its historical monuments of architectural importance built during the rule of Adil Shahi dynasty...

: The former capital of the Adil Shahi Kings (1489–1686). Gol Gumbaz
Gol Gumbaz
Gol Gumbaz is the mausoleum of Mohammed Adil Shah, Sultan of Bijapur. The tomb, located in Bijapur, Karnataka in southern India, was completed in 1656 by the architect Yaqut of Dabul...

is the mausoleum of Muhammed Adil Shah and was built in 1659. It houses the world's second largest dome, unsupported by pillars. Malik-e-Maidan is a 55 ton cannon perched on a platform. The head of the cannon is fashioned into the shape of a lion whose jaws are trying to devour an elephant.
Bidar
Bidar
Bidar is a city in the Indian state of Karnataka. Located on the Deccan Plateau in the north-eastern part of Karnataka. It is the headquarters of the Bidar District....

: a centre for Bidriware
Bidriware
Bidriware is a metal handicraft that originated in Bidar, Karnataka, in the 14th century C.E., during the rule of the Bahamani Sultans. The term 'Bidriware' originates from the township of Bidar, which is still the chief centre for the manufacture of the unique metalware...

. It is the location of the tombs of 30 rulers including the Chaukhandi of Hazrat Khalil-Ullah Shah and Sultan Ahmed Shah Al Wali Bahamani from the Bahamani dynasty.
Gulbarga
Gulbarga
Gulbarga is a city in the Indian state of Karnataka. It is the administrative headquarters of Gulbarga District. It was formerly part of Nizam's Hyderabad state...
Raichur
Raichur
Raichur , is a city municipal council in Raichur district in the Indian state of Karnataka. Raichur, on the banks of the Tungabhadra River, is the headquarters of Raichur district. It was in the princely state of Mysore during the rule of Tipu Sultan...
Lakshmeshwar
Lakshmeshwar
Lakshmeshwara is a town in Shirahatti taluk, Gadag district, North Karnataka, in the Indian state of Karnataka. It is about 50 km from Gadag and 55 km from Hubli. Lakshmeshwara is an agricultural trading town....

: The Jumma Masjid, built during the rule of Adilshahi, has a large crowning onion dome and Koranic scripture written in gold.

Rattas

Saundatti
Saundatti
Savadatti is one of the oldest towns in Belgaum district in the south Indian state of Karnataka. It is a celebrated pilgrimage centre located 78 kilometres from Belgaum. Savadatti is also the name of the taluk , which was previously named Parasgad. There are several ancient temples in...

: The town proper has a fort on the hill built during the 18th Century, by Sirasangi Desai, with eight bastions. It was the capital of Rattas who latter shifted their headquarters to Belgaum. There are two temples of Ankeshwara, Puradeshwara, Mallikarjuna, Venkateshwara and the Veerabhadra. The Renukasagar waters touch the outskirts of Saundatti. Tourist atrractions of this region are Hooli
Hooli
Hooli is in Belagavi / Belgaum District in North Karnataka India.It is about 9 km from Saundatti.-Introduction:Hooli has so many temples, every temple has its own well. Even at remotest location on the hills has couple of temples....

Panchalingeshwara temple, Renuka (Yallamma) temple, Saundatti
Saundatti
Savadatti is one of the oldest towns in Belgaum district in the south Indian state of Karnataka. It is a celebrated pilgrimage centre located 78 kilometres from Belgaum. Savadatti is also the name of the taluk , which was previously named Parasgad. There are several ancient temples in...

Fort, Parasgad Fort
Parasgad Fort
Parasgad Fort is a ruined hill fort in the Belgaum district of Karnataka state, India. magnificent fort of Parashghad, dating back to the 10th century and built by famous rulers of Ratta dynasty...

, Navilateertha
Navilateertha
Navilatirtha it a well-known picnic spot, in Belgaum District, North Karnataka in Karnataka, near Saundatti, on the Renuka sagara , which is on the Malaprabha river....

.

Forts

Forts and monuments in Karnataka of each ruling dynasty can be traced back to prehistoric times.

Basavakalyan
Basavakalyan
Basavakalyan is a town in Bidar District of the state of Karnataka, India, and was historically known as Kalyan.-History:Basavakalyan's history dates back to 3000 years with its name being mentioned in Guru Charitra....

Fort
Bidar
Bidar
Bidar is a city in the Indian state of Karnataka. Located on the Deccan Plateau in the north-eastern part of Karnataka. It is the headquarters of the Bidar District....

Fort: the main gateway was originally built by Bahamani Sultan Ahmad Shah Wali in 1429 AD. Further improvements to the citadel were carried out by the Barid Shahi Sultans. Ahmad Shah Wali (1422–1435), the ninth Bahamani Sultan, decided to shift his capital from Gulbarga to Bidar for reasons of health.
Gulbarga
Gulbarga
Gulbarga is a city in the Indian state of Karnataka. It is the administrative headquarters of Gulbarga District. It was formerly part of Nizam's Hyderabad state...

Fort: Originally built by Raja Gulchand and later strengthened by Ala-ud-din Bahmani. The fort contained 15 towers and 26 guns of which one was 8 metres long. Within the ramparts of the fort, there is a mosque, which resembles the great mosque of Cordova in Spain.
Savadatti Fort (also known as Saundatti
Saundatti
Savadatti is one of the oldest towns in Belgaum district in the south Indian state of Karnataka. It is a celebrated pilgrimage centre located 78 kilometres from Belgaum. Savadatti is also the name of the taluk , which was previously named Parasgad. There are several ancient temples in...

Fort): a hill fort .
Bellary
Bellary
Bellary is a historic city in Bellary District in Karnataka state, India.-Origins of the city's name:There are several legends about how Bellary got its name....

Fort
Sandur Fort, Bellary District
Gajendragad Fort: a hill fort built and renovated by Chatrapathi Shivaji.
Nargund
Nargund
Nargund or Naragunda is a town in Gadag district in the Indian state of Karnataka.The name Naragunda means hills of jackals. The astrologist and a Jain Sridharacharya from this town was the author of Jatakatilaka.-History:...

fort, Dharwad District
Dharwad District
Dharwad District is an administrative district of the state of Karnataka in southern India. Dharwad is the cultural headquarters of North Karnataka....

: built by Shivaji

Places of worship

Devala Ganagapura
Ganagapura
Ganagapura is a village in Karnataka, India. It is located in the Afzalpur taluk of Gulbarga district in Karnataka.-Demographics:...

, Its the second incarnation of Lord Dattatreya away from Afzalpur taluk around 25 Kms , Gulbarga District
Gulbarga District
Gulbarga district is one of the 30 districts of Karnataka state in southern India. Gulbarga city is the administrative headquarters of the district...

: It is 651 km from Bangalore. Sri Narasimha Saraswati stayed here for a long time and was granted a jahgir by the Bahmani Sultan. The sultan believed that the saint had cured him of a large boil. The saint is treated by his followers as an incarnation of Dattatreya. The Saint has cured the Sultan of a serious boil. The Saint is treated as an incarnation of Dattatreya
Dattatreya
Dattatreya or Datta is a Hindu deity encompassing the trinity of Brahma, Vishnu and Shiva, collectively known as Trimurti. The name Dattatreya can be divided into two words - "Datta" and "Atreya" referring to the sage Atri, his physical father.Various Hindu sects worship him differently...

and devotees from Maharashtra and Karnataka Its very holy place.

Jain Basadis

Jainism

has a long history in Karnataka. Belgaum District

Belgaum district

Belgaum district is a district in the state of Karnataka, India. The city of Belgaum is the district headquarters in North Karnataka. By the 2011 Census of India, it had a population of 4778439...

has the Kamala basadi in Chalukya style in the Belgaum

Belgaum

Belgaum is a city and a municipal corporation in Belgaum district in the state of Karnataka, India. It is the fourth largest city of the state of Karnataka, the first three being Bangalore, Mysore, Hubli-Dharwad....

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. Lakkundi

Lakkundi

Lakkundi in Gadag District of Karnataka is a tiny village on the way to Hampi from Hubli. Lakkundi 11 km from Gadag in the east...

in Gadag District

Gadag District

has a large Brahma Jinalaya of Chalukya style, built by a noble lady, Attimabbe.

Buddhist temples

Tara Bhagavati temples, Balligavi
Balligavi
Balligavi a town in Shikaripura taluk Shimoga district of Karnataka state, India, is today known as Belagami or Balagame. Its ancient names are Dakshina Kedara,Valliggame and Valligrame. Dakshina Kedara means Kedarnath of the South. A place of antiquity, it is known for its ancient monuments...

, Shiralkoppa
Koliwada
Koliwada
Koliwada refers to a colony of Kolis in India. Several places named Koliwada are located across the Mumbai city in India:* Guru Tegh Bahadur Nagar * Juhu Koliwada* Koliwada, Madh-Fish market:...

and Dambal
Dambal
Dambal is a village in the Gadag district of the state of Karnataka, India. It was an ancient center of Buddhism and remained so as late as the 12th century.Dambal is at an elevation of 590 metres and its population is 21,096.-History:...

, Gadag district
Sannati
Sannati
Sannati is a small village, located on the banks of the river Bhima in Chitapur taluk of Gulbarga District of Northern Karnataka. It is famous for the Chandrala Parameshwari Temple and the recent excavations by the Archaeological Survey of India.-Excavation:...

and Kanaganahalli
Kanaganahalli
Kanaganahalli is about 3 km from Sannati. An important Buddhist site, the place where an ancient Buddhist Mahastupa site found. It is on the left bank of the Bhima river in Chitapur taluk, Gulbarga District in North Karnataka, Karnataka, India. Nalwar is the nearest Railway station about 19 km...

, Gulbarga District
Gulbarga District
Gulbarga district is one of the 30 districts of Karnataka state in southern India. Gulbarga city is the administrative headquarters of the district...

: remains of the razed stupas and a Buddhist plaques of Satavahana period were unearthed recently
Aihole
Aihole
Aihole is a temple complex in the Bagalkot district of Karnataka, India. It is a very popular tourist spot in north Karnataka. It lies to the east of Pattadakal, along the Malaprabha River, while Badami is to the west of both....

: Viharas
Badami
Badami
Badami , formerly known as Vatapi, is a town and headquarters of a taluk by the same name, in the Bagalkot district of Karnataka, India. It was the regal capital of the Badami Chalukyas from 540 to 757 AD. It is famous for rock cut and other structural temples...

: Buddhist remains from the Badami Chalukyas period were found between caves two and three
Mundgod
Mundgod
Mundgod is a panchayat town in Uttara Kannada district in the Indian state of Karnataka. It lies en route to Hubli from Sirsi. It is a Main road town.-Tourist attractions of Mundgod region:* Tibetan colony Mundgod...

, Uttara Kannada
Uttara Kannada
Uttara Kannada also known as North Canara or North Kanara, is a district in the southern Indian state of Karnataka. It is bordered by the state of Goa and Belgaum District to the north, Dharwad District and Haveri District to the east, Shimoga District and Udupi District to the south and the...

: Tibetan settlements with multi-coloured stupas and painted prayer halls
Gulbarga
Gulbarga
Gulbarga is a city in the Indian state of Karnataka. It is the administrative headquarters of Gulbarga District. It was formerly part of Nizam's Hyderabad state...

: Two new viharas

Shiva temples

Gokarn is a great all-India centre where the Atmalinga (Mahabaleshwara) of Shiva, brought by Ravana is believed to have been installed. Nearby is Murudeshwar 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

Uttara Kannada

Uttara Kannada also known as North Canara or North Kanara, is a district in the southern Indian state of Karnataka. It is bordered by the state of Goa and Belgaum District to the north, Dharwad District and Haveri District to the east, Shimoga District and Udupi District to the south and the...

. At Hampi

Hampi

is the Virupaksha Temple, venerated by generations of poets, scholars, kings and commoners.

The Shiva temple at Kudalasangama

Kudalasangama

in Bagalkot District

Bagalkot district

Bāgalkot district is an administrative district in the Indian state of Karnataka. The district headquarters is located in the town of Bagalkot. The district is located in northern Karnataka and borders Belgaum, Gadag, Koppal, Raichur and Bijapur...

is associated with Saint Basaveshwara. Equally remarkable pieces of art are the Virupaksha and the Mallikarjuna at Pattadakal

Pattadakal

Pattadakal is a village in Karnataka. It lies on the banks of the Malaprabha River in Bagalkot district. It is 22 km from Badami and about 10 km from Aihole...

in Bagalkote dt.

The Veerashaivas have many venerated places, either associated with Basaveshwara or his contemporaries. Basavana Bagewadi

Basavana Bagewadi

Basavana Bagewadi in India is an important center of pilgrimage for people of the Lingayat faith. It is located in Bijapur district of Karnataka state. This is the birth place of Basavanna, the founder of the Lingayat and is therefore an important center of pilgrimage for Lingayats....

was his 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 (Kalyani), the ancient Chalukya capital in Bidar District

Bidar District

Bidar is a district of Karnataka state in southern India. The historic city of Bidar is the administrative centre of the district. The district is located in the northeastern corner of the state, near the borders with Andhra Pradesh to the east and Maharashtra to the north and west...

was the place where he conducted his socio-religious movement. Ulavi

Ulavi

Ulavi is a town about 75 km from Karwar in Karnataka state, India.Ulavi is an important center of pilgrimage for people of the Lingayat faith. The Samadhi of Channabasavanna, one of the most revered saints of the Lingayat faith lies here. In the 12th century, Channabasavanna traveled from...

in Uttara Kannada

Uttara Kannada

, a quiet place amidst forests, has the samadhi of Chennabasavanna, Basaveshwara’s nephew. Belgami (Balligavi

Balligavi

Balligavi a town in Shikaripura taluk Shimoga district of Karnataka state, India, is today known as Belagami or Balagame. Its ancient names are Dakshina Kedara,Valliggame and Valligrame. Dakshina Kedara means Kedarnath of the South. A place of antiquity, it is known for its ancient monuments...

), the Chalukya 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.
Later Veerashaiva saints are associated with many places. Kodekal (Gulbarga dt.) Basavanna temple, Kadakola Madivallajja Matha, Sharana Basaveshwara temple and Dasoha Math at Gulbarga

Gulbarga

Gulbarga is a city in the Indian state of Karnataka. It is the administrative headquarters of Gulbarga District. It was formerly part of Nizam's Hyderabad state...

are few more places of worship.

Athani has the samadhi of the 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.

Shakti Stal

The following places are visited by devotees of Shakti

Shakti

Shakti from Sanskrit shak - "to be able," meaning sacred force or empowerment, is the primordial cosmic energy and represents the dynamic forces that are thought to move through the entire universe in Hinduism. Shakti is the concept, or personification, of divine feminine creative power, sometimes...

Chandralamba, Sannati
Sannati
Sannati is a small village, located on the banks of the river Bhima in Chitapur taluk of Gulbarga District of Northern Karnataka. It is famous for the Chandrala Parameshwari Temple and the recent excavations by the Archaeological Survey of India.-Excavation:...

, Gulbarga
Gulbarga
Gulbarga is a city in the Indian state of Karnataka. It is the administrative headquarters of Gulbarga District. It was formerly part of Nizam's Hyderabad state...
Bagavanti, Ghattaraki
Mayavva, Chinchli
Yellamma, Saundatti
Saundatti
Savadatti is one of the oldest towns in Belgaum district in the south Indian state of Karnataka. It is a celebrated pilgrimage centre located 78 kilometres from Belgaum. Savadatti is also the name of the taluk , which was previously named Parasgad. There are several ancient temples in...
Banashankari, Badami
Badami
Badami , formerly known as Vatapi, is a town and headquarters of a taluk by the same name, in the Bagalkot district of Karnataka, India. It was the regal capital of the Badami Chalukyas from 540 to 757 AD. It is famous for rock cut and other structural temples...

, Bagalkote district
Bhuvaneshwari, Hampi
Hampi
Hampi is a village in northern Karnataka state, India. It is located within the ruins of Vijayanagara, the former capital of the Vijayanagara Empire. Predating the city of Vijayanagara, it continues to be an important religious centre, housing the Virupaksha Temple, as well as several other...
Marikamba, Sirsi
Sirsi
-Geography:Sirsi is located at . It has an average elevation of 590 metres , and is situated in the heart of the Western Ghats. Sirsi is about 425 km from Bangalore. The nearest airport is located in Hubli, about 102 km from Sirsi....

, Uttara Kannada
Uttara Kannada
Uttara Kannada also known as North Canara or North Kanara, is a district in the southern Indian state of Karnataka. It is bordered by the state of Goa and Belgaum District to the north, Dharwad District and Haveri District to the east, Shimoga District and Udupi District to the south and the...

Temple tanks

Agastya Teertha, Badami
Badami
Badami , formerly known as Vatapi, is a town and headquarters of a taluk by the same name, in the Bagalkot district of Karnataka, India. It was the regal capital of the Badami Chalukyas from 540 to 757 AD. It is famous for rock cut and other structural temples...
Mahakuta group of temples
Mahakuta group of temples
The Mahakuta group of temples is located in Mahakuta, a town in the Bagalkot district of Karnataka state, India. It is an important place of worship for Hindus and the location of a well-known Shaiva monastery. The temples are dated to the 6th or 7th century and were constructed by the early kings...

, near Badami
Badami
Badami , formerly known as Vatapi, is a town and headquarters of a taluk by the same name, in the Bagalkot district of Karnataka, India. It was the regal capital of the Badami Chalukyas from 540 to 757 AD. It is famous for rock cut and other structural temples...
Banashankari, near Badami
Lakkundi
Lakkundi
Lakkundi in Gadag District of Karnataka is a tiny village on the way to Hampi from Hubli. Lakkundi 11 km from Gadag in the east...

, near Gadag
Hampi
Hampi
Hampi is a village in northern Karnataka state, India. It is located within the ruins of Vijayanagara, the former capital of the Vijayanagara Empire. Predating the city of Vijayanagara, it continues to be an important religious centre, housing the Virupaksha Temple, as well as several other...

Other tourist attractions

Sonda
Sonda
Sonda is a type of Brazilian-built sounding rockets in the VLS family.-Sonda 1:*The Sonda 1 is a double stage rocket with a maximum flight altitude of 65 km, a liftoff thrust of 27 kN a total mass of 100 kg, a diameter of 11 cm and a length of 4.5 metres...

: It is in the middle of the thick forest. It was the headquarters of Sonde rulers who were feudatories of Vijayanagara. Its large number of monuments are spread over the forest. It was a Jain center and has a Samadhi of scholar Bhattakalanka. There is also a small Jain matha, Swarnavalli matha of Smartha tradition, Trivikarama temple, Shankaranarayana temple and Gaddige Matha. From 5 km from Sonda the river Shalmala creates a falls of 91 meters height called the Shivaganga falls. Sonda, also known as Sode or Swadi, is famous among the followers of Madhwacharya, for, the Brindavan (Samadhi) of Sri Vadiraja is situated here.

Ulavi
Ulavi
Ulavi is a town about 75 km from Karwar in Karnataka state, India.Ulavi is an important center of pilgrimage for people of the Lingayat faith. The Samadhi of Channabasavanna, one of the most revered saints of the Lingayat faith lies here. In the 12th century, Channabasavanna traveled from...

: It is in the middle of thick forest, where there is a Samadhi of Chennabasavanna (the nephew of Saint Basaveshwara). Gavi Matha is a series of caves here in which the Sharanas lived. one cave is named after Akka Nagamma, Chennabasavanna's mother. On the samadhi of Chennabasavanna, a Nandi is installed in the sanctum. Every month on Poornima, a jatra is held and a major jatra is held on Shivaratri Day. There is also a ruined fort called Baburayana Kote.

Yana
Yana, India
Yana is a village in the Uttara Kannada district of Karnataka, India that is known for the unusual rock formations in its vicinity. It is located in the Sahyadri mountain range of the Western Ghats, about from Karwar port, from Sirsi, and from Kumta...

: Situated 60 km from Karwar, Yana or Bhairavakshetra is a deserted town ship and a pilgrim centre with unique rock formations. Located in a valley, one has to trek a distance of about 10 km by foot amidst thick forest to reach Yana. It is a popular rock climbing haunt. There is a shrine of Bhairaveswara on a hillock 100 metres high. A fair is held here during Shivaratri.

Coastal Karnataka

Coastal Karnataka is the stronghold of Hindu and Jain pilgrimage spots with Udupi and its many temples being the centre of Dvaita

Dvaita

Dvaita is a school of Vedanta founded by Shri Madhvacharya....

philosophy, Gokarna

Gokarna, India

Gokarna is a village in the Uttara Kannada district of the Karnataka state, India. It is a Hindu pilgrimage centre as well as a tourist destination in India. Gokarna is a temple town and is referred to in a number of Hindu historical literature pieces. The main deity is Lord Mahabhaleshwara, a...

is known for Vedic studies, Sringeri has the first of the Shankaracharya

Shankaracharya

Shankaracharya, is a commonly used title of heads of mathas in the Advaita Vedanta tradition. The title derives from Adi Shankara, a 9th century CE reformer of Hinduism. He is honored as Jagadguru, a title that was used earlier only to Lord Krishna...

matha

Matha

A matha ) is a term for monastic and similar religious establishments of Hinduism and Jainism. A matha is usually more formal, hierarchical, and rule-based than an ashram.-Advaita Mathas:...

s and is important for its Advaita philosophy, Karkala

Karkala

Karkala is a town and the headquarters of Karkala taluk in the Udupi district of Karnataka, India. Located about 380 km from Bangalore, it lies near the Western Ghats....

and Mudabidri are well known places of Jain worship and Vaishnava rituals. Exquisite Vijayanagar temples built in Chalukya - Malabar region combinational style are seen in Bhatkal

Bhatkal

Bhatkal is also known as Batecala in some historical text especially in Portuguese history.Once ruled by Jain King Bhattakalanka and thus the name. Bhatkal is a port town in Uttara Kannada district of Karnataka, India 126 km from Karwar. The town lies on NH-17 running between Mumbai and Mangalore...

, Kumta

Kumta

- External links :*...

, Shirali

Shirali

Shirali is a village in the located in the Bhatkal subdistrict of Uttara Kannada district in the Indian state of Karnataka. Shirali is home to two prominent temples: the Chitrapur Matt and the Maha Ganapathi Mahammaya Temple...

etc. The warm beaches of Karnataka are mostly unspoiled.

Jamboti

Jamboti

Jamboti is located 20 km south-west of Belgaum and 18 km west of Khanapur in the Belgaum District of Karnataka, India....

, 20 km south-west of Belgaum

Belgaum

, has popular evergreen hilltop forests.

Karnataka is blessed with over 300 km of pristine coastal stretch. Netrani Island of Uttara Kannada is known for coral reefs. St. Mary's Island, a few kilometers from Udupi has basalt rock formations. Sunny beaches at places like Malpe

Malpe

Malpe is a natural port about six kilometers to the west of Udupi, Karnataka, India. An important port and fishing harbor on the Karnataka coast, Malpe is situated at the mouth of the Udyavara river. It is a suburb in Udupi city and is administerd by Udupi City Municipality...

, Murdeshwara, Maravanthe,
Gokarna, Kumta have spectacular mountains to the east. Agumbe, Kodachadri hills, Kemmangundi, are just a few of many hill stations that straddle the coast providing tourists sun and greenery. Unlike many crowded hill stations in South India, the hill stations of Karnataka are still mostly undiscovered and pristine.

Gokarna
Gokarna, India
Gokarna is a village in the Uttara Kannada district of the Karnataka state, India. It is a Hindu pilgrimage centre as well as a tourist destination in India. Gokarna is a temple town and is referred to in a number of Hindu historical literature pieces. The main deity is Lord Mahabhaleshwara, a...

: The Coastal town of Gokarna is a pilgrimage centre as well as a centre of Sanskrit learning, 56 km from Karwar. It has the Mahabaleswar Temple with the 'Atmalinga' dedicated to Shiva
Shiva
Shiva is a major Hindu deity, and is the destroyer god or transformer among the Trimurti, the Hindu Trinity of the primary aspects of the divine. God Shiva is a yogi who has notice of everything that happens in the world and is the main aspect of life. Yet one with great power lives a life of a...

. There is an enormous chariot, which is taken out in a procession on Shiva's birthday in February. The Tambraparni Teertha here is considered sacred to perform obsequies of the dead. There is a beach called Om Beach.

Udupi: One of the holy place and it is 58 km from Mangalore
Mangalore
Mangalore is the chief port city of the Indian state of Karnataka. It is located about west of the state capital, Bangalore. Mangalore lies between the Arabian Sea and the Western Ghat mountain ranges, and is the administrative headquarters of the Dakshina Kannada district in south western...

. The Krishna temple here is founded by Acharya Madhwa during the 14th century. He founded eight mathas to conduct the services of Lord Krishna in turns. Paryaya festival is held once in two years in January. The place has Kadiyali Durga temple, Ambalapadi Shakti temple, Raghavendra Matha and the Venkataraman swamy temple. Malpe is the port near here. It has a beach and the Vadabhandeshwara temple of Balarama.
Thantrady : One of the holy place and it is 22 km from Udupi. The brammasthana temple here founded by sri Ramanna bairy.Itwas a astabanda bramha. The main archaka of this temple is Nagaraj bairy.

Karkala
Karkala
Karkala is a town and the headquarters of Karkala taluk in the Udupi district of Karnataka, India. Located about 380 km from Bangalore, it lies near the Western Ghats....

: 50 km from Mangalore and 20 km from North of Moodabidire, is Karkala, an important centre of Jainism. There are several temples and a 17 metres high statue of Bahubali (Gomateshwara), situated on a small hill. The statue is a naked figure reached by a flight of rock-cut steps. Some of the temples are Chaturmukha Basti (1587), Neminatha Basti, Ananthapadmanabha Temple (1567) dedicated to Vishnu, and Venkataramana temple (Padutirupathi
Padutirupathi
Sree Venkataramana Temple, KarkalaKarkala is very famous for its Gomateshawra Betta and Jain Basadis. There are many other things which are popular all over the town. One of them is Padutirupathi Sree Venkataramana Temple. This is one of the oldest temple of Gaud Saraswat Brahmins after Sri...

).

Venur
Venur
Venur or Venoor is a small village on the banks of the Phalguni river in the South Kanara of Karnataka, India. It was once the seat of Jainism and the capital....

: Situated 50 km NE of Mangalore, has eight Bastis and ruins of a Mahadeva temple. The largest of them is the 17C Kalli Basti, dedicated to Shantinatha. There is a Gommanteswara Monolith, 11metres high dating back to 1604 in Venur.

Malpe Beach: Situated 66 km north of Mangalore, near Manipal. It has a tourist beach. The uninhibited St. Mary's Island, accessible by boat, has a beach and an impressive geological formation of basalt rock pillars into the sea.

Dharmastala: Situated 75 km from Mangalore, Dharmastala is an attractive site surrounded by forested hills, rice fields and by the river Netravati on all sides. The Manjunatha temple here is a pilgrim centre. A Monolithic statue of Bahubali 14metres high was erected here in 1973. Visitors are provided with free boarding and lodging by the temple authorities. There is a small museum, Manjusha Museum located opposite to the temple. There are two temple chariots covered in wooden figures and all types of religious objects including carved and painted panels, bronze sculptures and bells.

Kollur
Kollur
Kolluru is a tiny hamlet situated about from Kundapur Town, about away from Mangalore City in Karnataka state in the southern part of India...

, 147 km from Mangalore: The temple of goddess Mookambika is located here on top of Kodachadri hill, at the foot of the Western Ghats. The goddess takes the form of a 'Jyotirlinga' incorporating aspects of Shiva and Shakti. It is a pilgrimage centre attracting lot of devotees.

Moodabidre: Situated 35 km from Mangalore, Moodabidire has Jain temples known as Basti's. There are 18 Bastis, the oldest and the largest is the Chandranatha Basti (1429) with its 1000 pillared hall. 'The Jain Matha' near the entrance has an important collection of manuscripts. Other shrines worthy of mention are Shantinatha, Settara, Derama Setti Basti, Guru Basti, Kote and Vikrama Setti Basti.

Bhatkal
Bhatkal
Bhatkal is also known as Batecala in some historical text especially in Portuguese history.Once ruled by Jain King Bhattakalanka and thus the name. Bhatkal is a port town in Uttara Kannada district of Karnataka, India 126 km from Karwar. The town lies on NH-17 running between Mumbai and Mangalore...

: located 135 km from Karwar was the main port of Vijayanagar empire in the 16th century. The ancient town has temples of Vijayanagar style and many interesting Jain monuments. The 17th century Hindu temple here in Vijayanagar style has animal carvings. 16 km away is the shore temple of Shri Murdeshwar. The temple attracts a lot of devotees and tourists.

Honnavar: situated 90 km from Karwar, has a Portuguese fort. There is also a fort in Basavaraja Durga Island, amidst the sea which can be reached by a sail upstream on river Sharavathi.

Ankola
Ankola
Ankola which is a Taluk is in Uttara Kannada district of Karnataka state, India. A small town by any standard surrounded by numerous temples. It is in line with Arabian sea. The beaches present at this place are Baskal gudda, nadibag, shedikuli, keni, Belekeri and many more...

: Located 37 km south of Karwar, is a small town with 15century ruined walls of king Sarpamalika's fort and the ancient Shri Venketaraman Temple. Near the temple there are two giant wooden chariots carved with scenes from the 'Ramayana'.

Murudeshwar: The Murudeshwar Temple in Uttara Kannada District of Karnataka now possesses at 249-feet Raja Gopura. The Murudeswar temple complex is renowned for the tallest idol of Lord Shiva in the world, which is 123 feet. The latest addition to the temple, thanks to Mr. RN Shetty an entrepreneur and philanthropist, is the Rajagopuram, which was opened on April 12, 2008. And is it the tallest Hindu Temple Gopuram in the World. If Gopuram can be considered as a unique ornate structure associated with Hindu Temples, then the Gopura of Murudeshwar Temple in Karnataka should be the tallest in the world.

The Rajagopuram of Murudeswar Temple has 21 floors, including the ground floor. The base measures 105 feet in length and 51 feet breadth. The gopura also possess a lift and visitors can go to the top and have an aerial view of the Arabian Sea and the statue of Lord Shiva. Another highlight is the life-size statues of two elephants at the base of the gopura.

World's tallest Siva idol: The highlights of Murudeshwar lie beyond its nice beach and rural flair. A breathtaking view awaits you when moving towards the little headland dividing the beach into north and south. There, on a little green hill, a 37m (or 123 feet) Lord Shiva idol sits enthroned, surrounded by smaller, but not less impressive, statues illustrating moments of the Hindu mythology

Beaches

Karwar

Karwar is the administrative headquarters of Uttara Kannada district in Karnataka, India. It is a seaside town situated on the banks of the Kali river which is on the west coast of the Indian peninsula. The town lies about 15 kilometres south of the Karnataka–Goa border and 519 km north-west...

has a number of beaches like Blue Lagoon Beach, Ladies Beach around it and Rabindranath Tagore

Rabindranath Tagore

Rabindranath Tagore , sobriquet Gurudev, was a Bengali polymath who reshaped his region's literature and music. Author of Gitanjali and its "profoundly sensitive, fresh and beautiful verse", he became the first non-European Nobel laureate by earning the 1913 Prize in Literature...

described his experiences at Karwar beach in his poetry. Om beach, Murdeshwara are other beaches of Uttara Kannada

Uttara Kannada

Dist. The Nethrani Island near Murdeshwara. 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.

South Karnataka

South Karnataka is a unique combination of spectacular vesara

Vesara

Vesara is a type of Indian architecture primarily used in temples. The two other prominent styles are Dravida and Nagara. Vesara is a combination of these two temple styles.-Description:...

style Hoysala architecture, colossal Jain monuments, colonial buildings and palaces of the Kingdom of Mysore

Kingdom of Mysore

The Kingdom of Mysore was a kingdom of southern India, traditionally believed to have been founded in 1399 in the vicinity of the modern city of Mysore. The kingdom, which was ruled by the Wodeyar family, initially served as a vassal state of the Vijayanagara Empire...

, impregnable fort at Chitradurga

Chitradurga

Chitradurga is a town in the southern part of the Indian state of Karnataka. It is also the headquarters of Chitradurga district. Chitradurga was also known by the names Chitradurg, Chitrakaladurga, Chittaldurg. Chittaldrug was the name officially used by the British Govt.-Geography:Chitradurga is...

and densely forested wildlife sanctuaries that offer some of the best eco-tourism available in the country. Belur

Belur

Belur may refer to any of the following:* Belur, Karnataka, town in Karnataka, India* Belur, West Bengal, India, a locality on the west bank of the Hooghly River* Belur Math, the religious abbey located in Belur, West Bengal, India...

, Halebidu

Halebidu

Halebidu is located in Hassan District, Karnataka, India. Halebidu was the regal capital of the Hoysala Empire in the 12th century. It is home to one of the best examples of Hoysala architecture in the ornate Hoysaleswara and Kedareswara temples. Halebidu literally means ruined city...

in Hassan District

Hassan district

Hassan is a district in Karnataka state, India. The district headquarters are Hassan.Hassan district was the seat of the Hoysala Empire which at its peak ruled large parts of south India from Belur as its early capital and Halebidu as its later capital during the period 1000 - 1334 CE...

, Somnathpura in Mysore District

Mysore district

Mysore District is an administrative district located in the southern part of the state of Karnataka, India. The district is bounded by Mandya district to the northeast, Chamrajanagar district to the southeast, Kerala state to the south, Kodagu district to the west, and Hassan district to the north...

, Belavadi

Belavadi

The Veera Narayana temple is located in Belavadi , a village in Chikmagalur district of Karnataka state, India. The temple was built by the Hoysala Empire.This village was also known as Ekachakranagara, a place mentioned in Mahabharatha where Bheemasena killed the demon Bakasura and protected the...

, Kalasa and Amrithapura in Chikmagalur District

Chikmagalur District

Chikkamagaluru is a district in the Indian state of Karnataka. Chikkamagaluru is where coffee was first cultivated in India. The mountains here which are a part of the Western Ghats are the source of rivers like Tunga and Bhadra. Chikkamagaluru district also contains Mullayanagiri; which is the...

, Balligavi

Balligavi

in Shimoga District

Shimoga District

Shimoga District is a district in the Karnataka state of India. A major part of Shimoga District lies in the Malnad region of the Western Ghats, a hilly area known for its green forests, plentiful rainfall, and as the source of many of the area's rivers. Shimoga City is the administrative centre...

offer some of the best of Hoysala architecture

Hoysala architecture

Hoysala architecture is the building style developed under the rule of the Hoysala Empire between the 11th and 14th centuries, in the region known today as Karnataka, a state of India. Hoysala influence was at its peak in the 13th century, when it dominated the Southern Deccan Plateau region...

dating from the 11th - 13th century CE., while Shravanabelagola

Shravanabelagola

Shravana Belgola is a city located in the Hassan district in the Indian state of Karnataka and is 158 km from Bangalore. The statue of Gommateshvara Bahubali at Śravaṇa Beḷgoḷa is one of the most important pilgrimage destinations in Jainism, one that reached a peak in architectural and sculptural...

in Hassan

Hassan district

district and Kambadahalli

Kambadahalli

Kambadahalli is a village in Mandya district of Karnataka state, in southwestern India. Previously known as Kambapuri, it is one of the oldest and most important Jain religious centers in Karnataka. The monuments here were built by the Western Ganga Dynasty in the 9th - 10th century...

in Mandya District have well known 10th century Jain monuments. Scenic forests and the high density of wild animals of this region are a popular attraction for those interested in the wilder side of life. Bandipur National Park

Bandipur National Park

Bandipur National Park is one of India's best known protected areas and is an important Project Tiger reserve. It is located in the Chamarajanagar district of southern Karnataka in South India,...

, Nagarahole, Biligirirangan Hills

Biligirirangan Hills

The Biligiriranga Hills, commonly called B R Hills, is a hill range situated in south-eastern Karnataka, at its border with Tamil Nadu in South India. The area is called Biligiriranga Swamy Temple Wildlife Sanctuary or simply BRT Wildlife Sanctuary. It is a protected reserve under the Wildlife...

, Bhadra Wildlife Sanctuary

Bhadra Wildlife Sanctuary

Bhadra Wildlife Sanctuary is 38 km. northwest of Chikmagalur town in Karnataka state.It extends between 13º 25' and 13º 50' N latitude to 75º 15' and 75º 50' E longitude. The elevation gradient...

and Bannerghatta

Bannerghatta

Bannerghatta, Bannergatta, or Bannerughatta may refer to:* Bannerghatta National Park, a National Park near Bengaluru* Bannerghatta Road, a Karnataka state highway* Bannerghatta, a village in Jigani hobli, Anekal taluk...

national parks are a few popular places for jungle safaris.

The river Kaveri flows east from Kodagu District and along its way one finds important tourist destinations like Shivanasamudra

Shivanasamudra

Shivanasamudra is a small town in the Mandya District of the state of Karnataka, India. It is situated on the banks of the river Kaveri and is the location of the first Hydro-electric Power station in Asia, which was set up in the year 1902.-Waterfalls:The Shivanasamudra Falls is on the Kaveri...

and nearby Sivasamudram Falls,

Srirangapattana and Melkote

Melkote

Melukote in Pandavapura taluk of Mandya district, Karnataka, in southern India, is one of the sacred places in Karnataka. The place is also known as Thirunarayanapuram. It is built on rocky hills, known as Yadavagiri or Yadugiri, overlooking the Cauvery valley. Melukote is about 51 km from...

etc. Mysore, the cultural capital of the state is home to palaces, colonial buildings and cultural activities including Carnatic music

Carnatic music

Carnatic music is a system of music commonly associated with the southern part of the Indian subcontinent, with its area roughly confined to four modern states of India: Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Kerala, and Tamil Nadu...

, theatre. Bangalore

Bangalore

Bengaluru , formerly called Bengaluru is the capital of the Indian state of Karnataka. Bangalore is nicknamed the Garden City and was once called a pensioner's paradise. Located on the Deccan Plateau in the south-eastern part of Karnataka, Bangalore is India's third most populous city and...

the capital is a cosmopilitian city with parks, pubs, restaurants, shopping and fast paced technology rich lifestyle.

Bangalore
Bangalore
Bengaluru , formerly called Bengaluru is the capital of the Indian state of Karnataka. Bangalore is nicknamed the Garden City and was once called a pensioner's paradise. Located on the Deccan Plateau in the south-eastern part of Karnataka, Bangalore is India's third most populous city and...

: the capital of Karnataka has many tourist attractions
Tourist attractions in Bangalore
Bangalore , officially Bengaluru , is the capital of the Indian state of Karnataka. It is also known as the "Garden City of India"...

.

Belur
Belur
Belur may refer to any of the following:* Belur, Karnataka, town in Karnataka, India* Belur, West Bengal, India, a locality on the west bank of the Hooghly River* Belur Math, the religious abbey located in Belur, West Bengal, India...

: Home to the Hoysala temple complex. The Chennakeshava temple here was completed in 1116 by Hoysala Vishnuvardhana. The 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. The temple here is a classic example of Hoysala art, and Belur was one of the Hoysala Capitals.

Halebidu
Halebidu
Halebidu is located in Hassan District, Karnataka, India. Halebidu was the regal capital of the Hoysala Empire in the 12th century. It is home to one of the best examples of Hoysala architecture in the ornate Hoysaleswara and Kedareswara temples. Halebidu literally means ruined city...

: It is 27 km from Hassan, was capital of Hoysala and it was formerly called as Dwarasamudra. It has one of the finest Hoysala temples said to have been started by Ketamalla, a commander of Vishnuvardhana in 1121. The twin Shiva Temples with a common platform and two garbhagrihas, one houses for Vishnuvardhana Hoysaleshwara Linga and the other for Shanthaleshwara Linga. In front fo Hoysaleshwara is the Nandimantapa and behind that is shrine of Surya with a two-meter-tall image. Outer walls have rows of intricate figures narrating episodes from epics like Ramyana, Mahabartha, and Bhagavata.

Arasikere: It is 41 km from Hassan and 176 km from Bangalore. It has coconut gardens. There is a Kattameshwara temple here which is also called Chandramoulishwara and referred to as Kalmeshwara in the records. It is a fine Hoysala monument with a rare polygonal frontal Mantapa with special design. There is a fine Haluvokkalu Temple and also a Sahasrakuta Jinalaya. Malekal Tirupathi near Arasikere has a venkataramana temple visited by many devotees.

Aralaguppe
Aralaguppe
Aralaguppe is a small village in the Tiptur taluk, in Tumkur district, in the Indian state of Karnataka.The Kalleswara and Chennakeshava temples are dedicated to Shiva and Vishnu respectively. They are built by Nolambas and Hoysalas respectively....

: There is a Kalleshwara temple in the Ganga
Gangas
The Western Ganga Dynasty was an important ruling dynasty of ancient Karnataka in India. They are known as Western Gangas to distinguish them from the Eastern Gangas who in later centuries ruled over modern Orissa...

-Nalamba style of the 9th century. Its ceiling has a dancing Shiva sculpture with musical accompanists and eight Dikpalas surrounding him with all their paraphernalia. There is a Chennakeshava temple of the Hoysala style. An image of Vishnu lies in the garbhagriha. There are four Ganga temples.

Madhugiri
Madhugiri
Madhugiri is a Taluk Head Quarter in Tumkur district in the Indian state of Karnataka.At 3930 feet elevation, Madhugiri is a single hill. It is the largest in Asia and second largest in the world. Nestled in its steep slopes is a fort, once credited to Hyder Ali. Antaralada Bagilu, Diddibagilu, and...

: It is 43 km from Tumkur and has a large hill fort. The ancient name of the place is Maddagiri. It has a temples of Venkataramana and Malleshwara built by Vijayanagara feudatories. There is also a Mallinatha basadi. The fort has gateways called Antaralada Bagilu, Diddibagilu, Mysore Gate etc. 19 km from here is another hill fort called Midigeshi.

Sira
Sira, India
Sira is a town and taluk headquarters of Sira Taluk of Tumkur district in the state of Karnataka, India. It lies on the National Highway NH-4 and NH-234 .-Geography:...

: It is 52 km from Tumkur. The town called Siriya was founded by Rangappa Nayaka of Ratnagiri. The Jumma masjid here is a fine monument built in 1896 and the Malik Rihan's tomb is another impressive structure. The Gopalakrishna temple here has no image, and it is said to be housed in Narayana temple. 24 km from south of Sira there is a place called Seebi, which was called as Sibburu and there is a Narasimhaswamy temple built in the 18th century by Nallappa an officer under Haider Ali. The temple is painted with themes of Ramayana, Mahabharatha and Dashavatara themes.

Ramanathapur: This is place in Hassan district around 50 km from Hassn. It is on the bank of Kaveri river. It is home to the Rameshwara, Aghastheshwara, Subramanya and Pattabi Rama temples.

Yediyur:It is 30 km from Kunigal. It has a samadhi matha of Tontada Siddhalingahwara Yati, a Veerashaiva saint who lived during 16th century. Piligrims who visit the place in hundreds daily are feed free, and there are rest houses. The matha has fine wooden chariot with some interesting sculptures. The place has a Varadarja temple and two Veerashaiva mathas. The matha's building has some old paintings on walls.

Madikeri / Mercara: Known as Scotland of India, Mercara has enchanted millions of travelers with its misty hills lush forests, coffee plantations and breath taking views. It is also known for its lovely climate. It has many places of attraction such as Tala Cauvery, Nagarahole National Park, Abbe Water Falls, Bagamandala, Cauvery Nisargadhama, Belegiri Hills, Thadiyanda Murali Kund, Igguthappa Temple, Irupu Falls And Coffee & Tea Estates.

Srirangapattana: It is 14 km from Mysore & it is an island in between two branches of the Cauvery. It was also the capital of the mysore rulers. There is a Ranganath temple here. The fort here was built in 1454. The Mysore rules 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. Ganjam has Dariya Daulat palace of Tipu and Gumbaz, the mausoleum of Haider and Tipu. Both are impressive structures of Indo-Saracenic style. The palace has paintings, fine wood work and it houses a museum.

Melukote: It is a religious centre which attracts lakhs of people during its annual feast Vairamudi. The temple was reconstructed in the Hoysala style by Visnuvardhana with the guidance of Ramanujacharya, a Visistadvaitist, in 11th century A.D. There are Cheluvanarayanaswamy temple, Kalyani, Hill shrine of Lord Narasimha, Thottilamadu, Dhanuskoti, Academy of Sanskrit Research and many more to visit. The nearest tourist places are Thondanur, Srirangapatna, Karigatta, Nagamangala etc.,

Maddur
Maddur
Maddur is a town in Mandya district in the Indian state of Karnataka. It lies on the banks of the river Shimsha.- Geography :Maddur is located at . It has an average elevation of 662 metres ....

: It is 20 km from Mandya and it is headquarters of this district. It is described in records as "Arjunapuri agrahara", the institution being ascribed to epic hero Arjuna. Madduramma is the village goddess of the place. The Narasimha Swamy Temple here of the Hoysalas has the figure of Narasimha, which is seven feet in height. The Varadaraja temple is a Chola structure with a 12 feet tall Varadaraja image.

Mahadeshwara Betta: It is 220 km from Bangalore and 142 km from Mysore. It is very close to eastern Ghats. It is said that a saint called Mahadeshwara could ridetiger lived during the 14th-15th century has his gadduge here. The hill is full of thick forests and thousands of pilgrims visit the place.

Talakadu: A Holy place on the banks of the Cauvery. It is full of sands, carried by the wind from the dried bed of the river. It was the second capital of the Gangas. They built the Pataleshwara and the Maruleshwara templeshere. Hoysala Vishnuvardhana built Kirti Narayana temple.

Bhadravathi
Bhadravathi
Bhadravathi is an industrial town and taluk in the Shivamogga District of Karnataka state, India. It is situated at a distance of about from the state capital Bangalore and at about from the district headquarters, Shivamogga...

: It is an industrial town in Shimoga district 256 km away from Bangalore, which was earlier known as "Benkipura". There is a13th century Lakshminarayan Temple in Hoysala style. An iron and steel works, a cement factory and a paper factory are located on the banks of Bhadra river.

Ikkeri
Ikkeri
Ikkeri is situated in Shimoga district of Karnataka state at about 6 km to the south of Sagara. The word Ikkeri in Kannada means "Two Streets". It was, from about 1560 to 1640 AD, the capital of the Keladi chiefs, afterwards removed to Bednur...

: It was a capital town of the Keladi Nayakas from 1512, and a place very near to Sagar. The Aghoreshwara temple is a 16th century monument of great attraction. There is also a Paravathi temple nearby. Keladi is another place nearby, the original capital. It has the Rameshwara and Veerabhadra temples. There is also a Museum.

Sravanabelgola: It has a statue of Lord Bahubali. The place is an important Jain pilgrimage center and has a long history. The 17 meter high statue of Bahubali is said to be the tallest monolithic structure in the world. It overlooks the small town of Shravanbelgola from the top of the rocky hill known as Indragiri. One can reach this hill after ascending 614 rock-cut steps.

Somnathpur: It is the home to one of the best examples of Hoysala temple architecture, the Kesava Temple.

Jog Falls
Jog Falls
Jog Falls , created by the Sharavathi River falling from a height of is the second-highest plunge waterfall in India Located in Sagara, Karnataka Shimoga District of Karnataka state, these segmented falls are a major tourist attraction...

: the highest waterfalls in India, is located about 50 km from the coast midway between Udupi and Karwar. The Sharavati river drops 253 metres in 4 separate falls known as Rani-the Rocket and Raja-the Roarer. The highest is the Raja with the fall of 253 metres and a pool below 40metres deep. The best time to visit is Late November to early January. The 50 km long Hirebhasgar Reservoir and the Linganamkki damregulates the flow of the Sharavati river to generate the hydro electricity.

Mekedatu: It is a picnic spot by the river Cauvery. It tumbles down through a deep ravine, on top of which is a chasm around 5 meters wide. Mekedatu is on Kanakapura Road.

Hesaraghatta: Hesaraghatta has an artificial lake, a dairy and a horticulture farm. Baoting & windsurfing are the other attractions. Also here is the Nrityagrama where young dancers are trained in all disciplines of traditional dance.

Shivaganga: A hill with four faces, rising to a height of 4599 ft looks like a Nandi from the East, Ganesh from the West, A Linga from the South and Cobra with it hood spread from the North side. It is accessible by road.

Shivanasamudram: The waterfalls, the Ganganchukki and the Bharachukki, cascade down 90 meters. These falls are the source of Asia's first Hydro Electric Power Statin called "Shimsa". The falls are in full splendour during July–August. The falls are 22 km from the Bangalore.

Hogenekkal Falls: These are also known as the 'smoking rocks' because of the mist. At the bottom of the 90 ft water falls, one can ride in a coracle.

Devarayanadurga
Devarayanadurga
Devarayanadurga is a hill station near Tumkur in the state of Karnataka in India. The rocky hills are surrounded by forest and the hilltops are dotted with several temples including the Yoganarasimha and the Bhoganarasimha temples and an altitude of 3940 feet...

: This is a hill station of Tumkur road perched at a height of 3940 feet. A few kilometers from foot of the hills is a natural spring called Namada Chilume.

Hill stations

The Hill stations in Karnataka are generally unexplored and more pristine than better known ones in South India. Kudremukh

Kudremukh

Kudremukh also spelled Kuduremukha is a mountain range in Chikkamagaluru district, in Karnataka, India. It is also the name of a small hill station town situated near the mountain, about 48 kilometers from Karkala and about 20 kilometers from Kalasa...

, Kemmangundi

Kemmangundi

Kemmannugundi is a hill station in Tarikere taluk of Chikkamagaluru district in the state of Karnataka, India. It is 1434m above sea level. This was the summer retreat of Krishnaraja Wodeyar IV and as a mark of respect to the king, it is also known as Sri Krishnarajendra Hill Station...

, Agumbe

Agumbe

Agumbe is a village located in the Shimoga district in the state of Karnataka, India. Lying in the Thirthahalli taluk and the Malnad region, Agumbe is among the places in India that receive very heavy rainfall earning it the sobriquet, "Cherrapunji of the South". It is also the home of the Agumbe...

, Horanadu

Horanadu

Horanadu is a Hindu holy city located in Chickmagalur district, Karnataka, India. The deity at the Annapoorneshwari Temple at Horanadu is Annapurneshwari...

, Nandi Hills

Nandi Hills, India

Nandi Hills or Nandidurg is an ancient hill fortress of southern India, in the Chikkaballapur district of Karnataka state. It is located just 10 km from Chickballapur town and approximately 60 km from the city of Bangalore...

are some of the better known ones. Not much tourism in these areas has kept them free of commercialization. Apart from scenic treks, bird watching, boating and waterfalls, these areas are also close to major coffee

Coffee

Coffee is a brewed beverage with a dark,init brooo acidic flavor prepared from the roasted seeds of the coffee plant, colloquially called coffee beans. The beans are found in coffee cherries, which grow on trees cultivated in over 70 countries, primarily in equatorial Latin America, Southeast Asia,...

producing areas in the state, making a trip all the more interesting. There are many tourist resorts.

National parks and wildlife

Karnataka in all has 21 wildlife sanctuaries and 5 National parks. Well known among them are Bandipur National Park

Bandipur National Park

Bandipur National Park is one of India's best known protected areas and is an important Project Tiger reserve. It is located in the Chamarajanagar district of southern Karnataka in South India,...

in Mysore District, Bannerghatta National Park

Bannerghatta National Park

Bannerghatta National Park is situated 22 km south of Bangalore, Karnataka, India. The journey to the park takes nearly one and a half hours from Bangalore. This hilly place is the home for one of the richest natural, zoological reserves...

in Bangalore

Bangalore

district, Nagarhole National Park

Nagarhole National Park

Nagarhole National Park , also known as "Rajiv Gandhi National Park", is located from Mysore in Karnataka in South India. It is spread between Kodagu district and Mysore district. Located to the north-west of Bandipur National Park, Kabini reservoir separates the two. The park has rich forest...

in Mysore District

Mysore district

and Kodagu

Kodagu

Kodagu , also known by its anglicised former name of Coorg, is an administrative district in Karnataka, India. It occupies an area of in the Western Ghats of southwestern Karnataka. As of 2001, the population was 548,561, 13.74% of which resided in the district's urban centres, making it the least...

district, Kudremukh National Park in Dakshina Kannada

Dakshina Kannada

- Geography :The district geography consists of sea shore in the west and Western Ghats in the east. The major rivers are Netravathi, Kumaradhara, Phalguni, Shambhavi, Nandini or Pavanje and Payaswini which all join Arabian sea. Vast areas of evergreen forests which once covered this district, have...

and Chickmagalur district, Dandeli

Dandeli

Dandeli [ Kannada:ದಾಂಡೇಲಿ ] is a town in Uttara Kannada district of Karnataka in North Karnataka, India in the Western Ghats, near Goa. It is best known for its wildlife sanctuary, tourism, industry and as an educational hub....

& Anshi National Park

Anshi National Park

Anshi National Park is located in Uttara Kannada district, in the Indian state of Karnataka, bordering the state of Goa...

in Uttara Kannada

Uttara Kannada

district, Gudavi

Gudavi

Gudavi is bird sanctuary in Sorab, Taluk, around 15 km from Sorab in the south Indian state of Karnataka. Various kinds of birds migrate there for breeding in monsoon season ....

and Mandegadde bird sanctuaries and Sharavati WLS in Shimoga District

Shimoga District

, Biligirirangan Hills

Biligirirangan Hills

WLS in Chamarajanagar

Chamarajanagar

Chamarajanagar is a town in the southern end of Karnataka, a state in India. It is also the headquarters of the Chamarajanagar district of Karnataka. It is named after Chamaraja Wodeyar IX , king of Mysore, who was born in the town...

district, Rangantittu Bird Sanctuary in Mandya

Mandya

Mandya is a city in the state of Karnataka, India. It is the headquarters of Mandya district and is located 40 km from Mysore and 100 km from Bangalore.-Etymology:...

district, Brahmagiri

Brahmagiri

Brahmagiri , ' is a mountain range in the Western Ghats of south India. It is situated on the border between Kodagu district in Karnataka state in the north and Wayanad district of Kerala state on the south . Brahmagiri Hill, at 1608 m height, is a scenic tourist attraction...

wildlife sanctuary and Pushpagiri Wildlife Sanctuary

Pushpagiri Wildlife Sanctuary

Pushpagiri Wildlife Sanctuary is one of 21 Wildlife Sanctuaries of India's Karnataka state.This sanctuary is located in Somwarpet taluk of Kodagu district and has some attractive scenery. It is home to rare and endangered birdlife and is designated as one of the important bird areas of the world....

in Kodagu

Kodagu

district. Interior dry areas have their own unique wildlife.

There are twenty one wildlife sanctuaries and five national parks in all.

Recently, the government of India has proposed to the UNESCO to include important ecosystems in the Western Ghats

Western Ghats

The Western Ghats, Western Ghauts or the Sahyādri is a mountain range along the western side of India. It runs north to south along the western edge of the Deccan Plateau, and separates the plateau from a narrow coastal plain along the Arabian Sea. The Western Ghats block rainfall to the Deccan...

as a World Heritage Site

World Heritage Site

A UNESCO World Heritage Site is a place that is listed by the UNESCO as of special cultural or physical significance...

. Two subclusters of natural areas occurring in the list are entirely in the Karnataka region covering several wildlife sanctuaries and some reserve forests. Fragile and exotic ecosystems like Kudremukh

Kudremukh

NP, Brahmagiri

Brahmagiri

WLS, Pushpagiri

Pushpagiri

Pushpagiri, at 1,712 meters, is the highest peak in Pushpagiri Wildlife Sanctuary in the Western Ghats of Karnataka. It is located in the Somwarpet Taluk, 20 km from Somwarpet Town northern part of Kodagu district.-Pushpagiri Mountains:...

WLS, Agumbe

Agumbe

, Talakaveri

Talakaveri

Talacauvery , is the place that is generally considered to be the source of the Cauvery River. It is located in the Brahmagiri hill near Bhagamandala in Kodagu district, Karnataka, 1,276 m. above sea level...

WLS, Someshvara WLS figure in this list. As such, the Western Ghats that run south-north through the Karnataka is considered as one among the twenty five bio-diversity hotspots of the world.

The Niligiri Biosphere Reserve (also a designated UNESCO

UNESCO

The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization is a specialized agency of the United Nations...

Biosphere reserve) is located at the junction of Karnataka, Tamil Nadu and Kerela. Nagarahole National Park WLS and Bandipur National Park

Bandipur National Park

Bandipur National Park is one of India's best known protected areas and is an important Project Tiger reserve. It is located in the Chamarajanagar district of southern Karnataka in South India,...

and Nugu WLS in Karnataka are included in this biosphere reserve

Biosphere reserve

The Man and the Biosphere Programme of UNESCO was established in 1971 to promote interdisciplinary approaches to management, research and education in ecosystem conservation and sustainable use of natural resources.-Development:...

.

The state is home to the largest concentration of Asian Elephants along Kabini River in Nagarahole and Bandipur parks. These two parks are also hold among the most viable population of the highly endangered Indian Tiger. Rannebennur Blackbuck sanctuary in Davangere district is home to one of the largest populations of blackbuck anywhere in India. The Doraji wildlife sanctuary and areas in Karnataka like Bellary district, Chitradurga

Chitradurga

are strongholds of the sloth bear.

Karnataka is home to more than 500 species of bird

Bird

Birds are feathered, winged, bipedal, endothermic , egg-laying, vertebrate animals. Around 10,000 living species and 188 families makes them the most speciose class of tetrapod vertebrates. They inhabit ecosystems across the globe, from the Arctic to the Antarctic. Extant birds range in size from...

Wildlife sanctuaries

Dandeli
Dandeli
Dandeli [ Kannada:ದಾಂಡೇಲಿ ] is a town in Uttara Kannada district of Karnataka in North Karnataka, India in the Western Ghats, near Goa. It is best known for its wildlife sanctuary, tourism, industry and as an educational hub....

Wildlife Sanctuary, near to Hubli-Dharwad (70 km), Uttara Kannada
Uttara Kannada
Uttara Kannada also known as North Canara or North Kanara, is a district in the southern Indian state of Karnataka. It is bordered by the state of Goa and Belgaum District to the north, Dharwad District and Haveri District to the east, Shimoga District and Udupi District to the south and the...

: spread over 834.16 km², it is the second largest wildlife sanctuary in Karnataka and is contiguous with the Mahaveer sanctuary in Goa
Goa
Goa , a former Portuguese colony, is India's smallest state by area and the fourth smallest by population. Located in South West India in the region known as the Konkan, it is bounded by the state of Maharashtra to the north, and by Karnataka to the east and south, while the Arabian Sea forms its...

.
Ghataprabha Bird Sanctuary: small bird sanctuary incorporating the wetland along the river. It was established in 1974 and encompasses an area of 29 km².
Daroji Bear Sanctuary, 15 kilometers from Hampi
Hampi
Hampi is a village in northern Karnataka state, India. It is located within the ruins of Vijayanagara, the former capital of the Vijayanagara Empire. Predating the city of Vijayanagara, it continues to be an important religious centre, housing the Virupaksha Temple, as well as several other...

.
Peacock sanctuary in Bankapura
Bankapura
Bankapura is a panchayat town in Haveri district in the state of Karnataka, India. It is in Shiggaon taluk, is just 2.5 km from the Pune-Bangalore national highway NH4, 22 km from Haveri town. Bankapur is about 45 km from Hubli-Dharwad...

, Shiggon taluk: Bankpur Fort is the second sanctuary in India exclusively engaged in the conservation and breeding of peacocks. It is also home to a variety of other birds.
Ranebennur blackbuck
Blackbuck
Blackbuck is a species of antelope native to the Indian subcontinent. Their range decreased sharply during the 20th century. Since 2003, the IUCN lists the species as near threatened....

sanctuary, Haveri
Haveri
Haveriis a town in Karnataka. It is the administrative headquarters of Haveri District. The name Haveri is derived from the Kannada words havu and keri, which means place of snakes. Haveri is famous for its cardamom garlands. It is said that Haveri had around 1000 maths in ancient days. One of...

district: declared a wildlife sanctuary on the 17th of June 1974, with a core area of 14.87 km and a buffer zone of 104.13 km for tourists. It is divided into three blocks namely Hulathi, Hunasikatti and Alageri for administrative purposes. The vegetation comprises mainly scrub forests and eucalyptus plantations. Other resident fauna include wild pigs, foxes, jackals and wolves.
Deva Raya Wildlife Sanctuary, near Hampi
Hampi
Hampi is a village in northern Karnataka state, India. It is located within the ruins of Vijayanagara, the former capital of the Vijayanagara Empire. Predating the city of Vijayanagara, it continues to be an important religious centre, housing the Virupaksha Temple, as well as several other...

, Bellary
Bellary
Bellary is a historic city in Bellary District in Karnataka state, India.-Origins of the city's name:There are several legends about how Bellary got its name....

District: A privately owned sanctuary, named after kings of the Vijayanagar Empire.
Attiveri Bird Sanctuary, near to Hubli-Dharwad, Uttara Kanada district: spread over an area of about 2.23 km², the sanctuary is located in and around the Attiveri reservoir.
Anshi National Park
Anshi National Park
Anshi National Park is located in Uttara Kannada district, in the Indian state of Karnataka, bordering the state of Goa...

, Uttara Kannada: A habitat for tigers, leopards and elephants, about 340 square kilometres in size. Adjoins the Dandeli wildlife sanctuary.
Magadi Bird Sanctuary
Magadi Bird Sanctuary
Magadi Bird SanctuaryMagadi Bird Sanctuary created at The Magadi tank, It is one of the Biodiversity hotspots of Karnataka, in North Karnataka.The Magadi tank is located in Magadi village of Shirhatti Taluk, Gadag District...

, Shirahatti
Shirahatti
Shirahatti is a panchayat town in Gadag district in the Indian state of Karnataka.-Geography:Shirahatti is located at . It has an average elevation of 659 metres .-Demographics:...

Taluk, Gadag District
Gadag District
Gadag District had a population of 971,952 of which 35.21% was urban as of 2001. Population increased 13.14% in the decade 1991-2001. The District is bounded on the north by Bagalkot District, on the east by Koppal District, on the southeast by Bellary District, on the southwest by Haveri...
Bhimagada Sanctuary, Belgaum District
Belgaum district
Belgaum district is a district in the state of Karnataka, India. The city of Belgaum is the district headquarters in North Karnataka. By the 2011 Census of India, it had a population of 4778439...

Dams and reservoirs

Hidkal Jalashaya Dam, River Ghataprabha: 4481 metre long composite dam constructed in 1977. Fossils were discovered nearby.
Dhupdal Dam, River Ghataprabha: constructed in 1883 with a nearby inspection bunglow
Almatti Dam
Almatti Dam
The Almatti Dam is a dam project on the Krishna River in North Karnataka, India. The annual energy design is 713 million units. It was completed in July 2005....

, Krishna River, Bijapur District
Narayanapur
Narayanapur
Narayanapur is a village in the southern state of Karnataka, India. It is located in the Basavakalyan taluk of Bidar district in Karnataka.-Demographics: India census, Narayanapur had a population of 8677 with 4486 males and 4191 females....
Munirabad, Koppal District
Koppal district
Koppal district is an administrative district in the state of Karnataka in India. In the past Koppal was referred to as 'Kopana Nagara'. Hampi, a World heritage center, covers some areas of Koppal District. It is situated approximately 38 km away...
Karanja
Karanja
"Karanja" or "Karanja Lad" is a city and a municipal council in Washim district in the Indian state of Maharashtra. Karanja is also known as Karanja or Karanja Lad and mainly referred as the latter most of the times. Karanja is a holy place for Hindus, Muslims and Jains...

, Bidar District
Bidar District
Bidar is a district of Karnataka state in southern India. The historic city of Bidar is the administrative centre of the district. The district is located in the northeastern corner of the state, near the borders with Andhra Pradesh to the east and Maharashtra to the north and west...

Waterfalls and caves

Karnataka

has a number of waterfalls. Jog Falls

Jog Falls

Jog Falls , created by the Sharavathi River falling from a height of is the second-highest plunge waterfall in India Located in Sagara, Karnataka Shimoga District of Karnataka state, these segmented falls are a major tourist attraction...

of Shimoga District

Shimoga District

is one of the highest waterfalls in Asia. Some well known waterfalls are Varapoha Falls

Varapoha Falls

Vajrapoha Falls is on the Mandovi River in the hilly surroundings of the Jamboti forest in the Belgaum District of Karnataka, India.-Location:...

, Magod Falls

Magod Falls

Magod Falls is a group of waterfalls in Karnataka, India, where the river Bedti falls from a height of nearly 200m in two steps.-See also:* List of waterfalls in India* List of waterfalls in India by height...

, Lalgulli Falls, Sathodi Falls

Sathodi Falls

Satoddi Falls is a waterfall in India that is formed by several unnamed streams near Kallaramarane Ghat, Uttara Kannada District, near Sirsi, and 32 km from Yellapur. It is about 15 meters tall. The stream then flows into the backwaters of the Kodasalli Dam, into the Kali River...

, Unchalli Falls, Lushington Falls

Lushington Falls

Lushington Falls, also called Unchalli Falls, is a waterfall created by a drop in the Aghanashini river. The fall is located in Siddapur taluk, Uttara Kannada District of Karnataka, India. The falls are named for J. D...

, Shivaganga Falls, Ulavi Falls, Irupu Falls

Irupu Falls

The Irupu Falls ಇರ್ಪು ಜಲಪಾತ are located in the Brahmagiri Range in the Kodagu district of Karnataka, India, bordering the Wayanad district of Kerala. It is a fresh water cascade and is situated at a distance of 48 km from Virajpet on the highway to Nagarhole...

, Sivasamudram Falls near Shivanasamudra

Shivanasamudra

, Balmuri Falls, Gokak Falls

Gokak Falls

The Gokak Falls is a waterfall located on the Ghataprabha River in Belgaum district of Karnataka, India. The waterfall is six kilometers away from Gokak...

, Abbe Falls, Achakanya Falls, Chunchanakatte Falls

Chunchanakatte Falls

Chunchanakatte Falls is a waterfall on the Kaveri River, near the village of Chunchanakatte in Mysore district, Karnataka, India. Water cascades from a height of about 20 meters. It is in the Western Ghats...

, Hebbe Falls

Hebbe Falls

Hebbe Falls are situated about 10 km away from the famous hill station Kemmangundi in Karnataka, India. This waterfalls are inside a coffee estate and can be reached either by walk or four-wheeler....

, Kallathigiri Falls, Sogal Falls, Godachinamalki Falls

Godachinamalki Falls

Godachinamalki Falls is in Belgaum district of Karnataka state near the village Godachinamalki, about 21 km from the Gokak town. This beautiful Water Falls is formed on the River Markhandeya....

etc.

Some well known caves in Karnataka are Yana caves and Kavala caves and Syntheri rocks in Uttara Kannada district, Sugriva's cave in Hampi

Hampi

holds similarity to the descriptions of 'Kishkinda' in the epic Ramayana

Ramayana

The Ramayana is an ancient Sanskrit epic. It is ascribed to the Hindu sage Valmiki and forms an important part of the Hindu canon , considered to be itihāsa. The Ramayana is one of the two great epics of India and Nepal, the other being the Mahabharata...

, hundreds of caves in Basava Kalyana in Bidar District

Bidar District

Waterfalls

Gokak Falls
Gokak Falls
The Gokak Falls is a waterfall located on the Ghataprabha River in Belgaum district of Karnataka, India. The waterfall is six kilometers away from Gokak...

, Ghataprabha River
Ghataprabha River
The Ghataprabha river is a tributary of the Krishna River and flows in state of Karnataka, India.- Geography :Ghataprabha River originates in the Western Ghats at an altitude of 884 meters and flows eastward for a distance of 283 kilometers before its confluence with the Krishna River at Almatti...

, near Gokak
Gokak
Gokak is a town and taluk headquarters in the Belgaum District of Karnataka state, India. It is located around 70 km from Belgaum at the confluence of two rivers, the Ghataprabha and the Markandeya. The population of the city is approximately 1,50,000 and the common language in use is Kannada...

, Belgaum district
Belgaum district
Belgaum district is a district in the state of Karnataka, India. The city of Belgaum is the district headquarters in North Karnataka. By the 2011 Census of India, it had a population of 4778439...

: It drops from 52 metres over a sand-stone cliff in a gorge. It is known locally as "mini Niagara
Niagara Falls
The Niagara Falls, located on the Niagara River draining Lake Erie into Lake Ontario, is the collective name for the Horseshoe Falls and the adjacent American Falls along with the comparatively small Bridal Veil Falls, which combined form the highest flow rate of any waterfalls in the world and has...

" Hydro Electric Power has been harnessed at the falls since 1887 to run a cotton mill. Temples near the falls date from Badami Chalukyas to later Chalukya times and Vijayanagara
Vijayanagara
Vijayanagara is in Bellary District, northern Karnataka. It is the name of the now-ruined capital city "which was regarded as the second Rome" that surrounds modern-day Hampi, of the historic Vijayanagara empire which extended over the southern part of India....

periods. A suspension bridge crosses the river
Godachinamalki Falls
Godachinamalki Falls
Godachinamalki Falls is in Belgaum district of Karnataka state near the village Godachinamalki, about 21 km from the Gokak town. This beautiful Water Falls is formed on the River Markhandeya....

, Markhandeya River, near Godachinamalki, Belgaum district.
Lushington Falls
Lushington Falls
Lushington Falls, also called Unchalli Falls, is a waterfall created by a drop in the Aghanashini river. The fall is located in Siddapur taluk, Uttara Kannada District of Karnataka, India. The falls are named for J. D...

, Aghanashini River, Siddhapur
Siddhapur
Siddhapur is a village development committee in Baitadi District in the Mahakali Zone of western Nepal. At the time of the 1991 Nepal census it had a population of 1,790 and had 302 houses in the village....

Taluk, Shivamogga: 116 meters in height and named after a district collector
District collector
The District Collector is the district head of administration of the bureaucracy in a state of India. Though he/she is appointed and is under general supervision of the state government, he/she has to be a member of the elite IAS recruited by the Central Government...

who discovered them in 1845
Magod Falls
Magod Falls
Magod Falls is a group of waterfalls in Karnataka, India, where the river Bedti falls from a height of nearly 200m in two steps.-See also:* List of waterfalls in India* List of waterfalls in India by height...

, Gangavathi River, 125 km from Karwar: 183 metres (600 feet) in height, consists of a series of cascades over cliffs
Varapoha Falls
Varapoha Falls
Vajrapoha Falls is on the Mandovi River in the hilly surroundings of the Jamboti forest in the Belgaum District of Karnataka, India.-Location:...

, Mahadayi River, in the Jamboti
Jamboti
Jamboti is located 20 km south-west of Belgaum and 18 km west of Khanapur in the Belgaum District of Karnataka, India....

forest

Eco-tourism

The districts of the Western Ghats

Western Ghats

and the southern districts have popular eco tourism locations. Some of the popular locations include Kudremukh

Kudremukh

, Madikeri and Agumbe

Agumbe

. Karnataka boasts of the highest elephant and Gaur bison population (greater than 6000 & 8000 respectively) in India. Its forests hold some of the largest remaining populations of the endangered tiger and leopard.
Eco-tourism is a very popular activity in the state. Karnataka leads other states in eco-tourism. Jungle Lodges & Resorts, a state run organization has camping and safari facilities in several wildlife sanctuaries. Private safari providers have sprung up in several places along the western ghats.

Several NGO's (youth groups) are actively involved in birding and other conservation activities.

Adventure and outdoor activities

Adventure tourism has been growing at a pace of around 24% in Karnataka. The presence of Nilgiris, Western Ghats, rocky regions, waterfalls and lots of lakes and rivers make it an attractive destination.

Hampi and Ramnagaram has been famous for rock climbing and people across the world come for climbing in this region.

Nilgiris is on eof the most popular destination for mountain biking.
Rafting is done in Bheemeshwari, Dandeli

Dandeli

and Coorg.
Besides this Sawandurga, Manchinbele, Bheemeshwari Antharagange are also famous for rappelling, river crossing, caving and kayaking.
There have been more than 100 places for trekking in Karnataka. many of them are organized by government of karnataka

Karnataka

or government approved local vendors. Seasonal surfing is available in Gokarna

Gokarna

and Kaup

Kaup

Kaup may refer to:*Kapu, Karnataka, a village in Udupi district, Karnataka, India*Johann Jakob Kaup , German naturalist*Kaup–Kupershmidt equation, the nonlinear fifth-order partial differential equation...

.

Rock climbers visit several areas in Karnataka:

Yana
Yana, India
Yana is a village in the Uttara Kannada district of Karnataka, India that is known for the unusual rock formations in its vicinity. It is located in the Sahyadri mountain range of the Western Ghats, about from Karwar port, from Sirsi, and from Kumta...

, Uttara Kannada
Ramnagara, near Bangalore district
Shivagange, Bangalore district
Tekal, Kolar district
Turahalli Mysore
Hampi
Kunti Betta
Anthargange, Kolar
Skandagiri, Bangalore
Devarayandurga, Tumkur
Karadigudda, Magadi

Trekking in Karnataka. Some of the most popular treks are:

Dandeli
Tadiyandamol Trek (Coorg)
Kodachadri Trek
Bheemeshwari Trek
Kudremukh Trek
Shakaleshpur Trek
Dabbe falls (Shimoga)
Karwar Beach trek
Madhugiri Fort Trek
Sawandurga Trek
Agumbe Rain Forest trek
Makalidurga Trek
Green Route
Green Route
Green Route is a well known segment along the Bangalore and Mangalore railway line in India, within the pristine part of Western Ghat mountain ranges often called the trekker's paradise....

Healthcare tourism

In the last couple of years Karnataka has emerged as a hot spot for health care tourism in India attracting health tourists from all over the world. Karnataka has highest number of approved health systems and alternative therapies. Along with some ISO certified government owned hospitals, private institutions which provide international quality services have caused health care industry to grow up to 30% during 2004-05. Hospitals in Karnataka treat around 8,000 health tourists every year.

The Golden Chariot

is a luxury tourist train of Karnataka

Karnataka

operated by Indian Railways

Indian Railways

Indian Railways , abbreviated as IR , is a departmental undertaking of Government of India, which owns and operates most of India's rail transport. It is overseen by the Ministry of Railways of the Government of India....

and KSTDC (Karnataka State Tourism Development Corporation

Karnataka State Tourism Development Corporation

Karnataka State Tourism Development Corporation or KSTDC is an entity was set up by government of Karnataka state in India to promote tourism within the state....

). Initially train was introduced exclusively for Karnataka, but recently it is expanded to whole south India. The train travels to the Karnataka's tourist destinations like Bangalore

Bangalore

, Kabini, Mysore, Beluru, Halebidu

Halebidu

, Shravanabelagola

Shravanabelagola

, Hampi

Hampi

, Badami

Badami

, Pattadakal

Pattadakal

Pattadakal is a village in Karnataka. It lies on the banks of the Malaprabha River in Bagalkot district. It is 22 km from Badami and about 10 km from Aihole...

, Aihole

Aihole

and Goa

Goa

Goa , a former Portuguese colony, is India's smallest state by area and the fourth smallest by population. Located in South West India in the region known as the Konkan, it is bounded by the state of Maharashtra to the north, and by Karnataka to the east and south, while the Arabian Sea forms its...

.

Train coaches are named after the Karnataka dynasties like Kadamba, Hoysala, Rashtrakuta

Rashtrakuta

, Ganga

Gangas

The Western Ganga Dynasty was an important ruling dynasty of ancient Karnataka in India. They are known as Western Gangas to distinguish them from the Eastern Gangas who in later centuries ruled over modern Orissa...

,
Chalukya, Bahamani, Adil Shahi

Adil Shahi

The Adil Shahi or Adilshahi dynasty ruled the Sultanate of Bijapur in the Western area of the Deccan region of Southern India from 1490 to 1686. Bijapur had been a province of the Bahmani Sultanate , before its political decline in the last quarter of the 15th century and eventual break-up in 1518...

, Sangama, Satavahana

Satavahana

The Sātavāhana Empire or Andhra Empire, was a royal Indian dynasty based from Dharanikota and Amaravati in Andhra Pradesh as well as Junnar and Prathisthan in Maharashtra. The territory of the empire covered much of India from 230 BCE onward...

, Yadukula and Vijayanagar

Vijayanagara Empire

The Vijayanagara Empire , referred as the Kingdom of Bisnaga by the Portuguese, was an empire based in South Indian in the Deccan Plateau region. It was established in 1336 by Harihara I and his brother Bukka Raya I of the Yadava lineage. The empire rose to prominence as a culmination of attempts...

Administration

Karnataka Tourism is the popular name of the Department of Tourism, Government of Karnataka (website: karnatakatourism.org). The top-most decision-makers of Karnataka Tourism are the Minister of Tourism Mr Janardhana Reddy, the Principal Secretary for Tourism Mr Jyothi Ramalingam and the Director of Tourism Mr Wiswanatha Reddy.

Karnataka Tourism is responsible for the sustainable development of tourism in Karnataka along with marketing of the destination worldwide. Karnataka's destination branding and marketing is done by India's leading tourism marketing organisation, Stark Communications. Stark is part of The Stark Group under whose umbrella are companies such as Stark Communications, Stark Expo, Starkworld Publishing, Stark Expo, starkwebworks, Stark Tourism Forum.

Karnataka Tourism develops hospitality infrastructure through two government-owned companies, Jungle Lodges & Resorts and Karnataka State Tourism Development Corporation.

External links

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