D-85, Mahavir Enclave, Street No. 4, Palam, Dabri Road, Near Sector-1 Dwarka, New Delhi - 110045
Rustic Karnataka Tour
Destinations : Bangalore, Hassan, Hospet, Badami
Duration : 08 Days / 07 Nights
A short 8 day trip down south that is guaranteed to leave you in awe of the fabulous temple architecture that attracts hoards of tourists every year. You get to experience Hassan, which is the invaluable crown of the Karnataka state, the ruins of palaces, temple-complexes, monoliths, royal baths, and mosques at Hampi, which still lie mostly deserted and dilapidated and Badami, famous for its four cave temples - all hewn out of sand stone on the precipice of a hill, to name a few. An unforgettable rustic tour.
Day 01 - Bangalore Arrival
Shan-e-india Trip REPRESENTATIVE will receive you on arrival at the airport and transfer to the hotel.
Legend goes that King Veeraballa of Vijayanagara once lost his way in forest. Hungry and tired, he came upon a lone hut in the thick forest where he met an old woman. When he asked for food, she gave him baked beans ('Benda Kalu' in Karnataka).The King found this humble meal taste better than his royal kitchen menu. To commemorate this incident, he called the place "Benda Kalu Ooru" (place of baked beans).
Capital of the Southern state of Karnataka, Bangalore today is Asia's fastest growing cosmopolitan city. It is home to some of the most high tech industries in India. Bangalore is also home to some of India's premier scientific establishments. Blessed with a salubrious climate, gardens & parks, natural lakes, architectural landmarks, shopping malls, the best restaurants and pubs in this part of the globe, business opportunities, Bangalore is the ideal gateway to India and beyond. Bangalore offers something for everyone-music and dance concerts (Western and Indian), dramas, exhibitions, carnivals, conferences and more.
Enjoy shopping or just sit in one of the numerous modern pubs in downtown area just enjoying the latest music and crowd. It will be a nice experience as the weather in this city is pleasant all through the year.
Overnight will be at Bangalore.
Day 02 - Bangalore – Shravanbelagola - Hassan
After breakfast proceed for the sightseeing.
Vidhana Soubha: This splendid neo-Dravidian granite building that dominates the northern boundary of the Cubbon Park is the home of the State Legislature and the Secretariat. The massive sandalwood door of the Cabinet room is a spectacular feature of this imposing building. The Vidhana Soudha is bedecked in illuminated glory during special periods and is a sight worth viewing.
Lal Bagh: Hyder Ali laid out this famous botanical garden and his son added horticultural wealth to them by importing plants and trees from several countries. The garden today houses over 1000 species of flora which include rare and enchanting collection of tropical plants, trees and herbs. The Glass House, modeled along London’s CRYSTAL PALACE, is the center of attraction in this 2400 acre park. Bi-annual flower shows attracting participants from all over India is held in the Glass House. In July, 2003 it was decided that the Department of Horticulture and Bangalore Development Authority (BDA) would jointly take up the development of Lal Bagh Botanical Gardens.
Tipu’s Palace & Fort: The Bangalore Fort was built by Kempe Gowda and expanded by Tipu Sultan. Within its walls is the well preserved 16th century Ganapathi Temple.
The Bangalore Palace was built by a Wodeyar king in 1887. Inspired by the Windsor castle, this palace was built in the Tudor style, complete with Gothic windows, the foiled windows, battlements and turrets resembling the Daria Daulat Palace in Srirangapatanam, this summer palace has been constructed largely of wood and is famous for it's carving and paintings.
After lunch proceed to Hassan visiting Shravanbelagola enroute.
Shravanbelagola in Hassan District is an important Jaina centre. There is a pond and two stony hills, called Chandragiri and Indragiri. Chandragiri has the Chandraguptha basadis of the Gangas and the Parashwanatha basadis here is the biggest. The town below the hill has the Jaina matha whose walls have very old paintings. Indragiri has the Gommata monolith, 58' tall, installed by a Ganga general and scholar Chavundaraya, and also Siddhara basadis, Odegal basadis, Chennanna basadis and Chauvvisa Tirthankara basadis, and also the finely engraved pillar called Tyagada Brahma Pillar. The floral designs on it are excellent. To the north of town is Jinanathapura which has the Aregal basadis and the Shantinatha basadis of Hoysala times. Shravanbelagola has over 500 inscriptions, and some of them are recording death by starving (`sallekhana') by Jaina ascetics and laymen.
Reach Hassan and check into the hotel.
The Hassan City more fully and meaningfully known as the Simhasana Nagari originally, before the mutation of names made by foreign rulers is the administrative centre of the Hassan district which is the invaluable crown of the Karnataka state, whose glory is sung as being the dear offspring of the great Mother Bharata Maataa. This district is rich with natural sceneries and too with cultural wealth. It happens to be the confluence of three verities of areas namely the mountainous, the semi mountainous and the open field areas (Malenadu, Are Malenadu, and Bayalu Seeme). The Nandas, the Mouryas, the Kadambas, the Chalukyas, the Hoysalas, the Lords of Vijaya Nagar Empire, the Kings of Belur, and the Monarchs of Mysore - thus several dynasties had their dominions over this land. Belur and Halebidu have revelled in History as the Capitals of the Hoysala Reign. The very first written document of the Kannada Language has been exposed to the world by this district, in the form of Halmidi Saasana (Halmidi Inscription)
It was the Gangas and the Hoysalas who have contributed the immense treasure of sculptural art work to us to be handed over from generation to generation with proper care and protective measures. Empires and Kingdoms have come and gone, but the sovereign state of the Art of Sculpture erected by them has remained immortal unto this day.
Overnight will be at Hassan.
Day 03 - Hassan
Excursion to Belur & Halebid : Breakfast will be at the hotel.roceed for an excursion to Belur & Halebid.
BELUR: This quaint hamlet - 38 Kms from Hassan - is located on the banks of the river Yagachi. It was once the capital of the Hoysala Empire today made unforgettable for its exquisite temples. The Chennakeshava Temple is one of the finest examples of Hoysala architecture. It took 103 years to complete and you can see why. The facade of the temple is filled with intricate sculptures and friezes with no portion left blank. They are all there - awe-inspiring in their intricate workmanship. Inside are hand-lathe-turned filigreed pillars. The Veeranarayana Temple and the smaller shrines are well worth a visit.
HALEBID: Former Dwarasamudra in Hassan district is in Belur taluk and 27 Kms away from Hassan and was the capital of Hoysala after Belur. The Hoysaleswara Temple, dating back to the 12th century, is astounding for its wealth of sculptural details. The walls of the temple are covered with an endless variety of gods and goddesses, animals, birds and dancing girls. Yet no two facets of the temple are the same. This magnificent temple - guarded by a Nandi Bull - was never completed, despite 86 years of labor. The Jain basadis nearby are equally rich in sculptural detail. Belur and Halebid are 222 and 216 Kms from Bangalore, respectively. Channarayapatna, Ramanathpur, Gorur and Manjarabad are the other places of interest around Hassan.
Overnight will be at Hassan.
Day 04 - Hassan – Hospet
After breakfast proceed to Hospet. Reach and check into the hotel.
340 Kms from Bangalore lies Hospet. Its tourist importance lies in its proximity to Hampi, the site of the medieval Vijayanagara Empire, situated about 13 Kms away. The Tungabhadra Dam here harnesses the sweet waters of the Tungabhadra River. At the base of the dam is a garden styled along Japanese lines.
Overnight will be at Hospet.
Day 05 - Hospet – Excursion to Hampi
After breakfast proceed for an excursion to Hampi.
Hampi – Remains of the capital city of the Vijayanagara Empire are spread out over a beautiful, hilly landscape along the Tungabhadra. Founded in the mid-14th century, Vijayanagara became most powerful during the reigns of Krishnadevaraya and Achyutadevaraya. This was also the period of greatest architectural activity, as both these rulers commissioned several buildings in the royal capital and in other parts of their vast empire. Continuous conflict with the Bahmanis, then with Bidar, Bijapur and Golconda, ended in the Battle of Talikota, in which the Vijayanagara forces were defeated and the capital thoroughly sacked and burnt. Ruins of palaces, temple-complexes, monoliths, royal baths, and mosques still lie mostly deserted and dilapidated.
Overnight will be at Hospet.
Day 06 - Hospet - Badami
After breakfast proceed to Badami. Reach and check into the hotel.
The capital of the Early Chalukyas, Badami is picturesquely situated at the mouth of a ravine between two rocky hills. Badami is famous for its four cave temples - all hewn out of sand stone on the precipice of a hill.
Enter the first cave temple - past Shiva's door keepers - and there he is! The eighteen-armed Nataraja striking 81 dances poses! The largest and most ornamental is the third cave temple dedicated to Vishnu. Overlooking the cave temples is a reservoir dotted with temples dedicated to Vishnu and Shiva. Also a must are the Bhutanatha temples that lend their name to the lake beneath the cave temples.
Enjoy the sightseeing.
There are several places of tourist interest in Badami that you may tour during your stay in Karnataka. Rock–cut cave Temples, Gateways, Forts, Inscriptions, and Sculptures that seem to come alive before your eyes. There are several monuments in Badami that were constructed during the 6th and 7th centuries. However, the town is best known for its cave temples, cut into the cliff face of the red sandstone hill and connected by flights of steps. They display the full range of religious sects, which have grown up on Indian soil. Two of them are dedicated to Vishnu, one to Shiva and the fourth is a Jain temple.
There's also one natural cave, which is a Buddhist One of the many masterpieces to be found in these caves is the famous, 18-armed Nataraja (Shiva) who if observed closely, strikes 81 poses. Cave 4, the last cave, is the only Jain Temple in Badami. The 24th Tirthankara-Mahavira is seated in a uniquely comfortable pose here, against a cushion in the inner sanctum. Also a must see are Bhutanatha temples that lend their names to the lake just beneath the cave temples. Take a dip in these green tranquil waters as it is said to have the healing properties. On the other bank of the ancient Bhutanatha Lake, astride whose shores the caves stand, is the shrine of Nagamma, the local serpent goddess, within a massive tamarind tree. Nearby, are two Shiva temples? Within the inner sanctum, on the edge of the water, He sits in a rare pose, leaning back, in all his awesome majesty.
Overnight will be at Badami.
Day 07 - Badami
Excursion to Aihole & Pattadakal : Breakfast will be at the hotel. Proceed for an excursion to Aihole & Pattadakal.
Aihole: Aihole is at a distance of about 20 Kms from Pattadakal. It was the capital of the Chalukyas between the 4th and the 7th centuries and symbolizes Hindu temple architecture in its formative years. Gandaragudi and Ladkhan are the earliest temples and the Durga temple, unusually built like a horse-shoe is another important structure in Aihole. The Durga temple complex has the first model of the intricate Hoysala pillars.
There are more than 70 structures in Aihole, most of them still in good condition. Kunta temple complex, Ravanphadi Cave, Meguti temple (dedicated to Mahavira) and a Buddhist temple are a few among them.
Pattadakal: A mere 30 Kms away from Badami is Pattadakal, where, as the name suggests all the Chalukya kings were crowned. Situated on the banks of the Malaprabha River, it became a centre for experimentation in southern ad northern styles of temple architecture conducted by the Chalukyas. Viewed across the river, the cluster of ten temples reflects the architect's aesthetic approach to space and form.
The Virupaksha temple, which is an amalgam of the Chalukyan and Pallava styles of architecture, has some exceptionally beautiful sculptures. This is also called as the Lokeshwari temple, named after the queen of Vikramaditya II and built in 740 A.D. s it is believed to have been worked on by Pallava artists.
While the Papanatha temple is a fusion of southern and northern styles of architecture, the Galaganatha temple resembles the North Indian temples. The Mallikarjuna temple built in the Dravidian style has sculptures depicting the life of Krishna. An old Jain temple containing two stone elephants is also noteworthy
Overnight will be at Badami.
Day 08 - Badami – Hubli – Onward Journey
Breakfast will be at the hotel.
Drive to Hubli airport to take flight for onward journey with sweet memories of the KARNATAKA TOUR.
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