Karnataka Destinations

Karnataka is a state in southwest India with Arabian Sea coastlines. The capital, Bengaluru (formerly Bangalore), is a high-tech hub known for its shopping and nightlife. To the southwest, Mysore is home to lavish temples including Mysore Palace, former seat of the region’s maharajas. Hampi, once the medieval Vijayanagara empire’s capital, contains ruins of Hindu temples, elephant stables and a stone chariot.

Bengaluru
One of the most popular mega cities in the world, Bengaluru is known as the silicon valley of India. For those who have never traversed the beautiful lanes of Bengaluru, this modern city is just a land of apartments and industries for them. But to their surprise, Bengaluru is actually a hill station that has developed over a period of time into a modern settlement. Therefore, it is home to hundreds of natural places, ranging from lakes to hills and forests to waterfalls. Today, it is the only mega city in the country that enjoys a calm, pleasant weather throughout the year.
Bengaluru, the capital of Karnataka is the hub for high-tech industries, MNC’s and is also known for the plethora of choices it has in store for tourists to relax and visit within the city. The city is also the hub to finding a variety of food, an abundance of delectable cuisine choices. Fun fact, ever wondered the origin of Rava Idli? It was originated in Bengaluru by the famous restaurant chain MTR. Thankyou for that Bengaluru!! There are a great number of places to go crazy shopping, sanctuaries, the Bengaluru Palace, Lal Bagh Botanical Garden, Cubbon Park and many more, it is all here. Experience the best of an amped up city life here and take back memories that you will laugh at and cherish until you visit next time.
Now Bangalore is known for its thriving industry and as an IT hotbed. Lonely Planet rating the city as the No.3 destination in the Best Travel Cities in 2012 has made Bangalore an overnight star, if it wasn’t already. Almost at the heart of South India, this cosmopolitan city is everything a world city needs to be. Pleasant weather, pleasant people, pleasant hangouts. And for its people, being ‘Bangalored’ has a rather affectionate tone to it.

Mysuru
Mysuru, previously known as Mysore , in Karnataka, is situated at the foothills of Chamundi Hills. Known for its rich cultural heritage, Mysuru is widely known for the famous Mysuru Palace, the definition and an ode to magnificence. An all the more breathtaking view of the palace is during Dassara, a pompous festival celebrated around Karnataka for ten days, during which the entire palace is decorated with lights, making it look as grand as a bride.
Apart from this, the other significant places to visit include Chamundi Hills, Brindavan Garden, the awe-inspiring St. Philomena’s church and many more. Also, don’t forget to purchase the popular Mysuru Silk, known for its exceptional quality and also some traditional spices and incense stalls to hold some wonderful memories of the city with a homely vibe. The language spoken mainly here is Kannada but they are flexible with languages like English, Hindi and Tamil to name a few. Although Mysuru has become industrialized, the city has not lost its beauty, its culture, consisting of the educated population, living in an atmosphere of serenity.
The district is known for its traditional industrial activities like agarbathi, silk-reeling, handloom weaving and the crafts like inlay work. Rearing silk worms is one of the major cottage industries of the district, and in area under sericulture it stands first. Mysuru district is well served by a large network of roads connecting all the taluks and important trading centers outside the district.
Mysore is yet to, and perhaps will never, get over its past. A past that’s made of kings, queens, conquests, rich patrons, extravagant durbars and pearled hallways must be hard to get over. The streets in Mysore are old and a good part of history can be traced by following their winding paths. The city that gets its name from Mahishasura, the troublemaker demon who was slain by the Goddess Chamundeshwari: whose temple atop the Chamundi Hill watches all over the city has played host to the reign of a long line of Wadiyars, Tipu Sultan and the British Raj.
All roads in Mysore lead to the Mysore Palace, and rightfully so. An ode to magnificence, the Mysore Palace is a marvel of ornate ceilings, jewelled corridors, open mandaps, stained glass windows, vivid paintings and Wadiyar memorabilia – including the jewelled throne. As the main host of the famous Mysore Dasara, the Palace still has the airs of the headquarters of a sovereign. Mysore’s other palaces include the Jaganmohana Palace, Rajendra Vilas, Lalitha Mahal (which is now the Lalith Mahal Palace Hotel) and the Jayalakshmi Vilas.

Coastal Karnataka
Mangaluru is considered to be a multicultural city. The vibrant culture of the people of this city is amply highlighted through their different dance forms, handicrafts, cuisines, festivals as well as the rural sports.Tulu, Kannada, Beary Bashe, Konkani and English are the chief languages that are spoken by the inhabitants of this city. Mangaluru is widely and popularly known for its sun-kissed beaches, Panambur,Malpe, Sasihitlu Beach,Someshwara Beach, Surathkal Beach, Tannirbhavi Beach which are all the ideal locations to witness the beautiful sunrise and sunset and to participate in a few fun water activities.Apart from beaches, you can also visit some beautiful temples and witness the importance of culture in Mangaluru. While at it, you do not want to miss out on some delicious sea-food that Mangaluru is very famous for.If you have never gone in a ferry, well, Mangaluru will take you on a fun ride to St. Mary’s Island, an island away from Malpe Beach in Mangaluru that is surrounded by turquoise green’ish’ waters, making you fall in love with this small, yet breath-takingly beautiful island.
Murdeshwar is 3 hours away from Mangaluru and is known for it’s imperial Lord Shiva Temples and it’s surrounding beach destinations like Gokarna. Murdeshwar is known to have the world’s second tallest Lord Shiva Temple which is 123 feet in height and took two years to build. It is also known to be the best scuba diving destination in India. You can also indulge in some water sports.If you want to have an amazing view of the entire place, the top of the 18 storeyed Raja Gopuram is the perfect place.You can either climb stairs to reach the top or you have an elevator that takes you up.

Hampi
The UNESCO recognized World Heritage Site located by the Tungabhadra river is easily accessible and is a must visit place given how Hampi, the capital of Vijayanagara Empire, is known to be one of those places in India for its archaeological significance. Temples with ancient Vijayanagara Empire history-a vastly powerful Hindu empire, engraved in the walls, mountains with mesmerizing sunrise and sunset views, ruins of palaces, the famous huge Stone Chariot that stands magnificent in front of the Vittala Temple Site, the 14ft high statue of Lord Ganesha known as Kadalekalu Ganesha are some of the must-visit places in and around Hampi.
The beauty of this place is the more you go around, the more it brings adventures, knowledge and takes you through an unplanned historical tour that is most definitely worth it. Hampi is the perfect combination of a backpacker’s paradise, surrounded by the three hills Anjaneya, Malyavanta and Matanga hills, and a calm pilgrim location.
You could also set aside some time to visit the archaeological museum which was established by the Archaeological Survey of India. The museum is home to many antiques, great sculptures and the proof to the history of this tourist attraction. Situated approximately 60kms away from Ballari district, every inch of this place has stories of its rich cultural heritage back in the ancient days. Now that Hampi has developed so much better than earlier, accommodation and travel to the location are not going to be an issue for you. So if you are the kind of person who loves trekking and learning something through adventures, well, Hampi is all yours!

Srirangapatna
Srirangapatna known to be the historical capital of warrior kings Hyder Ali and his son Tipu Sultan, is a town of Mandya district, a highly sought after destination in Karnataka for it’s magnificent temples and monumental forts. Located 16 kilometers from the beautiful city Mysore, this place is recognized for its rich cultural heritage. History has it that the forts hold stories of famous battles and also portrays Tipu Sultan’s history as a ruler. Tipu built palaces and forts so as to hold proof of him as a legend and powerful, undefeatable war hero.
Not many realize that Srirangapatna is actually an island surrounded by river Cauvery from all sides. This egg-shaped island is named after Sri Ranganatha, the presiding deity of the Sri Ranganatha Swamy temple.
Sri Ranganatha Swamy temple, Nimishamba Temple at Ganjam, the summer palace Daria Dowlat built by Tipu Sultan to commemorate the victory of his second Mysuru war against the English, Tipu’s museum that consists of all his belongings like his sword, his clothing, etc, Gumbaz-the house his parents lived in, Jamia Masjid- the mosque built by Tipu Sultan are just some of the places of the many you may visit. The architecture in every inch of the city is so beautiful and so unique.
Srirangapatna is not only the base for powerful empires of Gangas, Vijayanagara viceroys and Mysore kings but also, the detailed history and life of Tipu Sultan completely through his architecture, forts, temples, etc.

Madikeri
Rich coffee plantations and a breath of chill, fresh air along the hilly terrains is Madikeri, the capital of Kodagu(Coorg). Also referred to as the Scotland of India, Madikeri is about 120 kms from Mysore and is a visual treat to the eyes. It is the perfect place to go trekking, camping, exploring and stumbling across more of the beauty of nature. Coorg is famous for cardamom, black and mainly the rich coffee plantations so if you are looking to purchase any of these, Coorg, also known to be the ‘Hidden Jewel of South India’, is the place for you. Coorg is the ‘Coffee Bowl’ of the country as it accounts for nearly 40 percent of the country’s total coffee production.
Kodava is the language spoken chiefly in Coorg. ‘Puthari” or Hutri is one of the three main festivals of the people, apart from “Cauvery Sankramana” and “Kail Kailpodh”. As far as food is concerned, irrespective of being a vegetarian or non-vegetarian, you have a range of dishes to feast on but you must not miss out on the authentic Kodava cuisine. Also, do not miss out on the captivating beauty of places like Abbey Falls, Golden Temple Monastery, Raja’s Seat, the famous Madikeri fort, trek to Brahmagiri hills to name a few. Make sure you have planned a long trip and you don’t leave without having covered the beautiful hill station.
There is always something very refreshing about the place and how it gives you the peace you’ve been waiting to enjoy on a weekend getaway. If you are looking to enjoy a stress-free, pollution free short or long vacation/holiday, it’s time you visited this place and you will most definitely want to visit the place again.