Karnataka is a southern state of India which is bounded by Goa, and Maharashtra in north, by Tamil Nadu in southeast by Kerala in south, by Telangana in east and by Arabian Sea in west. Karnataka state has 31 districts and Bengaluru (formerly known as Bangalore), a metropolitan city, is its capital which is also known as ‘Garden City’ and ‘Silicon Vallley of India’. The geographical situation and glorious past has blessed this state with all types of tourist locations like beaches, hill stations, trekking facilities, forts & places, pilgrimage centers, wildlife sanctuaries, famous parks, museums, industries, modern educational centers etc. Tourists can enjoy adventurous activities in Karnataka like Scuba diving & parasailing in its beaches, white water rafting & battling the rapids in its rivers, rock climbing, trekking & skydiving in hills of Western Ghats, in Mysore. The two international & seven domestic airports along with good road & railway facility and all types of hotels & resorts makes the travel & stay in this state easy to tourist & travelers.
Forts, Palaces and monuments in Karnataka
There are many famous forts and places in Karnataka state which are the witness of its glorious past and powerful dynasties and empires. The famous palaces are Mysore Palace (also known as Amba Vilas palace located in Mysore belongs to wadiyar dynasty of Mysore Empire), Bangalore Palace (center of attraction for tourists in Banglaore built in the year 1878) & Tipu Sultan’s Summer Palace (located in Bangalore was residence of Musore ruler Tipu Sultan is an Indo-Islamic architecture) and famous forts are Gulbarg Fort (Located in Kalaburagi and initially constructed by Raja Gulchand and later on enlarged in the year 1347 during Bahmani dynasty), Raichur Fort (ancient fort on hilltop in Riachur city), Mirjan Fort (Located on coast line in uttara Kannada district) & Bidar fort (Located in old Bidar city constructed during Bahmani dynasty),Chitradurga Fort(It is a hidden gem in about 1500 acres in Chitradurga District built by Chalukyas between 11th to 13th century),Gajendragad Fort(a massive fort built by famous Maratha ruler Chatrapati Shivaji Maharaj located on hilltop in Gadag district),Bellary Fort( Located on hilltop in Ballari city),Malkheda Fort (ancient fort located in Manyakheta town in Kalaburagi district also called Manyakheta Fort), Kavaledurga Fort(a hidden gem in Western Ghats of Shivamogga district),Nagara Fort(Located in Nagara village in the Shivamogga district has historic importance),Basavakalyana Fort(Located in Bidar district has historic importance, also known as Kalyana fort), Kittur Fort (Located in Kittur town in Belagavi district and connected with Rani Chennamma, a brave ruler, is major historical monument), Manjarabad Fort(a large star shaped fort on hilltop, at a height of about 985 meters above sea level, constructed by Tipu Sultan is a heritage site at about 5 kms from Sakaleshpur, a hill station, in Hassan district). Hampi (a UNESCO Word Heritage Site, is the jewel of the glorious Vijayanagara Empire where visiting temples, streets and its bazzars is a wonderful experience of feeling the old past time) etc.
Beaches in Karnataka
There are about 40 beaches on about 320 Kms coastline of Karnataka, which are located in its three coastal districts i.e. Uttara Kannada, Udupi and Dakshina Kannada. The beaches in Karnataka state are quiet and calm to enjoy a quiet day, so these are different than those in Goa.
Beaches in Uttara (North) Kannada district of Karnataka are:
Om beach (located in Hindu pilgrimage destination town Gokarna city is most famous beach with water sports facilities), Kudle Beach (one of many beaches in Hindu pilgrimage destination town Gokarna in Uttara Kannada district near famous Om breach), Gokarna Beach (about 10 Kms long beach in Hindu pilgrimage destination town Gokarna), Paradise Beach (another beach in Hindu pilgrimage destination town Gokarna also called ‘Full Moon Beach’), Half Moon Beach (a small beach in Gokarna town adjacent the Om Beach), Devbagh beach (Located in Karwar town where nature lover tourist can enjoy untouched beauty of surrounding mountains of Western Ghats & adventure sports), Tagore Beach (a beach of shining golden sand located on serene coastline of Karwar town, administrative headquarter of Uttara Kannada district, where a famous event called Karavali festival is organized every year in December-January),Majali Beach (a peaceful beach of scenic beauty in Karwar town just few kilometres from South Goa with many resorts to experience a private beach, also a place for bird watching and fishing), Koodi bagh Beach (Located at the delta of Kali river in near Karwar town), Murudeshwar Beach (Located in Murudeshwar town famous for its Murudeshwar Temple and 2nd tallest Lord Shiva statue of word where tourist can enjoy the beauty of mountains of Western Ghats & coconut trees),Bhatkal Beach (Located in Bhatkal town an old town of historical significance near Murudeshwar town famous for its Murudeshwar Temple & other beaches around it), Alvekodi Beach (an immaculate crystal clear white sand beach in Alvekodi village near Kumta town is an ideal picnic spot), Baada Beach (a beautiful & clean beach in hills near Kumta town on trek route from Kirki to Gokarna), Kasarkod Beach (a famous beach of about 5 Kms length in Kasarkod village near Honavar town) etc.
Beaches in Udupi district of Karnataka are:
Malpe Beach (a beautiful beach at 6 Kms from Udupi city situated on the delta of Udyavara River), Kodi Beach (It is located on the delta of Suvarna River in Kodi Bengre village at about 18km from Udupi city & Manipal University and is surrounded by water on three sides), Trasi Maravanthe beach (Located in Maravanthe village of Udupi district), Kaup Beach (Located between Mangalore and Udupi cities from where panoramic view of the sea can be experienced from the top of lighthouse), Maravanthe Beach(a very beautiful beach at 12 Kms from Kundapur city), Ottinene (Scenic beach & backwater located at about 40 kms north to Kundapur coastal town), Uppinakudru (It is a small beautiful island village also known as Salt Island near Kundapura town, once served as the center of salt trading, also houses many famous temples and Mutts), Padubidri beach (a beach having water sports activity located in a small town named Padubidri where Dakkebali ritual held once in two years) etc.
Beaches in Dakshina (South) Kannada district of Karnataka are:
Panambur Beach (Located at about 13 km from Mangalore city it is a wholly owned by a private enterprise and is one of the safest and well-maintained beaches, hence have massive footfall), Tannirbhavi breach (another popular beach located in Manglore city), Surathkal beach (Located at about 13 km from Mangalore city, a charming lighthouse is addition in its beauty), Ullal Beach (This beach located in Ullal town at about 12 Kms from Mangalore city, district head quarters of Dakshina Kannada district, is a prime tourist attraction having facilities of water activities), Someshwara Breach (This beach located in Someshwara village near Manglore city also houses the famous Someshwara Temple dedicated to Lord Shiva and ‘Ottinene Hill’ is also adjacent to it) etc.
Backwaters/Lakes in Karnataka
Honnemaradu(back waters of Sharavathi river at about 30 Kms from Sagara town, famous for ‘ Golden Lake’, in Shimoga district in Sahyadri Mountain range), Sigandur (it is a village bordered by the backwaters of Linganamakki Dam and famous for Choudeshwari Temple in Shimoga district), Navilathirtha or Navilthirtha(It is the backwaters of Malaprabha River near Saudatti town in Belgaum district), Lakkavalli (This is a scenic town known for reservoir of Bhadra River in Western Ghats in Chikkamagaluru district), Manchanabele Backwater (a reservoir of Manchanabele Dam located at about 45 kms from Bangalore city and about 22 kms from Mysore city is a famous picnic spot),Sharavathi Backwaters(a must visit wonderful picnic spot on Sharavathi river on Linganamakki Dam in Shimoga district) etc.
Hill Stations, Waterfalls, trekking trails in Karnataka
The large area of Western Ghats hills located in Karnataka has blessed this state with beautiful hill stations, waterfalls, trekking trails, flora & fauna and coffee plantations.
Some famous hill stations are Chikmagalur (city is district headquarter), Agumbe (located in Shivamogga district), Madikeri (a town in Kodagu district), Kodachadri (located in Shivamogga district), Nandi Hills (an ancient hill station in Chikkaballapur district), Kogadu (city is district headquarter) etc.
Some famous trekking trails are Narasimha Parvata (in Agumbe), Kudremukh (a mountain range in Chikmagalur district), Kumara Parvatha (also called Pushpagiri trek located in Pushpagiri Wildlife Sanctuary in Kodgu district), Kanoor trek (located in Shivamogga district), Kodachadri (also located in Shivamogga district), Coorg Plantations (trekking though coffee plantation) etc.
Some famous waterfalls are Jog Falls (on Sharavati river near Siddapura in Uttara Kannada district), Hebbe Falls (must visit waterfall at about 2 km trek near Chikmanglur), Shivanasamudra Falls (near Bangalore), Abbey or Jessy Falls (near Coorg), Kalhatti Falls (About 400 feet falling in front of Veerabhadreshwara Temple at Chandra Drona hills at 82 kms from Chikmanglur), Sathodi Falls (near Dandeli also called mini Niagra), Arasina Makki or Arisina Guni Falls (within Mookambika Wildlife Sanctuary at Kodachadri Hills), Kudlu Theertha waterfalls (near Agumbe), Burude/Dodmane waterfalls (near Kyadgi in Uttara Kannada district) etc.
Museums in Karnataka
Some famous museums in Karnataka state are Folklore Museum(located in the University of Mysore and having the collection of art & craft from all over Karnataka), Government Museum (located in Bangalore having amazing collection of archaeological items), HAL Heritage Center and Aerospace Museum (located in Bangalore having collection aircraft models), Manipal Museum of Anatomy and Pathology (located in Manipal in Udupi district having large collection of specimens & samples related to anotmy), Archeological Museum,Hampi (located at Kamalapura village in Vijaypura district dedicated to ruins of Hampi & Vijayanagara empires),Visvesvaraya Industrial & Technological Museum (Located in Bangalore related to science and technology), Jayachamarajendera Art Gallery (Located in Mysore as part of Jaganmohan Place), Railway Museum (Located in Mysore illustrating the development of railway in India) etc.
Pilgrimage centers in Karnataka
All famous religions have grown in this region and glorious past has given famous pilgrimage centers related to Hindus, Jain, Buddhists, Muslim, Christians, Sikhs etc. It is mind blowing fact that there are more than 34000 temples in Karnataka and large number of them are ancient temples which were built by the rulers of glorious dynasties of past as Hinduism is the oldest religion of this region.
Hindu Temples :
Some famous temples in Karnataka are Virupaksha Temple (This temple dedicated to Lord Sri Virupaksha, a form of Lord Shiva, is the part of UNESCO Word Heritage Site located in Hampi, an ancient village, in Vijayanagra district), Vitthala Temple (This temple dedicated to Lord Vishnu is the part of UNESCO Word Heritage Site located in Hampi, an ancient village, in Vijayanagra district and is famous for Stone Chariot & Musical Pillars, it is a must liked structure due to its excellent architecture & matchless craftsmanship), Sri Kadri Manjunatha Temple (Located at hill top at 4 Kms from Mangalore railway station and dedicated to Lord Manjunathaswamy, built in 10th or 11th century & Buddhism had been practiced here till 10th century),Sri Marikamba Temple (a famous temple dedicated to Goddess Durga located in Sirsi town of Uttara Kannada district built in the year 1688), Kukke Subramanya Temple (this pilgrim center said to be 5000 years old is located in Subramanya village of Dakshina Kannada district, here Subramanya is worshiped as lord of all serpents), Chennakeshava Temple (It is 12th century temple located at Belur in Hassan district), Hoysaleswara Temple (12th century temple dedicated to Lord Shiva at Halebidu town of Hassan district), Murudeshwar Temple (a famous temple dedicated to Lord Shiva in Murdeshwar town of Uttara Kannada district, Gopuram of temple is 237 feet tall, said to be tallest in India, and this place also have a 123 feet tall idol of Lord Shiva said to be 2nd largest in world), Udupi Shri Krishna Temple (most revered temple dedicated to Lord Krishna located in Udupi city a district head quarter),Mahabaleshwar Temple (a dravidian architectural style temple of 4th century at Gokarna beach of Uttara Kannada district dedicated to Lord Shiva), Chennakesava Temple (a 12th century temple dedicated to Lord Chennakeshava, a form of Lord Vishnu, at Somanathapura town in Mysore district), Vidyashankara Temple (14th century temple dedicated to Guru Vidhyashankara is a wonderful monument located in Sringeri, a hill town, in Chikkamagaluru district), Kotilingeshwara Temple (a famous temple having Asia’s largest Shiva Lingam locared in Kolar city a district head quarter), Mallikarjuna Temple (an ancient temple dedicated to Lord Shiva at Pattadakal town, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, having many Hindu and Jain temples in Bagalkot district), Durga Gudi Temple (a rock-cut temple dedicated to Goddess Durga located at Aihole village, home of more than 125 unique temples, in Bagalkot district), Annapoorneshwari Temple (a exciting temple dedicated to Goddess Annapoorna, surrounded by dense forests and valleys of the Western Ghats, located in Horanadu town of Chikmagalur district) etc.
Jain Temples :
Some famous Jain temples in Karnataka are Jain monuments in Shravanabelagola (106 Jain monuments in Shravanabelagola town of Hassan district, out of which 92 are located on Chandragiri Hill named after King Chandragupta Maurya as he visited this hill with his teacher in 300BC), Kundadri Temple (dedicated to the 23rd Tirthankara, Parshvanatha located on Kundadri hill in Shimoga district is famous Jain monument believed to be about 2000 years old), Navagraha Jain Temple (located in Hubli town of Dharwad district and dedicated to the 23rd Tirthankara, Parshvanatha with smaller sculptures of 8 other Tirthankaras, devotees believe that their worshiping can remove graha dhoshas of nine planets),Badami Cave Temples (a complex of four Jain, Hindu and Buddhist cave temples), Chandranatha Temple (dedicated to the 8th Tirthankara, Chandraprabha located at Moodbidri town in Dakshina Kannada district). Chaturmukha Basadi Jain temple (16th century Jain temple in Karkala town of Udupi district), Jain Basadi Complex, Halebidu (Located in Halebidu town of Hassan district), Sri Humcha Padmavati Temple (dedicated to Ma Padmavati, the protective Goddess of the twenty-third Jain Tirthankara, located in Humcha village of Shimoga district), Jain Narayana Temple (Located in Pattadakal town, a UNESCO World Heritage sites, of bagalkot district),Gommateshwara Statue (a huge statue of Lord Bahubli built in 983 BC on Vindyagiri Hill in Shravanbelagola town in Hassan district also called Gomateshwara Temple or Bahubali Temple where Mahamastakabhisheka , a festival, is celebrated once in twelve years) etc.
Buddhist Pilgrimage Centers :
Famous Buddhist pilgrimage centers in Karnataka are Namdroling Monastery (this monastery also called Golden temple is located in Bylakuppe town of Mysure district at 34 kms from Coorg) and Sri Kadri Manjunatha Temple (Located at hill top at 4 Kms from Mangalore railway station and dedicated to Lord Manjunathaswamy, built in 10th or 11th century & Buddhism had been practiced here till 10th century)
Mosques :
Some famous mosques in Karnataka are: Jama Masjid (also known as Jamiya Masjid or Jumma Masjid is located at Vijayapura also called Bijapur is a large mosque initiated in the year 1578 by Adil shah I after his victory against the Vijayanagara Empire ), Ek Minar Mosque (built during the Bahmani rule with a Persian polish of architecture is located in Raichur city of district ), Masjid Zeenath Baksh (located in Mangaluru, built by Arab Muslim traders during 644 AD which portrays the life stories of Prophet Mohamed) etc.
Churches :
Some famous Churches in Karnataka are St. Mary’s Basilica (oldest church in Bangalore is famous for its solemn service and the beautiful decorations),Infant Jesus Church (dedicated to Infant Jesus and located at Bangalore, it is claimed that many miracles have happened here),Sacred Heart Church (Located in Banglore, its Christmas Carol is very popular),Holy Trinity Church (a must visit Church in Banglore at MG road, built in 1851 in English Renaissance style of architecture), St. Philomena’s Church (Beautiful & large church in the Neo-Gothic architectural style located in Mysore is a must visit destination),Antony’s Shrine (Located in Mysore known for miraculous powers),St. Bartholomew’s Church (It is oldest church in Mysore),Infant Jesus Cathedral (a church of Syro-Malabar Community located in Mysore),CSI Wesley Cathedral (built by Wesleyan Missionaries Society & located in Mysore), Milagres Church or the Church of Our Lady of Miracles (a beautiful church buit in 1680 in Manglore),
Gurudwaras :
The famous Gurudwaras in Karnataka are Gurudwara Nanak Jhira (This Gurudwara dedicated to 1st Sikh Guru Nanak Dev ji is located in the Bidar city, the district head quarter. The Jhira means a spring of water, it is believed that on hearing the trouble of locals during his visit, Guru Nanak Dev ji rolled a stone by his foot and a spring of clean water started flowing here which serves the Bidar till now from about 500 years) and Gurudwara Guru Nanak Prachar Sabha (Located at Hospet town in Bellary district).
Wildlife sanctuaries in Karnataka
The geographical situation and Western Ghats hills have blessed the Karnataka state with enormous flora & fauna due to which there are number of national parks & wildlife sanctuaries, some famous are:
Bhadra Wildlife Sanctuary (Located near Bhadravati town in Chikkamangaluru district is a tiger reserve having facilities of trekking, jeep safari, boat safari, bird watching etc), Bandipur National Park ( Located in Chamarajanagar district), Nagarhole or Rajiv Gandhi National Park (located in the Kogadu district), Anshi National Park (Located in Uttara Kannada district), Mudumalai National Park (Located in Nilgiri district), Bannerghatta National Park (Located near Bangalore), Bhimgad Wildlife Sanctuary (Located in Belgaum district), Dandeli Wildlife Sanctuary (located in Uttara Kannada district & borders with Goa), Daroji Sloth Bear Sanctuary (near World Heritage site of Hampi), Sharavathi Valley Wildlife Sanctuary (Located in Shimoga District), Jayamangali Blackbuck Reserve (Located in Tumkur district), Kali Tiger Reserve (Located in the Uttar Kannada district), Pushpagiri Wildlife Sanctuary (located in the Kogadu district),Talakaveri wildlife sanctuary (Located in the Kogadu district), Ranganathittu Sanctuary (a bird sanctuary located in Mandya district), Someshwara Wildlife Sanctuary (Located in Udupi & Shivamogga districts) etc.
Airports in Karnataka
There are two international and seven domestic airports in Karnataka as under:
Kempegowda International Airport (Located in Devanhalli town near Bengaluru also called Banglore), Mangalore International Airport (Located in Mangalore, coastal city), Mysuru Airport also known asMandakalli Airport (Domestic airport located near village Mandakalli at about 10 kms from Mysore city), Kuvempu Airport also known as Shivamogga Airport (Domestic airport located at about 9 kms from Shivamogga city & at about 8 kms from Bhadravathi city), Bidar Airport (Domestic airport located in Bidar on Air Force station), Belgaum Airport (Domestic airport located in Belgaum), Kalaburagi Airport (Domestic airport located at about 12 kms from Kalaburagi city), Hubli Airport (Domestic airport located in Gandhi Nagar at about 8 kms from Hubballi city & at about 20 kms from Dharwad city),Some other small airports are Baldota Koppal Aerodrome (Koppal), Jindal Vijaynagar Airport (Vidyanagar), Hassan Airport (Hassan), HAL Airport (Bangalore) etc.
Districts in Karnataka
The Karnataka state has 31 districts named as under:
Bagalkote (1), Ballari (2), Belagavi (3), Bengaluru Rura (4), Bengaluru Urban (5), Bidar (6), Chamarajanagar (7), Chikkamagaluru (8), Chikkaballapur (9), Chitradurga (10), Davanagere (11), Dakshina Kannada (12), Dharwad (13), Hassan (14), Gadag (15), Haveri (16), Kodagu (17), Kalaburagi (18), Kolar (19), Koppal (20), Mandya (21), Mysuru (22), Ramanagara (23), Raichur (24), Shivamogga (25), Udupi (26), Tumakuru (27), Uttara Kannada (28), Vijayapura (29), Vijayanagara (30), Yadgiri (31).
Map of Karnataka
- Tourist Places/Sites in Rajasthan state of India
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- Tourist Places/Sites in Maharashtra State of India.
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- Tourist Places/Sites in Chandigarh, India:
- The twelve (12 ) Jyotirlingas, famous pilgrimage centers of Hindus in India:
- 51 Shakti Peethas of Goddess Shakti (Sati) :
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