South India Highlights
Bangalore - Badami - Hospet – Hampi - Mysore – Bangalore
Whenever you recall the word 'India' in your mind, you get to visualize spirituality, religion, heritage and history. The country is very much famous for all these above terms as it displays a glimpse of these in all its states.
However, its tough to tour all these spiritual places or temples in one go but here, we are all set to take you to a journey full of South Indian temples in order to fulfill your spiritual desires.
On your arrival in Bangalore, you will be met and greeted by Travelogy India representative. You will be taken to your hotel for check in.
Overnight will be in Bangalore.
Today you see the Administrative buildings of this beautiful south Indian city. Also see the botanical gardens with 1000 different varieties of flowers. This garden was done up by Hyder Ali in the 18th century.
Later re-board your car / coach to continue towards Hassan (3 hrs away).
Reach Hassan and check into your hotel.
Hassan provides as the convenient base to visit the Hoysala temples of Belur and Halebid. Halebid was the capital of the Hoysalas from the 11th century. Here we see the Hoysaleshwara temple built in 1125 AD.
Belur was also the Hoysala capital for some time. Here worth mentioning is the Chenna Kesava Vishnu temple from 1117AD built by the Hoysala kings.
In the morning we take you to an interesting excursion to Sravanabelgola – the great centre for Jain pilgrimage in the south with a guide arranged by Travelogy India. The 20 mts high statue of Gometeshwara carved out of a single rock is very impressive.
This great figure is visible for about 15 kms and was built in 980AD by the local ruler. The view from atop the Indiragiri is excellent. Return to Hassan by early evening and relax at your hotel.
In northern Karnataka is the 6th century capital of Badami fortified by nature and the Chalukyan king Pulaskein I. Here you see the cave temple dating back to 6th and 7th century.
The first to caves are dedicated to Shiva the third to Vishnu and the fourth cave is a Jain faith cave.
Later visit the museum with artifacts dating back to the 1st century BC with a guide arranged by Travelogy India.
Today in store is a full day excursion of Pattadakal and Aihole. In Pattadakal the Sangameswara temple was constructed in 750 AD and bears a very strong resemblance to the Kailashnath temple of Kanchipuram as the architects were from the same area.
At Aihole there are numerous Hindu and Jain temples that range in style from Cave to simple well-evolved freestanding structures.
The Ravala temple has the finest expression of art of that period. Return back to Badami after a fun-filled day. Sculptures at the Ladkhan temple are considered to be the earliest of surviving structures. The nearby Durga temple is also very impressive.
Hampi is one of the magnificent ruined cities of the world and offers a totally different experience for the travelers. This city was the immense and a very rich capital of the Vijayanagara Empire.
Just outside the city limits lies Hospet on the site of the Tungabhadra Dam and dates back to the ancient ages of the Ramayana. It is believed that it is here that Rama met Hanuman the monkey god.
The Vitthal temple is an excellent example of the Vijayanagara School of architecture.
Morning after breakfast drive to reach Mysore. In the evening visit to the famous Bridavan gardens.
In the morning visit the Maharaja’s palace with ornate interiors suggests the rich and extravagant lifestyle of the rulers of this region.
Later visit Tipu Sultan’s Palace and capital at Srirangapatnam which holds a few mural paintings depicting life tales of Tipu Sultan and his father Hyder Ali both a living terror to the British.
Finally return back to Bangalore.
In time transfer to the airport for your onward travel.