Timeless Karnataka (Bangalore - Mysore - Hassan - Belur - Halebid - Hampi - Badami)

Welcome to India! On arrival at Bangalore airport, you will be welcomed and transfer to hotel. Check in at hotel. Evening is free to enjoy walks on MG Road. Stay overnight at Bangalore.

After Breakfast, visit Bangalore Palace, Lalbagh Botanical Garden, Cubbon Park, ISKCON Temple & Tipu Sultan's Summer Palace. Stay overnight at Bengaluru.

Post Breakfast, drive to Mysore. Enroute visit Srirangapatnam to visit its most popular pilgrimage and architectural marvel, the Ranganathaswamy temple. This is a Hindu temple dedicated to Ranganatha (a form of Lord Vishnu). Constructed in the Dravidian architectural style, the temple is glorified by Alvars in their Naalayira Divya Prabhandam and has the unique distinction of being the foremost among the 108 Divya Desams dedicated to the God Vishnu. Also visit Daria Daulat Bagh. Stay overnight at Mysore.

After Breakfast, visit the magnificent Mysore Palace - a kaleidoscope of stained glass, mirrors & gaudy colours. The Mysore Palace was designed by the British architect Henry Irwin after its predecessor was destroyed in a fire in 1897. The imposing building that stands today was completed in 1912, but it is believed that a Mysuru Palace was established as part of a wooden fortress, by the royal family of Mysuru, the Wodeyars, as early as the fourteenth century.

Later in the evening visit the famous Devaraja daily vegetable and fruits market. Stay overnight at Mysore.  

Devaraja market is an apt place to get a flavour of the local people’s daily life. With more than 100 years of history, this market is well knitted into the heritage of Mysore. This is a good sample of a traditional Indian market place that is colourful, noisy, vibrant and a tad chaotic. There is no concept of ‘cold storage’ here; everything is raw, straight from the farm to the market to the homes.

Stay overnight at Mysore.

After Breakfast, drive to Hassan visiting Sravanabelagola. Check in at hotel. Evening is free to walk in the surroundings. Stay overnight at Hassan.

Today we will enjoy a day trip to Halebid and Belur. HALEBID - 16 km east of Belur and 27 km from Hassan, the Hoysaleswara Temple dating back to 12th century, is astounding for its wealth of sculptural detail. 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. The magnificent temple, dedicated to Lord Shiva, guarded by a Nandi Bull was never completed despite 86 years of labor. BELUR - Belur temple took over 103 years to build and is a classic example of the Hoysala style of architecture. From the base upwards, there is an extraordinary wealth of decorative detail; every available inch is crammed with intricate carvings. In one frieze, 650 elephants jostle one another in a continuous line. Many of the figures of full bosomed women depicted at Belur are believed to be portraits of King Vishnuvardhana's queen.

Return back to Hassan and stay overnight.

After Breakfast, drive to Hampi. Check in at hotel. Enjoy a visit to Matanga Hill in the evening. Matanga Hill is the highest peak of Hampi which offers incredible views of this beautiful UNESCO world heritage site i.e. Hampi. According to mythology, Matanga Hill is one of the holy places described in the epic Ramayana as the base of Saint Matanga. It is also the place where Sugriva benefited from the magical protection of the sage Matanga who had placed a curse of death on Vali, if he dared enter the area of Matanga Hill. Stay overnight at Hampi.

During the day, explore Hampi visiting Vijaya Vithala temple, Bhima's Gate, Pattabhirama Temple, Narasimha Monolith, Badavi Linga, Virupaksha Temple, Kadalekalu Ganesha, Sasivekalu Ganesha, Queen’s Bath, Hazara Rama Temple, Zenana Mahal & Lotus Mahal. Evening is free to enjoy a Coracle ride on Tungabhadra river. Stay overnight at Hampi. 

Morning after breakfast drive to Badami visiting Pataddakal & Aihole on the way.

Visit Pattadakal, travel back in time to the 7th century, you will discover Pattadakal as a splendid town, glistening with magnificent temples. Not only this, it was here that the coronation of the Early Chalukyan rulers used to take place. In fact, the word Pattadakal literally means “place of coronation”. The trendsetting architectural innovations, which were conceived and honed at Badami and Aihole, reached their pinnacle at the group of temples in Pattadakal. In fact, they are regarded as the greatest achievement of Early Chalukyan art and architecture. No wonder, Pattadakal is a UNESCO World Heritage site, thanks to its eclectic art and harmonious blend of the Northern and Southern architectural styles.

Further drive and visit Aihole is home to hundreds of temples, most of which are Hindu and a few Jaina. It is estimated that there are at least 120 temples in Aihole. These temples are carved out of yellow sandstone. They belong to two distinct eras: Early Chalukyas and Rashtrakutas from the late 6th to 8th centuries, and Late Chalukyas extending over the 11th to 12th centuries. You can notice that temple architecture in Aihole is characterized by lots of variety in styles. It is rather interesting to note that, this concentration of multiple styles within a single area can hardly be found elsewhere in India.

Later drive to Badami. Check in at hotel. Stay overnight at Badami.

Post Breakfast, enjoy a tour of Badami which is famous for rock cut and other structural temples. It is located in a ravine at the foot of a rugged, red sandstone outcrop that surrounds Agastya lake. The main attraction is obviously the Cave Temples in the South Fort. Along with this, there are the Bhootnatha Group of Temples, Agastya Lake, North Fort with Upper and Lower Shivalayas, and the Archaeological Museum.

Later transfer to Hubli airport/ Belgaum airport or drive to Goa. THE TOUR ENDS