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:: KARNATAKA - CITIES

Banglore : In the year 1120 AD, the Chola King, Veera Ballalla ruled the Deccan plateau or the South of India. On a hunting trip in the forest he lost his way. After a long search he met an old lady in the forest who offered him shelter for the night and served him baked beans for dinner. To show his gratitude to this lady for having saved his life, the King constructed a town and named it as Benda Kalooru which

means Baked Beans. Later in 1537, a local chieftain, Kempe Gowda helped design this town and give it its modern shape. Historical Tippu's Fort

Today Bangalore, the capital of Karnataka ranks as one of the fastest growing cities in Asia. Its pleasant climate, friendly people, and its highly educated population have made this the Silicon Valley of India with almost all Computer related multinationals setting up their India head office at Bangalore. Jawaharlal Nehru, India's first Prime Minister termed this as "India's city of the future". Bangalore, Night Life Bangalore is the "Garden City of India" with its many gardens and boulevards. Its pleasant climate and laid back charm attracted many senior citizens and thus later on came to be called at "the retired man's paradise". With the multinational Computer companies setting up their offices here and its the rich technical expertise found in the city gave it the name of "Silicon City". And of course what is Bangalore without all its Pubs. It is now also called the Pub City with over 200 Pubs all over the town. Green Bangalore

Belur : Belur is 222 Kms from Bangalore, 34 Kms from Hassan and 149 Kms from Mysore. This place is famous for its exquisite temples. Belur is known as Dakshina Varanasi or South Banaras for its temples. The serenity of Belur is attributed to the celebrated temple of Channakeshava, built by the Hoysala King Vishnuvardhana in 1117 A. D. to commemorate his conversion from Jainism to Vaishnavism. Hoysala fighting with Lion.

Manglore : Mangalore city falls in the coastal Karnataka region & has some of the finest & clean beaches one can find anywhere in India,also lined up are the number of temples & churches one can find in the city.

Madikeri : Madikeri,the capital of Coorg region has a population of approximately 35,000 & is located approximately 115 kms from Mysore.Madikeri is a mountainous area in the south-west of the state where the Western ghats start to tumble downtowards the sea.

Hassan : Hassan is the Headquarters of the Malanad District. The original town was adjacent to the Village Channapatna. It was founded in the 11th century, by Channa Krishnappa Naik, a Palegar. The place is called Hassan after the Goddess "Hasanamba", the smiling Goddess, presiding deity of the town. The temple of Hasanamba will be opened only once in a year about a week, during the second Ashwayuja (October). A big Jatra(shandi or fair) will be held on this occasion.

Halebid : The great city of Dwarasamudra flourished as a Capital of the Hoysala Empire during the 12th & 13th centuries. During the reign of Veeraballala II, the grandson of Vishnuvardhana, it reached the greatness of its zenith. Veeraballala II extended his empire from sea to sea between the Cauvery & Krishna rivers. Wall Carvings On account of certain reasons this came to decadence stage. The renovation work was undertaken by the State Government about 30 years ago & the town as well as its area gradually improved. The climate is pleasant. There are buses running from Hassan, Arasikere & Belur. There is a big tank which feeds thousands of acres of land wherein sugarcane & paddy are grown. The sculptural work of the temples is based on Shastras & importance. One can collect the information to his maximum desire.

Mysore : Mysore was the political capital of the Wodeyar dynasty which ruled the state of Karnataka for some 150 years till the independence of the country from the British. These kings were great patrons of art and culture and Mysore was the cultural capital of the south under the rule of the Wodeyars. The Wodeyars made the Dasara festival an event City of Palaces To showcase the rich culture and heritage of the town. Even to this date this celebration of the Dasara which is a 10 day celebration during the month of Oct/ Nov is a spectacular event to watch. Mysore is a city of palaces, gardens, shady avenues and sacred temples and retains some of the charm of the old world with its many institutions that propagate Carnatic Classical music and dance.

Shravanabelagola : Wedged between two star rocky hills, this legendary pilgrim center and shrine of the Jains. The monolithic statue of Lord Gomateshwara, a Jain saint and an object of worship for centuries, standing atop one of the hills (Indragiri) is 18 meter high and is said to be the tallest monolithic statue in the world. The symmetry in stone was created around 983 AD by Chamundaraya, a general and minister of the Ganga King Rachamatta. The Mahamastakabhisheka festival, an elaborate ritual, held here once every 12 years, attracts devotees from all over the World. Priests climb up to pour pots of coconut water, turmeric paste, vermilion powder over the statue head. Just opposite is the smaller Chandragiri hill where some Jain temples and tomb of Chandra Gupta Maurya, famous patron of Jainism can be seen.

Srirangapatna : Srirangapatna is an island town encircled by river Cauvery. The temple of Lord Sriranganatha is said to have been built by the Chieftain Thirumalaiah in 894 AD. This was once the capital of Hyderali & his son Tippu Sultan, "The Tiger of Mysore". In the 18th century, Marathas attacked Srirangapatna & forced heavy payments. Hyder drew back the Marathas & saved the Kingdom. In 1799 Tippu fought a fierce Battle (Battle of Mysore) against the British & fell bravely defending his capital. Srirangapatna remains in a ruined state recalling the Battles fought & the past glory. Dungeons, Srirangapatna

Udipi : Udipi is more like a pilgrim city in fact one can refer to Udipi as "THE MATHURA OF THE SOUTH" as one finds ,many many temples dedicated to Lord Krishna.

Kateel : Kateel is a relatively small small place & one can find very few tour operators and also accomodations here.The Durga Parameshwari Temple at Kateel blessed by Goddess Parameshwari's blessings attracts lots of visitors & in fact the name of the city was derived from a tale related to Goddess herself.