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Mysore
: Located 770m above sea level and 140
Kms from Bangalore, Mysore, the imperial city,
was the erstwhile capital of the Wodeyars. Also
known as the city of Palaces, Mysore has never
failed to mesmerise the tourists with its quaint
charm, rich heritage, magnificent palaces, beautifully
laid-out gardens, imposing buildings, broad shady
avenues and sacred temples. |
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Aihole
: Cradle Of Indian Architecture
Located 43 Kms from Kudala Sangama, Aihole
was the ancient capital of Chalukyas. Famous
as the cradle of "Indian Architecture",
Aihole has over a hundred temples scattered
around
the village.
There are about 125 temples divided into
22 groups scattered all over the villages
and nearby fields. Most of these temples were built between the 6th & 8th
centuries and some even earlier. |
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Badami :The capital of the Early Chalukyas,
Badami is picturesquely situated at the mouth of
a ravine between two rocky hills, Badami is famous
for its cave temples - all hewn out of sand stone
on the precipice of a hill.
The largest and most ornamental is the third cave
temple dedicated to Vishnu.
Overlooking the cave temples is a reservoir dotted
with temples dedicated to Vishnu and Shiva. |
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Belur : Southern Banaras Belur, the temple town
is located 34 kms from Hassan. Famous for its exquisite
temple, Belur is known as the Dakshina Varanasi
or Southern Banaras.
The serenity of Belur is attributed to the celebrated
Chennakesava Temple built by the Hoysala King Vishnuvardhana
in 1117 A.D to commemorate his conversion from
Jainism to Vaishnavism.
The main structure of the temple, which is star-shaped,
is a homogenous architectural unit on a raised
platform. Inside, even in the darkness, you can
see the hand-lathe turned shining pillars, each
unique in its own splendoure |
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Bijapur :The
ancient town of Bijapur, dotted with mosques,
mausoleums, palaces and fortifications,
was the capital of the Adil Shahi Dynasty. Once
the capital of the Adil Shahis, it was a city
that "exceeded
anything of its kind in Europe".
Even today, it retains its dignity and royal grandeur.
Still strongly Muslim in character, Bijapur has
many places of historical, cultural and architectural
interest. Even though many of the structures were
damaged by Aurangazeb, Bijapur remains a must-see
town. |
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Halibid :Located
17 kms from Belur, Halebid was known as Dwara
Samudra, the wealthy
capital of
the Hoysalas. 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. Halebid has several strikingly beautiful
Hoysala temples and Jain shrines
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Hampi:Hampi,
the land of surprises was founded in the middle
of 14th Century by two local princes,
Hakka & Bukka. The Vijayanagar Empire came
to be celebrated for its might and wealth and
as a show piece of imperial magnificence.
Vijayanagara is such that the pupil of the eye
has never seen a place like it... " So eulogized
Abdul Razaq, a Muslim envoy who visited Hampi. |
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Pattakada :Situated on the left bank of the Malaprabha
River, Pattadakkal is a World Heritage Centre.
The town
has 10 major temples representing early Chalukyan
architecture.
This place reached its pinnacle of glory under
the Chalukyas from the seventh to the ninth centuries
functioning as a royal commemorative site. The
biggest temple here, dedicated to Virupaksha, has
a massive gateway and several inscriptions. |
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Sravana Belagola :The
Most Revered Jain Pilgrimage Wedged between two
stark rocky
hills,
the legendary pilgrim centre of Shravan Belagola
and shrine of the Jains since early times is
150 km from Bangalore, 52 km from Hassan and
80 km
from Mysore. Shravanbelagola is one of the oldest
and most important Jain pilgrim centres in India.
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Srirangapatnam :The
name translates to "the city
of Sri-Ranga" the
main deity of this tempe town. This town is an
island in the river Kavery and was the old capital
o the ruler Tippu Sultan - nicknamed the Tiger
of Mysore. At the heart of this twn is the temple
dedicated to Sri Ranga, whom Tippu used to worship
(though h was a muslim by faith). The granite statue
in reclining posture is both long a is part of
three such unique temples. The other two similar
stutues can beseen in Tiruvananthapuram (capital
of Kerala State) and Srirangam (Tamil Nadu).The
town is full of forts, palaces and ruins, standing
testimony to the fiercewarrior that Tippu Sultan
was, as the King of Mysore in the 18th century.
Two lines of fortification, separated by water
between them and also beingan island in the river
Kavery, made his capital an extremely tough target
for-the British to fight with |
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