You must have traveled Halebid, haven’t you? Of course, you have. You have traveled Belur, haven’t you? Yes, you have. But have you visited the ‘poor cousin’ of these two places? Don’t you know of what I am speaking? I am speaking of Somanthapura. Once, a place under the rule of the mighty Hoysala kingdom, Somanthapura comes with some absolute marvel of Hoysala temple architecture and that’s why it is one of the best heritage destinations in Karnataka.

Even in this age, when Karnataka is evolving as one of the most significant Information Technology hubs in the world, it is still being regarded highly as a great historical tourist destination. Not many places in India have been able to retain the rich historical and regal flavor that we once had. Not many places have been able to preserve the cultural and traditional heritage of what we boasted so highly. Karnataka is one place in the south India that really marks for its rich historical and cultural heritage. If you are someone who wants to know India a bit better, you have got to visit Karnataka.

Here you will find the prints of the great Hoysala dynasty who ruled during the 13th century. Somanthapura is a tiny village on the Kaveri riverbanks, on the southwest of the state of Karnataka. This village was discovered by popular army commander Somnath. Since he founded the place, he named it after his name. This has all been inscribed in Kannada script.

Somanthapura boasts of one of the most important monuments that convey the excellence of the Hoysala temple architecture. Even if you haven’t heard about Somanthapura, you must have heard of the Kesava temple, built in the year 1268AD. This temple was built just when the Hoysala kingdom was reaching its peak glory. Though it is not so famous as the Belur and the Halebid, but the temples of the Somanthapura better represent the brilliance of the temple architecture. That’s why it is called the poor cousin of Belur and Halebid.

The outside of the temples have star-shaped folded walls, with lots of exquisite figurines of gods and goddesses on it. It also has scenes depicted on it from the Hindu Puranas. The inside of the temples are even more beautifully carved and printed with figures of animals, birds, dancing girls and so forth. The temple is stellar shaped and have three copiously decorated pinnacles, coupled with one common Navaranga on a plinth.

Inside the inner sanctum, you would have previously found the idols of Janardhana, Keshava and Venugopala. Unfortunately the idol of Kesava is missing, but you can get a look at the rest two.

Somanthapura is not that much of a famous place, but it is one of the best heritage destinations in Karnataka. And remember, it is already a great tourist destination for the international tourists

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Ah, we are speaking of one of the most famous heritage centers of the world and that is Pattadakal. It is about a distance of 500 kilometers from Bangalore and about 22 kilometers from Badami. What do you find in Pattadakal? What makes Pattadakal so special? It is its architectural excellence! It is the paradise for any art historian. With lots of varied styles, this place looks as if it has been carved by God’s own hands. And how come this small relatively unknown place is so beautifully decorated with some of the most wonderful temples out there? Who chose this place? It is what the rulers of the Chalukyan dynasty decided to do, of course, when she shifted their capital to Pattadakal.

Located in the Bagalkot district of northern Karnataka, just near the banks of the Malaprabha River, this place is a living attestation of the Chalukyan architectural brilliance and value. During the 7-8th century, they built around 10 breathtaking examples of temples all around the place as if they were trying to experiment and each of their experiments turned out to be exemplars for the future generation, some form of legacy they set and a new standard they reached.

Four of the main temples are built on the Dravidian (south Indian) style of architecture and four shows a Nagara (north Indian) style of architecture. The Papanatha temple shows a hybrid sort of style. One important characteristic of this place is the sand, which is red in color. And this is why Pattadakal has been named as Kisuvolal, which means red stone.

The main tourist attraction of the place is the Virupaksha temple. Built on a Dravidian style of architecture, it marks the glory of victory of Vikramaditya’s II over the Pallava dynasty in 735 CE. It is extremely beautiful and more beautiful than the others are. The temples were named as Lokeshwara (after Lokadevi) and Trilokeshwara (after Trilokadevi). Later on, they were renamed as Virupaksha and Mallikarjuna respectively. It has nicely carved images and figurines of Ugra Narasimha, Nataraj, Gajendramoksham, Ravananugrahamurthy and Shiva. It is considered to be a replica of the Kailashanatha temple (Kanchi). In fact, this is the largest temple inside the complex.

But then there are precious others such as Sangameshwara temple. The oldest of all, Sangameshwara temple was built by the King Vijayaditya. It is a similar structure as the Virupaksha temple with a inner sanctum, passage and hall. You will find some nice Narasimha and Nataraj figurines carved around on the walls.

If you loved the Virupaksha temple, I bet you will love the Mallikarjuna temple, a smaller version of the former. Trilokadevi built it in the year 745 CE and gave it an excellence artistic historical touch with the ceilings of Nataraj, Parvati and Gajalakshmi, pillars carved of the scenes depicting life of Lord Krishna, and several sculptures of Ugra Narasimha and Mahishasuramardhini.

You will also find the north Indian styled Kasivisveshwara temple to be an appeal to the eye. This was the last early Chalukyan art for that matter. Well, this was built by the Rashtrakuta dynasty. Another one built by the Rashtrakuta dynasty is the Jain temple, in the 9th century. With some excellent sculptures and carvings, this is a beauty to look at.

One of the most beautiful of all is the Papanatha temple. It was started in the north Indian Nagara style but was later shifted to the south Indian Dravidian style. Have you seen the Navabrahma temples (Alampur) built by the Chalukyas (Badami)? It bears a strong resemblance with that. It also has sculptures of the scenes of Mahabharata and Ramayana. You will also love the Jain basadis and the Galaganatha temple, which has a special curvilinear shikhara.

And when you have visited Pattadakal, how can you miss the popular dance festival? Then you have the Virupaksha temple car festival held around March. You will get a feel of the south Indian flavor.

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Name one place that is famous for sandalwood, ivory, silk and wooden carved furniture – It has to be the Mysore of Karnataka. Located a few kilometers from Bangalore, this magnificent city (also the second largest city in the whole state of Karnataka) lies near the Chamundi Hills. It is one of the best-known tourist destinations in India. The most charming thing about it is its mystic appeal. It may have grown modern over the time, but nonetheless the mystical antique charm is still intact. Yet it is renowned for its silk and sandalwood, and that it deserves to be.

Mysore was the capital city of the famous Wodeyar dynasty since the fourteenth century and it was until India got its freedom from the British. For a brief time, it was ruled by Hyder Ali and Tipu Sultan, but the Wodeyars again conquered it back from that. And since then, Mysore has always been some kind of fantasyland for all of us. It welcomes tourists from within India and from other parts of the world. It has been hailed as the city of awesome temples, cool shady avenues, high imposing buildings and beautiful gardens. How can we forget the soothing atmosphere of Mysore? Lying at a level of around 770m over sea level, this place enjoys a very soothing and calm climate, neither too hot nor too cold.

The name Mysore comes from the word ‘Mahishashura’ or ‘Mahisur’. It is supposed to be the town of a demon king who lived here. The goddess Chamundeshwari killed the atrocious buffalo headed monster ‘Mahisur’. This place is very rich in history and culture. It dates back to the age of the Mahabharata. We find proofs of the Ganga dynasty who ruled here from the second to the tenth century. Then you have the Cholas, Chalukyas, Hoysalas, Vijayanagar dynasty and then the Yadu dynasty at last in the 13th century.

If you are looking for a great tour to the India’s past, you should visit this place. You will find the Mysore Palace. You will love this mansion of a building, built on a rare Indo-Saracenic style and has seven arches just on the entrance. It is of three storeys but the tower goes up to five storeys and it is about 150ft high. The general people can only see the Gombi Thotti, Kalyana Mandapam, Amba Vila and Durbar Hall. The Kalyana Mandapam is extremely beautiful with lots of scenes of the Dasara festival printed on the walls. You will love the stained glass ceiling with the peacock design. Then there’s the Durbar Hall with some of the most wonderful pictures of the royal family painted by Raja Ravi Varma. On the first floor itself, you get the Amba Vilas with exquisite designs on doors and walls.

How can someone miss the sight of the sumptuous royal throne build fully of gold pillars and umbrella?

Are you willing to cover the 1000 steps to see the Chamundi deity? It is in the famous Chamundi hills. You will also find a giant statue of the demon ‘Mahishashura’ and the Nandi bull as well.

Built by Krishnaraja Wodeyar IV, the Brindavan Gardens stand as a mark of beauty and purity to the tourists. Fraught with pretty flowerbeds, pools, fountains, these place rocks at night when it is illuminated.

Daria Daulat Bagh is one place that you should visit. It contains the memories of the brave Tipu Sultan. It roars of the bravado of Tipu Sultan against the British. Even the place where he fell dead is delineated. Then there’s the museum, the tomb of Tipu Sultan.

It is called one of the best heritage destinations in Karnataka for a reason. When you go out shopping, the sandal soaps, and the incense sticks, silk saris are enough to mesmerize anyone.

You should also visit the Jagan Mohan Art Gallery. Some of the best paintings and sculptures are to be found here.

When it is art, architecture and education, Mysore is the best heritage destination in Karnataka.

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You might have heard about the recent discovery of the sculpted portrait of the Great Asoka at the excavation site near the Buddhist stupa in Karnataka recently in 2009, haven’t you? The discovery has been accomplished at one of the most remarkable locations of Karnataka, which is Gulbarga. The Buddhist stupa is located at the Kanganahalli (Chittapur), and this discovery is the first inscribed relic of the great king Asoka. It had an image of Asoka with his wife, being attended their chauri bearers. Below it, there was an inscription called ‘Rayo Asoka’ meaning ‘King Asoka’. This is a very important discovery from the historical point of view. It not only manifests the lifestyle of King Asoka but also reveals a great deal about the painting art of the Buddhist of those times.

Situated on the Deccan plateau, Gulbarga lies in the northeast of the state of Karnataka (previously used to be known as Mysore) and forms a major heritage destinations in the southern India. Two rivers, Bhima and Krishna flow through the place. It is one of the biggest cities in the state of Karnataka, and is only a few hundred kilometers from Bangalore and Hyderabad. Being one of the most advanced places in Karnataka, Gulbarga comes with an enriched historical and cultural background. It was the seat of the great Bahamani dynasty in the 14th century AD, and was a part of the Nizam’s. It is also known as ‘Kalburgi’, which is a Kannada word for ‘stony land’.

Gulbarga has a rich history behind it that dates back to the 6th century. At first, it was under the control of the Rashtrakuta dynasty that was succeeded by the Chalukya dynasty. After ruling for about 200 years, the Chalukyas ceded the rule to the Kalachuri dynasty. Later, after the twelfth century, the reigns were handed over to the Yadavas (Devagiri), Hoysalas (Halebid) and Kakatiyas (Warangal). At last, it came under the control of the Nizam of Hyderabad. And it can be said that most of the development of the place was during this time. It was a center of knowledge and education of the contemporary times. You would find the Nrupatunga’s Kavirajamarga, Viganeeshwara’s Mitakshara, and Nagai University over here. The legacy of Hyder Ali, Banda Nawaz (Sufi saint), Purandasa Das (great Carnatic musician -poet-philosopher), Sri Sharanabasaveshwara and the Shivsharanas all originate from this place.

Yes, there are some great tourist attractions in Gulbarga as well, which make it one of the best heritage destinations in Karnataka.

In the outskirts of the city, Buddha Vihar is one of the biggest and one of its kinds. Built by the Siddhartha Vihar Trust, it is a big 70-acre of land (the main structure covers around 33000 ft of land) with pillared structures and blocks, and exquisite decorations reflecting the Ellora and Ajanta style of art. Inside you will two excellent idols of Lord Buddha, one being carved out of glossy black stone. These date back to the reign of the Great Asoka. This not only shows the excellence of the artisanship of that period, and a great symbol of those periods.

As a tourist, you will also love the golden smiling Buddha idol and the marvelously sculpted ‘panchaloha’ idol. You will marvel at the beauty of the stupendously carved teak and rosewood doors and windows.

The complex also consists of a museum with an auditorium, a dining hall and guesthouses.

Next comes, the Bahamani fort. It was originally built by Raja Gulchand, a feudatory of Kakatiyas (Warangal). The Allah-ud-din (Bahamani) rebuilt it. Inside the fort, you find a beautiful mosque built by Mohammed Bahamani and several other mosques and monuments as well. You will also find the tomb of Banda Nawaz as well. Those who love history will be amazed by the Durga library over there.

Gulbarga, being one of the best heritage destinations in Karnataka, cannot be missed while you are on your tour over there.

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