Tourism in Karnataka

North Karnataka

World heritage centres

• Hampi, Bellary district: The site of the capital of Vijayanagara and formerly the seat of the Vijayanagar Empire. Foreign visitors in the 15th and 16th centuries described Hampi as being bigger than Rome. The city was destroyed and deserted in 1565 by marauding Moghul invaders and its ruins now lie scattered over a 26 sq. km area south of the river Tungabhadra. The rocky area near Anegundi to the north of the river has been identified as Kishkindha of Ramayana times. Hampi is home to a monolithic Narasimha, which was installed by Krishnadevaraya in 1529. The remains of palaces and gateways can be seen.
• Group of 8th-century CE monuments, Pattadakal: Located on the banks of the river Malaprabha, Pattadakal was the second capital of the Chalukyas and contains examples of 7th- and 8th-century temple architecture. Four temples are in the south Indian Dravidian style, four in the North Indian Nagara style and the last one, the Papanatha temple represents a hybrid of the two styles. The oldest temples are the Sangameshwara, Mallikarjuna and Virupaksha Temples.

  Historical locations

Chalukya

• Aihole: a former Chalukya trading city. There are around 140 temples including examples of early Chalukya, Rashtrakuta and later Chalukya dynasties from the 6th to 12th centuries. It has a Jain and Vedic rock-cut shrine, both of around the 6th century. It has a Durga temple and pictures of the Tirthankaras. The meguti on a slope is a jaina basti with a Buddhist two-story rock-cut shrine below it and an Aihole inscription from Pulakeshin 2 above it. All the other Jain and Buddhist temples are built of stone and resemble Hindu temples. The temples were built during the Middle Ages before any style was established and hence there is a mixture of styles.
• Badami: the capital of the early Chalukyas in the 6th century, is at the mouth of a ravine between two rocky hills. The town is known for its cave temples. Badami have four caves, the cave temple dedicated to Vishnu is the largest. In front of the cave temple, there is a reservoir called Aghastya Teertha dotted with temples on its bank. Among them, two are dedicated to Vishnu, one to Shiva and the fourth is a Jain Temple. Carvings in the cave temples display the Hindu gods, Narashima and Hari Hara. The temples also have paintings on the ceiling and bracket figures on the piers.
• Basavana Bagewadi: It is 43 east of Bijapur. In the 12th century, Saint Basaveshwara was born here. It was an agrahara. The main temple here is in the Chalukya style and it was called as Sangamantha in records. The Samadhis of Siddharameshwara and Gurupadeshwara of the Inchageri school of spiritual pursuit are seen here.
• Basavakalyana, Bidar District: former capital of the Later Chalukyas. It has an old fort renovated by the Bahamani containing an Archaeological Museum. Few Chalukya or Kalachuri remains exist, except the Chalukya Narayanapur temple, in the outskirts of the town. There is a modern Basaveshwara temple, Prabhudevara Gadduge, Jurist of the Kalyani Chalukyas period. Vijnaneshwara's Cave, Madivala Machiah's Pond, Akka Nagamma's Cave, fully renovated Siddheshwara temple and a new structure called Anubhava Mantapa, the Qaji's mosque and Raja Bagh Sawar Dargah.
• Annigeri : It has an Amriteshwara temple of the time of the Kalyani Chalukyas. It was the birthplace of great Kannada Poet Pampa and there is a Jain basadi of Parshwanatha. It was once a headquarters of Belvola-300. It was the capital of Chalukya Someshwara 4. In addition to Veerashaiva Mathas; there is a ruined Banashankari Temple and seven mosques and also an ancient Veerabhadra temple.
• Bankapura : Under Chalukya, many temples were raised in the city including the Nagareshwara temple in the fort and another chalukya temple called Siddheshwara. Ali Adilshahi destroyed many temples in 1567. There is a mosque in the fort.
• Dambal : It was a Buddhist centre. There are two notable chalukya temples called Doddabasappa Temple and Somewshwara Temple. Doddabassapa as polygonal star shaped temple garbhagriha and fine sculptural representations and huge nandi Temple. Someshwara could have been an old basati. The temple has a 400-year-old vast tank. There is an old Ganapathi image in an old ruined fort with a similar statue in a small shrine.
• Haveri: This town has the Siddheshvara Temple, built in the 12th century. It is situated in the heart of the city of Haveri, inside the garden.
• Gadag: A twin city municipality 55 km from Hubli-Dharward. It is a great centre of Kalyani Chalukyas art with the large Trikuteshwara temple. It has the Sri Lakshmi Venkateshwara temple situated in Venkatapura Taluk near Sortur, Gadag District. The Temple was renovated by Brahmananda Swami, a devotee of Gondavalekar Maharaj, a sage from Gondavale. It was later expanded by Kalyani Chalukyas into a vast complex. The complex has triple shrines once housing Shiva, Brahma and Surya. The Saraswathi temple has shining decorative pillars, and a Saraswathi image that is notable as one of the largest examples of Chalukya art. The place has Someshwara and Rameshwara temples of Chalukya style. It has a Veeranarayana temple of Chalukya times.
• Lakkundi, 10 km from Gadag, Gadag District: Temples that can be visited include Brahma Jinalaya, Kasivisvesvara and Kalyani.
• Someshwara temple complex Lakshmeshwar in the Shirahatti Taluk, Gadag District, North Karnataka. The temple complex has the Someshwara temple of Shiva along with other similar temples inside the fort-like compound.
• Galaganatha Galageshwara temple is located in the Haveri District. The temple has a large open hall and pyramidal shaped Garbhagudi. The temple is situated along the Tungabhadra river.
• Chaudayyadanapura Mukteshwara temple, near Ranebennur in Haveri District, North Karnataka
• Mahadeva Temple in the Koppal district, North Karnataka, built during 1112 CE. This temple is an example of dravida articulation with a nagara superstructure. This Temple is also called Devalayagala Chakravarti in Kannada.
• Panchakuta Basadi, Kambadahalli in Mandya district was built in the 8th century. This temple is one of the finest examples of South Indian Dravidian architecture of the Western Ganga.
• Shambulinga Temple, Kundgol is about 15 km from Hubli-Dharwad. This place is famous for Hindustani music and Huge Shambulinga Temple.
• Hooli Panchalingeshwara Temple
• Lakshmeshwar has Someshwara temple complex, Jain Basadis.
• Kudalasangama has a Chalukya Sangamanatha temple. It is a Karma Bhumi of Basavanna. The nearby Almatti Dam has got North Karnataka's biggest Rock Garden.

  Rashtrakuta dynasty

• Malkhed, Kalaburagi district
• Naregal, Gadag District
• Belgaum Fort

  Kadamba dynasty

• Halasi

• Hangal

• Banavasi