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The city offers itself as an ideal base to explore the fascinating and culturally rich state of Karnataka. Your itinerary to Bangalore should also include a visit to these places.
Sravanabelagola (160km)
A little gem of calm, unspoiled township tucked away between the large Indragiri and the smaller Chandragiri hills. Sravanabelagola has remained a great Jain center and thousands of pilgrims flock to see the magnificent, gigantic statue of the Jain saint, Lord Gomateswara. The statue of Gomateswara is carved out of a single stone. It shows the hermit completely nude, in the Jain tradition, and being 17m. (55 ft) high, is visible from 30km away. It is regarded as one of the largest monolithic statues in the world.
Hoysala temples at Belur (222 kms) and Halebid (216 kms)
The temples of Belur and Halebid are the remnants of one of the most artistically exuberant periods of Hindu cultural development. The sculptures depicted on these temples rival those only found on Khajuraho and Konarak.
The Hoysaleswara temple of Halebid is an outstanding piece of Hoysala art and architecture. Every part of the temple is covered with endless variety of Hindu deities, sages, animals and birds and scenes depicting the life and times of the Hoysala rulers. Halebid also has a smaller temple known, as Kedarswara.The Channekeshava Temple at Belur is the only one of the three Hoysala sites still used as a functioning temple. It has very delicately carved images of deities. The other lesser, Hoysala temples at Belur are Chennigaraya and Viranarayana.
Madikeri (252 kms)
This Madikeri town is the cool capital of Kodagu (Coorg) region,a beautiful hill station with breathtaking scenic beauty. It is located 1525 kms above sea level. It is good place to go for trekking as its roads are lined with flowering trees, spice plantations and coffee estates. You can see the Madikeri 's fort built in 1812 by Raja Lingarajendra second. The Om Kareshwara temple is located below the fort .The scenic Abbi Falls are about 8 km from the town center. The view from Raja 's seat, the garden is extraordinary.The Kodagu region has awesome trekking opportunities ,the best season being October to March.Gallibedu is an organically farmed plantation about 12km from Madikeri near Gallibedu.You can stay at the cottages and go for bird watching and walking.
Chickmagalur (251 kms)
It is a town resting in Baba Budan Mountains. The Bhadra Wildlife Sanctuary, Kemmanagundi, Sringeri are a few tourist places near Chickmagalur.
Bhadra (257 kms)
Badhra Sanctuary is extended in Chickmaglur and Shimoga districts. The great Indian gaur, mongoose, barking deer, flying fox, elephant, panther, macaque, babbler, barbet, bluejay, kingfisher, robin and weaver bird can be seen here.
Shimoga (273 kms)
It is located southwest of Bangalore. This place was once the home of Keladi Nayakas.You can visit the fort, Church of Sacred Heart of Jesus and Government Museum. Gajanur, Tyaverekoppa, Agumbe, Jog Falls are other scenic spots around Shimoga, well worth a visit.
Mangalore (357 kms)
It lies west of Bangalore.In the early times it was the major port of HyderAli's Kingdom. It is hilly area with places like St. Aloysius Chapel, Mangala Devi Temple, Ullal beach to be seen. There are many places around Mangalore like Moodabidri, Karkala, Udupi, Malpe beach, St.Mary's island etc. Mangalore has lots of beautiful beaches and picnic spots all around.
Aihole (483 kms)
It is located near Bangalore.It is the earliest capital of Chalukyas.This place; the cradle of south Indian architecture houses over 100 temples. The oldest lad khan temple dates back to the 5th century.
Karwar (520 kms)
It is a charming town with glorious weather .You can enjoy pristine white sands and palm-lined beaches making it perfect choice for holiday. The 300 years old, Venkatarama temple and unique octagonal church are other tourist attractions.
Hampi (353 kms)
This was the old capital of Vijayanagar Kingdom on the bank of the river Tungabhadra.It is 6 kms from Hospet.You can see vast relics and ruins of the empire here. It tells the visitors about the glory that was the Vijayanagar empire. You can also find the Tungabhadra Dam located six kms from Hospet.
BijaPur (550 kms)
It is a fascinating city to explore with wealth of 15th -17th century Islamic architecture from mosques to palaces,mausoleums and fortifications.It is best known for its Gol Gumbaz,the tomb of Mohammad Adil Shah. It is the second largest dome in the world, 44 meters in diameter.  Its unique feature lies in its sensitive echo chamber where the tick of a clock held at one end can be heard at the opposite end, 125 feet away. You can visit Ibrahim Rouza one of the most finely proportioned Islamic monuments in India.It was built by Ibrahim Adil Shah 2 for his queen Taj Sultana.The citadel surrounded by fortified walls and a wide moat, once contained the palaces,gardens and royal court of the Adil Shahi kings.Now only the ruins of Gagan Mahal can be seen around.Mohammad Adil Shah's seven storey palace the Sat Manzil is nearby.You can find Jala Manzil once a water pavilion surrounded by courts and gardens.The other monuments are Asar Mahal,Mihtar Mahal,Malik-e-Maidan and Jod Gumbad.
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