Halo Backwaters

Created in   1956 from the princely state of Mysore , Karnataka the    name is a    derivation of the  name of the local language, Kannada,   spoken by  virtually all of its 53 million inhabitants – mark’s a   transition   zone   between   northern   India  and the Dravidian    Deep  South. Along its border with Maharashtra and Andhra Pradesh,   a string   of  medieval walled towns, studded with domed mausoleums and minarets, recall the era when this part of the Deccan was a Muslim  stronghold,  while the coastal and hill districts that dovetail with   Kerala   are    quintessential Hindu South India,   profuse with tropical vegetation and soaring temple    gopuras.  Between  the two are scattered some of the peninsula’s most extraordinary historic sites, notably the ruined Vijayanagar   city at    Hampi,  whose lost temples and derelict palaces   stand   amid   an arid,  boulder -  strewn landscape of surreal beauty.

Karnataka    is   one of the wettest regions in India , its climate dominated     by  the seasonal monsoon, which sweeps in from the   southwest in June, dumping    an average of 4 M of rain on the coast  before it peters out in late September. Running in an unbroken    line    along    the  state’s palm – fringed coast, the

Western    Ghats , draped  in dense deciduous forests, impede the path of    the rain clouds east. As a result, the landscape of the interior –    comprising    the southern apex of the triangular Deccan     trap, known    here    as    the   Mysore  Plateau - is considerably   drier, with  dark volcanic soils in the north, and poor quartzite – granite country to the south. Two of India ’s most sacred rivers, the Tungabhadra and Krishna, flow across this sun - baked terrain, draining east to the Bay of Bengal.

Broadly  speaking, Karnataka’s principal attractions are concentrated at opposite ends of the state, with a handful of lesser – visited places dotted  along the coast between Goa and Kerala.Road and rail routes dictate    that      most      itineraries      take   in    the   brash   state capital,   Bangalore (Bengaluru) ,a    go – ahead,    modern   city that epitomized the aspirations  of the country’s new middle classes, with glittering   malls,   fast -    food    outlets   and   a   nightlife  unrivalled outside Mumbai. The state’s  other major city, Mysore, appeals more for its    old - fashioned    ambience   , nineteenth  –   century palaces   and vibrant produce and incense     markets. it also  lies within easy each of several important   historical   monuments.   At  the nearby fortified island   of  Srirangapatnam -   site   of the   bloody battle    of 1799   that finally  put Mysore state into     British hands, with the defeat of the Muslim military genius  Tipu Sultan - parts of the fort, a mausoleum and Tipu’s summer palace survive.

A    cluster  of other un miss able sights lies further northwest, dotted around the   dull  railway  town of Hassan.Around nine centuries ago, the Hoysala kings sited their grand dynastic capitals here, at the now middle    of   nowhere   villages  of   Belur  and Halebid, where several superbly crafted temples survive intact. Most impressive still, and one of India’s   most   extraordinary  sacred sites, is the eighteen – meter Jain   colossus at   Sravanabegola,  which stares serenely over idyllic

Deccan countryside. West of Mysore,the Ghats rise in a wall of thick jungle   cut   by deep    ravines  and  isolated valleys. You can either traverse the   range by rail, via   Hassan,or explore some of its scenic backwaters by road. Among these, the rarely visited coffee and spice growing region of Kodagu (Coorg) has to be the most entrancing, with its unique culture and lush     vistas of misty wooded    hills and valleys. Most Coorgi agricultural produce is shipped out of Mangalore,   the nearest  large town, of   little    interest    except as a transport hub whose    importance can only increase niw the new Konkan Railway is operating a full service.

Situated    midway between Goa and Kerala,it’s also a convenient – if uninspiring –    place to    pause    on the   journey along Karnataka’s beautiful   Kravali Coast .   Interrupted   by countless mangrove – lined estuaried,the stat’s 320 kilometer – long red laterite coast has always been difficult     to navigate by    land,    and   traffic along the recently revamped highway remains   relatively light. Althought there are plenty of superb beached, facilities are, with rare exceptions,nonexistent,and locals often   react with   astonishment at the sight of a foreigner. Few Western    tourists   visit   the famous Krishna temple    at  Udupi,  an    important    Vaishnavite pilgrimage center and fewer     still venture  into the mountain  to see India’s highest waterfalls at Jog Falls, set amid some of the region’s most spectacular scenery.

Howerver,    atmospheric     Gokarn,further    north up the coast, is an increasingly popular   beach hideaway for budget  travelers.Harbouring one of India’s most famous  shivalinga,this seventeenth century Hindu pilgrimage    town    enjoys a   stunning location, with a high headland dividing t from a string of exquisite beaches.

Winding inland from    the mountainous Goan border,NH – 4A and the rail line comprise    sparsely    populated    northern Karnataka’s main transport arteries, linking a succession     of grim industrial    centres.   This region’s undisputed highlight is the ghost city of    Vijayanagar,better known as Hampi,scattered around boulder hills on this south banks of the Tungabhadra River.

The ruins of   this once splendid capital occupy a magical site, while the ancient bazaar   is a   great   spot  to hole up for a spell. The jumping off place for Hampi is Hospet,from where buses leave for the bumpy journey north    across     the     rolling    Deccani    plains to Badami,Aihole and Pattadakal.Now lost in countryside, these tiny villages were once capital of   the  Chalukya dynasty  (sixth to eighth centuries). The whole area is littered with ancient rock cut caves and finely carved stone temples.

Further     north  still , in one of Karnataka’s most remote and poorest districts,   craggy hilltop citadels and crumbling wayside tombs herald the   formerly   troubled  buffer zone between the Muslim – dominated northern    Deccan and    the Dravidian – Hindu south.   The  bustling, walled marker     town of Bijapur, capital of the Bahmanis, the Muslim dynasty    that oversaw the eventual downfall of Vijayanagar, harbours South India’s    finest   collection of Islamic architecture, including the world’s second largest    freestanding  dome, the Golgumbaz.The first Bahmani capital,Gulbarga,    site of    a famous   splendour,but more isolated Bidar,to which the Bahmanis moved from Gulbarga in the sixteenth century, definitely deserves a detour en route to or from Hyderabad, four hours to the east by bus. Perched on a rocky escarpment, its crumbling red ramparts harbor    Persian style    mosaic fronted  mosques, mausoleumd and sprawling fort complex evocative of Samarkand and the great silk route. Kerala

Bangalore  (Bengaluru) is connected to some of     the leading     airport  cities of the world. London   Heathrow    , Frankfurt Main,   Paris CDG  , Dubai , Bahrain , Muscat  , Singapore

, KL and  Bangkok are some of the cities that are   serviced   by the world's leading airlines. Airport,   South   India's newest landmark and truly, the   gateway   to Karnataka and South India.

Bangalore  (Bengaluru) is also one of the best connected  cities within Indiawith direct flights to almost all parts of the country. Serviced by almost all   scheduled  airlines in the country, reaching Bangalore(Bengaluru) by air is never difficult.

Karnataka is well networked by Indian railway and   connects  to almost   all parts  of India . Computer reservation can be made from most of the railway  stations. Major railway stations in        Karnataka     are      :         Bangalore (Bengaluru)   ,   Mysore   ,Balguam   ,Bellary,

Mangalore,Tumkur,Harihar,Dharwad,Gulbarga,

and Bijapur.

Wildlife in Karnataka

Bandipur   National Park , Rajiv Gandhi National Park ,B R Hills Sanctuary,   Cauvery    Wildlife Sanctuary ,  Ranganathittu Bird Sanctuary ,Kokkrebellur       Pelicanry
Kaggaladu Heronry ,    Bannerghatta National Park ,Anshi National Park   ,  Dandeli Wildlife Sanctuary Gudavi Bird Sanctuary ,     Bhadra Wildlife Sanctuary ,            Mandagadde Bird Sanctuary,             Kudremukh        National Park ,Chamarajnagar,Dubare Elephant Camp 

Highlights of Popular Places

Heritage