For information on Package Tours contact:
KSTDC INFORMATION COUNTER.
Phone: 2287 0068
BELUR & HALEBEEDU
If you are a lover of art, Belur will fill you with awe. Come here
to be mesmerised by the intricate carvings that are proof of the craftsmanship
that existed during the 12th century. Once the capital of the Hoysala
empire,
Belur is today a quaint little hamlet on the banks of the river Yagachi.
A look at the Chennakeshava Temple will leave you with no doubt as
to why it took 103 years to complete!
And if that is not enough, 17 km east of Belur is yet another
visual delight, Halebeedu. The Hoysaleshwara Temple is astounding
for its wealth of sculptural details. Incidentally, this temple
is incomplete despite 86 years of labour.
All these temples are an outstanding testimony to the unbounded patronage
that the skilled sculptors received then.
LANGUAGES SPOKEN: Kannada, Hindi and English.
IDEAL TIME TO VISIT: Between September and February.
REACHING THERE: By Road: Belur is 38 km from Hassan and 222 km from Bangalore.
Halebeedu is 27 km from Hassan and 216 km from Bangalore. Package
tours are conducted every day from Bangalore during the tourist season.
By Rail: Hassan is connected by rail to Bangalore, Mysore &
Mangalore.
By Air: The nearest airport is Bangalore.
BIJAPUR
Here is an ancient city that put Europe to shame,
a city that still has the dignity and carriage of royal grandeur.
A city with
the second largest dome in the world - the GOL GUMBAZ, the largest
medieval cannon - the MALIK-E-MAIDAN and a Greenstone Sarcophagus
too!
The Gol Gumbaz has few equals in massiveness and magnificence. It
consists of a large sqquare hall that is completly covered by an
enormus hemispherical dome. The dome is buttressed with octagonal
towers at each corner surrounded by smaller domes. The high walls
are decorated with arches. Inside, there is a huge hall with an
over-hanging whispering gallery. It is said that a word uttered
in this gallery is reverberated about seven times.
Stop over at this gracious place, listen to the Deccani dialect
and sample some of the mouth watering creations of the Mughlai cooks
- spicy curries with jowar rotis!
Music lovers should take a look at the Bijapur Festival of Music,
organised every year featuring stalwarts like Bhimsen Joshi, Gangubai
Hangal, Kishori Amonkar, Mallikarjun Mansur and others.
Those keen on collecting sarees (a cloth measuring five and a half
yards that is dextrously draped around the body) can take their
fill of handwoven Ilkal sarees.
Don't miss these:
Jumma Masjid - one of the finest mosques in India.
Ara-killa
Bara Kaman
Jod Gumbaz
A plethora of Mahals - Asar, Gagan, Mehtar, Anand and Jahaz
Amin Durgah
55 km away is the picturesque Kudala Sangama at the confluence
of the Krishna and Malaprabha rivers.
LANGUAGES SPOKEN: Kannada, Hindi and English.
IDEAL TIME TO VISIT: Between September and February.
REACHING THERE: By Road: Bangalore is 530 km away. (one can hit National
Highway No.4 after leaving the city from Nelamangala and after Hiriyur
branch off on to National Highway No.13) Buses ply from Bangalore
to Bijapur regularly.
By Rail: Bijapur is connected by rail to Bangalore, Mumbai
(via Sholapur), Hospet (via Gadag) and Vasco da Gama (via Hubli
and Londa).
1:06:55 AM 
mpire,
Belur is today a quaint little hamlet on the banks of the river Yagachi.
A look at the Chennakeshava Temple will leave you with no doubt as
to why it took 103 years to complete!
the second largest dome in the world - the GOL GUMBAZ, the largest
medieval cannon - the MALIK-E-MAIDAN and a Greenstone Sarcophagus
too! 
