Srirangapatna

State : Karnataka
Distance : 127 km SW of Bangalore. Journey time by road 3 hrs. Rail – 2 1/2 hrs
Location : Tipu Sultan’s former capital is an island in the cauvery river. In the heart of rural mandya and 12 km from Mysore.
Route : SH 17 to srirangapatna via Maddur and Mandya

Many tales of valour and glory are tucked into the folds of the unassuming island town of Srirangapatna former capital one of the bravest sons of Karnataka. Maybe it’s due to the guile of the beautiful Cauvery River that you tend to lap up every anecdote the guide narrates. You tend to believe that the legendary sword of Tipu Sultan housed within the state treasury is sacred and no one dare touch it.

And if stones could speak, probably every tiny pebble on the banks of the cauvery would make the English go red with reminiscences of Tipu conquest over the Unconquerable Empire. The lanes between the turfed outline of the Srirangapatna fort bear touching memorials to the life of this unique king.


But if you’re not too keen on going ‘histerical on a weekend and need other diversions Srirangapatna won’t let you down. The drive itself past the golden rocks on which sholay was shot and through the paddy fields of Mandya is rewarding in itself.

It’s not too difficult to find your way around within Sriranga or find what you want most out of your weekend. Cross the river to enter the town. Turn right for the abode of Lord
Ranganathaswamy and the legend of Tipu Sultan left to commune with a beautiful river the melody of whose movement you will carry in your heart for a long time to come.

Things To See And Do

Srirangapatna is set within and around the ruins of Tipu Sultan’s fort which encompasses most of what lies on the north bank. The fort built during the Vijayanagar era, strengthened by the wodeyars and then taken over by Haider and Tipu, is considered to be the second strongest in India. It cannot be viewed as asingle entity rather your interaction with it is a constant as you roam between the sights along the north bank passing through its Bangalore, Mysore, Delhi, water and elephant gates every so often its will rear up in picturesque locales perfect for a photo – op like near the aged Wellesley Bridge.

Jame Masjid

As you enter the town the minarets of the mosque beckon you. This simple yet graceful structure was built in 1787 by Tipu. The prayer hall has a row of cusped arches and a ceiling carved with grapevine designs.

Sir Ranganathaswamy Temple.

The presiding deity of the holy isle the srirangapatna elicits a very different response from his devotees. There some thing about the expression on SirRanganathaswamy’s pace that’s very human. A long walk through his dark many-pillared temple leads you past his divine peers and to his abode. Within lies the lord on the back of a snake, dark as the night sky with a most benevolent smile and he is beautiful. A visit to his temple makes a refreshing change from the usual sobriety of prayer.



Dariya Daulat Baug

This wooden place built by Tipu in 1784 set amidst manicured lawns and flowerbeds, looks modest from the outside for the most port of hidden from sight by green shades. But the wealth of paintings on the walls and the intricacy of the interiors leave the visitor enthralled. Also called the Summer Place, Tipu used this as an alternative resort toes receive visitors and conduct durbars.

There is a good collection of period furniture, coins, fabulous painting, Murals and plenty of historical data of Hyder Ali and Tipu’s conquests in the museum within the place. The painting of lord Cornwallis receiving the son of Tipu Sultan as hostages by Robert Home touches the chords of your heart. One of the most impressive items on display is a world famous portrait of Tipu by the great German neoclassical painter Johann Zoffany. Probably the closest likeness you’ll ever see of the great king

If you carried lunch with you the place lawns are an ideal place to idle around under trees full of grate big bumblebee hives or monkeys. The place is on the road to Ganjam and Sangama.

Entry fee Rs 5. Foreigners Rs 100 ($ 2 )
Camera fee video camera Rs 15. ( in the garden only ) Timings 9 am to 5 pm.


Where To Stay

1. Amblee Holiday Resort
Phone No : 08236 : 252326
Tariff Rs 1200 – 1980

2. Fort View Resort.
Phone No : 08236 – 252777
Tariff : 850 – 950.

3. Hotle Mayura River View.
Phone No : 08236 – 252114
Tariff – Rs 550 – 750.

4. Balaji Garden Resort.
Phone No : 08236 - 253298
Tariff : Rs 350 – 850.

Shivanasamudram

State : Karnataka
Distance : 109 km of Bangalore. Journey time by road 2 1/2 hrs.
Location : Shivanasamudram in easern Mandya skirts the cauvery wildlife sanctuary.
Route : NH 209 to Shivanasamudram via kanakapura. Malavalli and Panditahalli

Rolling foothills and green expanses, sudden bursts of flaming red amidst green and winding picturesque roads. This is as close to bliss in the countryside as you can get. Down the twisting district road from Malavalli. You suddenly come upon the slightly askew signpost that road Georgia Sunshine Village the turn off is basically a dirt track seeming to meander into pure jungle. Well shift in to first gear. Adjust your seat and go for it winding curving bumpy and all but non – existent the track continues through the jungle till you’re sure you’re lost. Then quaint red tilled rooftops peep through the foliage welcome, the forest seems to murmur.

Shivanasamudram is the domain of mother nature. Gentle rolling foothills seduce with their pristine freshness, the woods are virgin and the experience is sublime. These hills are home to wild boar. Peacocks. Partridge. Elephants and even the occasional marauding panther. Bands of elephants have been known to venture as near as the village outskirts in these regions. How much more forest can the rearing falls of Shivanasamudram.

Things To See And Do

From the panditahalli turn off you get to Hebbani Village drive 5 minutes down a twisting district road and all of a sudden, the signpost saying Georgia Sunshine Village jumps out of the greenery. Turn off onto a dirt track that winds through the jungle. Look out for the signpost announcing a left turn onto a small path. Look carefully because the signpost is 20 ft above the eye – line. A couple of more turns from here and you hit Georgia Sunshine Village.

Shivanasamudram for long a day – trip from Bangalore because of the lack of stay options is now an ideal weekend break thanks to the country home of the Hatherell family. Georgia Sunshine Village named for your Georgia Hatherell. Anyone who is looking for nothing more than nature at its untouched best is welcome here. The place is the experience and the keywords is chill.

Gaganachukki And Barachukki Falls.

The cauvery the life – line of Karnataka splits into two streams here – Barachukki and Gaganachukki. About 9 km by road from Georgia turn left at Panditahalli and drive to shri Vishveshwaraya Hydroelectric Plant, labelled as the bluff from bluff it is a short 5 minute drive to the falls.
Beautiful cascades of water spread out over two vast hillsides will greet you. The water is being diverted to feed what was the first Hydroelectric Plant in Asia ( built in 1902 by the maharaja of the erstwhile mysore state )

Bheemeshwari

State : Karnataka
Distance : 100 km of Bangalore. Journey time by road 2 ¼ hrs.
Location : on the banks of the cauvery. Just south of Bangalore in eastern mandya district.
Route : NH 209. to halagur village via kanakapura and sathanur village road to bheemeshwari via muthathi.


The turnoff from NH 209 on to the village road at halagur, just a short way out of Bangalore. transports you to meandering roads down green mountainsides. The only traffic stops will be the rare herd of spotted deer sailing across the road. This is only
A taste of what awaits you at the camps in bheemeshwari.

A barefoot walk along the river’s edge sipping hot coffee on the verandah of your cabin overlooking the river. Being woken up by monkeys jumping on your tent. are the promise here. Nature treks in to the wilderness. Coracle rides. Kayaking outdoor camping. Amateur fishing and professional angling are the icing on the cake.

While you may catch glimpses of rare species of birds. Wild elephants and sloth bears. You are sure to see the famous mahseer no matter which season you go. Sightings of a mahseer will be all around you in the form of souvenir photographs and proud accounts by the friendly staff.

Things to see and do

Bheemeshwari’s cauvery fishing camp and two more camp at Doddamakkalli and
Galbore along the cauvery are run by jungle lodges as wildlife retreats and adventure resorts.

Mahseer Magic

The fishing camp are an angler’s paradise with the cauvery home to one of the finest game fish in the world – the mahseer. The peak season for professional angling is from October to mid – April. The camp allows 10 lines for the season for professional. So book well in advance, as he camp is in high demand from anglers across the globe. The camp also conducts amateur fishing with guides to help you learn the ropes.

Nandi Hills

Nindi hills is a craggy range squatting obstinately on the absolutely flat surrounding plains. Just outside Bangalore. Those are not gently rolling hills. But a giant 2000 ft granite monolith towering over you that seems to appear from nowhere. The effect is magical.

The hills get their name the beautiful statue of nindi standing guard out side the Yoganandeeshwara temple atop the hills. Elsewhere, the peaks give birth to the rivers arakavati. Pennar and palar. Nindi hills have for long attracted a loyal following among royalty and commoners alike. Tipu Sultan, who ruled mysore in the late 18th century. Came here to recover from the din of battle. He fortified nandi hills and made it his summer haven. The brits took over nandi hills. Looking for the salubrious climate of their homeland. Sir Mark Cubbon. Former commissioner of Bangalore, made it his official summer residence. Many bungalows the brits built still pepper the hills. Dignitaries. Including Mahatma Gandhi. Jawaharlal Nehru and Queen Elizabeth have a since visited. The point of all this name – dropping is that. With could paths leading up to hills full of birdsong. Nandi Hills is a good getaway for you and your family too.

Mysore

Whether you are in a car or train the journey from Bangalore through the lush paddies of mandya sets the mood just right for your visit to mysore a city of natural beauty, royal aura and a quaint charm that refuse to fade. What a promise of sensation in this ancient capital of tipu sultan and the wodeyars, what perennial reasons to came back again and again. For who in this world has not heard the world Mysore?. The splendorous places the resplendent rustle of mysore silk, the fragrance of sandalwood incense sticks and Mysore jasmine the aroma of Mysore masala dosa and ghee – soaked mysore pak, rich Mysore by-two coffee the tangy taste of the Mysore betel leaf.

Mysore is an inspired mosaic of ornate places . garden , boulevards and planned markets, the legacy that it inspired the works of Kannada’s greatest writers from Kuvempu to Ananthamurhy and English most durable one RK Narayan. From the clock tower to the station to schoolboys with satchels gawking at the big cats in Mysore Zoo, everywhere you will see the magic of malgudi come alive for Malgudi too, was made in Mysore.

Mysore palace

The focal point of the city.s meticulous planning the city signature and the home of the Wodeyars was designed by the English architect Henry Irwin. Built on the ashes of the old wooden places ( which caught fire during the marriage of Princess jayalalakshammanni in February 1897 ) between 1897 and 1912 , this palace exudesa grandeur that is unmatched. The Durbar Hall with its ornate and sculpted pillars, the Kalyana Mantapa the jewel encrusted Golden Throne ( displayed only during the Dasara Celebration. ) and the Gulden Howdah are amongst the palace’s other treasures. The walled palace Complex also house a Rdsidential Museum, run by the scion of the erstwhile royal family Srikantadutta Wodeyar, temples and shrines the museum has maintained a royal collection of silver ware chandeliers and furniture, crystal. Royal trousseaux and much more.

Ornate as the place is in its royal purple garb, when it is illuminated you have to be there to believe how it feels to see it when 97.000 electric bulbs light up at once. You most take your shoes off to enter the palace and there’s a stand right by the entrance gate where you can safely store them, plus your camera ( Rs 5 ) which isn’t allowed inside.
Entry fee Adults Rs 15. children Rs 5.
Timings 10 am to 5-30 pm palace all day for temple.

Kemmannagundi

State : Karnataka
Distance : 295 km NW of Bangalore
Journey : by road 6 hrs, by rail 3 hrs + road 1 ¼ hrs
Location : this hill station gazes gown on the rich, coffee-covered slopes of Malnad
Route : NH4 to Nelamangala; NH48 to Hassan via Kunigal; state road to Kemmannagundi via Chikmagalur and the Baba Budanagiri hills

They way to Kemmannagundi is planted with enough compling road signs to waylay innocent tourist into some other seemingly more tempting holiday. But if you stick firmly to your path, skirting the tangential charms of Halebid and Belur, the Chikmagalur coffee estates and the distant road to Kudremukh, you’ll reach a hill that was once preferred by a monarch.

Kemmannagundi is actually a single, secluded hill that’s been successfully posing as a hill station ever since King Krishna Rajendra
Wodeyar IV made it his summer haven in 1932 from the mercurial British, who kept giving and snatching Mysore from his family.

Kemmannagundi’s compact charms-views waterfalls, gardens, all in a day’s work-make it one of the most fun-filled short holidays from Bangalore. Despite the fact that it has few amenities, and food that break the dam on hostel memories, every Saturday morning nuclear families and those loose electrons called college student burst upon this royal getaway that still carries the grand title of Krishna Rajendra Hill Station.

Things to see and do

The 58 km ride from Chikmagalur to Kemmannagundi is like watching a nature programme on a shaky TV screen. Views of sprawling coffee estates shaded with sliver oaks stream through a car window as you bounce along on potholes. This last leg of the journey will really make you appreciate the first sight of the Horticulture Department Guest House. Its thick with flowers that invite you to put you feet up and unwind in the garden over a cup of tea. And if you feel like just lolling you can easily leave all the sightseeing for the next day because a day is all that’s needed to deservingly put on your been there done that T-shirt in Kemmannagundi

Still the 4,705 ft high Krishna Rajendra Hill manages to provide its visitors almost everything a full-fledged hill station does. There’s the Rock Garden within the guest house premises maintained by the Horticulture Department. The Kallahati Falls( 10 km ). Also know as Kallahati Falls, descend from a height of 122 m and are quite Pretty. It’s a lovely place for a picnic lunch. You could take a short trek to the Hebbe Falls ( 8 km )
But don’t attempt swimming here. They are even more spectacular, with the water cascading down from over 500 ft. and then there’s Z Point a good place from which to watch sunsets

Garden timings : 8 am to Noon, 2-6 pm.

Trekking

Mohammed Aseem ( Tel : 9844168948 ) who work for LEAF, an environmental agency. Is the activity coordinator for the Taj in Chikmagalur and also organizes treks, coffee plantation visits and other activities for tourist.

Where to stay

Horticulture Department Guest House
Ph : 08261 – 437126 / 27 / 63
Tariff : Rs 150-500

Nature Nirvana Home Stay
Ph : 08262 – 230959
Tariff : Rs 950

Taj Garden Retreat
Ph : 08262 – 220202 / 04
Tariff : Rs 2500 – 3200

The Planters Court
Ph : 235881 / 85 / 231169
Tariff : Rs 375 – 1100.

Mangalore

Mangalore

State : Karnataka
Distance : 347 km W of Bangalore
Journey : by road 7 ½ hrs by rail 1 hrs
Location : Mangalore is at the southern tip of Karnataka’s Karavali Coast, 49 km north of Kasargode in Kerala
Route : NH48 to Mangalore via Kunigal Yeduyur, Hasan, Sakaleshpur and Mani

As befitting a port city, the first thing that strikes you about Mangalore is the veritable babble, of language you hear all around you. Tulu ( the local lingua franca ) Konkani, Kannada, English, even the odd snatches of Malayalam, all commingle in the salty air to give Mangalore its distinct sense of otherness. Wedged between the Arabian Sea and the verdant western ghats, this is one city in Karnataka that is more ‘ Catholic’ than any others. Its twin district, Udupi the other half of the erstwhile South Canara region – is the seat of the Dvaita branch of Hinduism, while Moodabidri on the right hosts a rich tradition of Jainism. But there are no prizes for guessing that it is the Jesuit priests in the 17th century who fashioned the ethos that still rules this quirky city on the Karavali coast. Their influence is still easily witnessed – on the name boards on gates that front sprawling tiled-roof bungalows on the city’s hillsides; in the profusion of venerable steepled church that dot the cityscape; and in the plethora of commercial establishment that answer to the name of M/s Albuquerque, Rodrigues, D’ Costa, Pais et al

It was hear that tiles made from the uniquely resilient clay resulting from the meeting of the Netravathi River and the Gurpura River with the Arabain Sea were first made in pre-independent. India by Alex Pai Alburquerque. The urban sprawl begins almost exactly at the point where NH48 links up with coastal Highway NH17 at Mangalore’s southern tip. If you are doing the scenic thing and driving down to the coast, the swinging coconut palms and the towering arecanut trees that frame lush green paddy fields are the first indication that the topography is about to change. That is. If you haven’t already begun to feel the trickle of sweat down your spine. It is at this point that visitors to Mangalore best lend themselves to same superficial labeling. For the pious no amount of perspiration will deter their resolve to pay homage at the multitudinous places of worship that this district offers. For those with more earthly impulses the thought of the lip-smacking kanefry, or the pleasures of dunking tired bodies in the water off the Ullal Beach, are inducement enough.

Things to see and do

Mangalore, it is said, draws its name from the goddess Mangaladevi in whose name a temple was built here in the ninth century by king kundavarma. Religion dominates society and economy in this primarily agrarian district. Exquisite temples like the Manjunatha, Mangaladevi and Sharavu Ganapathi are a part of the religious circuit in the city. As is the magnificent St Aloysius College Chapel, with frescoes and oil paintings that Mangaloreans are happy to clime as rivalling those in the Sistine Chaple. These more secular pursuits in mind however need not despair long strethes of pristine beaches a spanking new golf courser and a variety of water sports are all available within 20 km from Mangalore.

St Aloysius College Chapel

Located right in the center of the city, on the campus of St Aloysius College on light house hill road,, this chapel is an architectural
gem. Built in 1900, it has a series of paintings that caver every inch of its rope and walls. Primarily frescoes painted upon lime-washed walls, the scenes depict the lives of saints ranging from St Thomas to St John De Britto. A labour of love by the Italian artist, brother Antonio Moscheni these paintings also include oils on canvas that were extensively restored by intach.

Timings : 8 -30 am to 1 pm, 2 pm 2 pm…


Where to stay and eat

The Taj Manjarun Hotel

Ph : 0824 – 2420420
Tariff : Rs 1200-3995

Hotel Mongalore International
Ph : 2444860 / 64
Tariff : Rs 530-1390

Hotel Manorama
Ph : 2440306
Tariff : Rs 275 – 725

Hotel Moti
Ph : 2441411 / 2
Tariff : Rs : 950 – 1800.