BANGALORE - SHRAVANABELAGOLA IN 3 DAYS

At a distance of 8.5 Kms from Bangalore City Railway Station, Sri Banashankari Temple is situated on Kanakapura Road. Dedicated to Banashankari Amma, an incarnation of Goddess Parvati, this temple is one of the oldest and most famous temples in Bangalore.

The temple was constructed by Subramanya Shetty in 1915. Most noteworthy feature of the temple is that the deity is worshipped in Rahukala, an inauspicious time according to Hindu belief. The temple is open to public everyday but special puja is performed on Tuesday, Friday and Sunday. A popular belief among the devotees is that by worshipping goddess Banashankari Amma in Rahukala, all the hardships and poverty will be removed. The deity is worshipped by lighting multiple oil lamps in half cut lemon peels with the pulp removed.

The temple celebrates three cultural ceremonies in a year - Sep 13th the birthday of Banashankari Amma, Dussehra Festival in October and the temple anniversary in Dec.

Timing: 6 AM - 1:30 PM .....

At a distance of 5 km from Bangalore City Railway Station, Bull Temple also known as Basavanagudi Nandi Temple is Hindu temple situated in Bull Temple Road, Basavanagudi area of South Bengaluru. This is one of the oldest temples in Bangalore, and also one of the must visit places as part of Bangalore Tour Packages.

The Bull Temple is dedicated to the sacred bull Nandi, the vehicle of Lord Shiva. The temple was built in 1537 by Kempegowda in the Dravidian style. It is one of the popular places to visit in Bangalore. The temple is relatively small in size, but houses one of the largest monolithic Nandi statues in the world which measures 4.5 meters in height and 6 meters in length. The temple also houses the idols of God Surya and Chandra, on their chariots. A 17th-century inscription at the base of the structure mentions a stream called Vrishabhavathi .....

At a distance of 6 Kms from Bangalore City Railway Station, the Dodda Ganapathi Temple or Basavanagudi Ganesh Temple is located on the Bull Temple Road in Basavanagudi. Built in 1971, the temple has a monolithic statue of Lord Ganesha with 18ft in height and 16ft in width. It is one of the popular pilgrimage & tourist attraction in Bangalore.

The deity in this temple is also known as Shakthi Ganapathi or Satya Ganapathi. The idol is believed to be growing on its right side. The most popular ceremony of the temple is the butter coating which apparently consumes about 100 kg of butter. This butter is broken up and distributed to the devotees once in every four years. This is a spectacular sight at the temple and a visit to the temple to witness this is recommended.

Timings: 7 AM to 12.30 PM and 5.30 to 8.30 PM

At a distance of 3 km from Bangalore City Railway Station, Tipu Sultan's Palace or Tipu's Summer Palace is situated near the Tipu's Fort at Albert Victor Road. This palace stands as one of the notable Islamic buildings and an important landmark in the city of Bangalore. This was used as a summer retreat by the Sultan, who lovingly called it the Rash-e-Jannat meaning Envy of Haven.

Hyder Ali started the construction of the palace within the walls of the Bangalore Fort and it was completed by Tipu Sultan in 1791. Used as a summer retreat, the structure is similar to the Daria Daulat palace of Srirangapatnam. After Tipu Sultan's death in the Fourth Anglo-Mysore War, the British Administration used the palace for its Secretariat before moving to Attara Kacheri in 1868.

The Summer Palace is an example of Indo-Islamic architecture. The entire palace is built of teak wood, mortar, stone and plaster. It is laid on a stone plinth. .....

At a distance of 5 km from Bangalore City Railway Station, Visweswaraiah Industrial and Technological Museum (VITM) is located on Kasturba Road in the surroundings of Cubbon Park, Bangalore. It is one of the best science museums in India, and one of the top places to visit in Bangalore, especially for children.

Visvesvaraya Industrial and Technological Museum (VITM), is a constituent unit of the National Council of Science Museums (NCSM), Ministry of Culture, Government of India. It was established in memory of Bharat Ratna Sir M. Visvesvaraya. It is one of the must include places in Bangalore Tour Packages. Coverng an area of 4000 sq. m, the museum was opened by the first Prime Minister of India, Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru in 1962 while the first gallery set up at VITM, on the theme of Electricity, was opened to the public on 27th July 1965. The first .....

At a distance of 4 Kms from Bangalore City Railway Station, The Karnataka Government Museum is located at the Kasturba Gandhi Road, quite near to the Cubbon Park. Established in 1886, it is one of the oldest museums in India. It is also known as State Archeological Museum. With great collection of artifacts, it's one of the ideal places to visit in Bangalore for history & art lovers.

There are 18 galleries showcasing a rich collection of coins, art and relics from the Mohenjodaro, Halebid and Vijayanagara. It also houses the relics dating back to 5000 years. The painting gallery includes beautiful and rare paintings in Mysore and Tanjore style and also paintings from Rajasthani and Pahari schools. The museum also preserves antiques that date back to the civilization of Harappa and Mohenjodaro. Among the other artifacts on display, ivory carvings, inlay work, sandal-wood caskets are highly appreciated.

Timings: 10 AM to 5 PM. Closed on Wednesdays and public holidays.

Entry .....

At a distance of 3.5 km from Bangalore City Railway Station, Vidhan Soudha is the state legislature building located on Dr. Ambedkar road at the northern end of Cubbon Park. It houses the Legislative Chambers of Karnataka State. This is one of the top tourist places to visit in Bangalore and also the largest Legislative building of India. This is one of the prime attractions of Bangalore city and also most commonly used to represent Bangalore.

Kengal Hanumanthaiah, the Chief Minister of Mysore, is credited with the conception and construction of the Vidhana Soudha. The foundation stone was laid by the then Prime Minister of India, Jawaharlal Nehru, on 13 July 1951. It was completed in the year 1956 at a total cost of around Rs. 1.75 crore.

Vidhana Soudha was built in the Neo-Dravidian architectural style and has the elements of Indo-Saracenic, Rajasthani .....

At a distance of 700m from Shravanabelagola Bus Station, Bhandara Basadi is the largest temple built in the center of Shravanabelagola town at a distance of about 300m from the entrance of the Vindhyagiri hill which houses the famous Bahubali Gomateshwara Temple. It is one of the popular sacred places to visit in Shravanabelagola.

Built in 1159 CE, this temple was erected by Bhandari Hullamayya, a general of Hoysala King Narasimha. The temple is a large structure measuring 155 ft x 232 ft. The temple exhibits great artistic skills of Hoysala rulers. The temple has a large manasthamba and an ornate mandapa in front of the entrance. The tower on entrance of the temple is small but nicely designed. The temple tower is erected on a pillared mandapa that houses few wooden carvings of a Jain Thirthankaras.

The main shrine is a rectangular structure with a 12 pillared sanctum, a rangamandapa and another mandapa called Saraswathi .....

At a distance of 1 km from Shravanabelagola Bus Station, Odegal Basadi also known as Vadegal Basti or Trikuta Alaya is a wonderful 14th-century basadi situated on Vindhyagiri hill on the way to Bahubali Gomateshwara Temple. It is one of the prime places to visit in Shravanabelagola.

The Odegal Basadi is named so because of the stone proportions placed against its basement. It is the only trikutachala in Shravanabelagola that can be visited as part of Shravanabelagola Tour Packages. The basadi is built on a highly elevated platform supported by huge blocks of stone pillars. It is impressive for the commanding position it occupies. The temple has a small Mukha mandapa followed by a large maha mandapa with circular pillars. The maha mandapa has three sanctums facing different directions with beautiful statues of Tirthankaras housed inside.

The .....

At a distance of 1 km from Shravanabelagola Bus Station, Tyagada Kamba is a 10th century Monilithic Gateway situated on Vindhyagiri hill between Bahubali Gomateshwara Temple and Tyagada Kamba.

The doorway has a large stone carving of Gajalakshmi panel above the door. Goddess Lakshmi seated on lotus flanked by two elephants with pots in their trunks. The panel has crocodile and lion images carved on the upper part. This is one of the finest and largest Gajalakshmi reliefs in the country. It is one of the best arts that exhibit the workmapship of Ganga period.

There are two cells built on both sides of the gateway which were built in 12th century by Bharatamayya, a general of Hoysala king Vishnuvardhana. These cells are dedicated to Bahubali and his brother Bharatha.

Beside Bharatha's cell, there is a huge rock with several carvings of Jain saints with their followers flanked across the rock in three levels. The .....

At a distance of 1 km from Shravanabelagola Bus Station, Bahubali Gomateshwara Temple is a monolithic statue situated in Shravanbelagola, Karnataka. It is the tallest monolithic stone statue in the world with a height of 58 feet, and among the must include places in Shravanabelagola Tour Packages.

The temple is built on top of a Vindhyagiri Hill at an altitude of 3347 feet. A flight of 620 steps provides access to this temple from the entrance near the pond. Gomateshwara Temple is among the prime places to visit in Shravanabelagola.

This image of Bahubali was created during the period of Chamundaraya, a minister of the Ganga King Rajamalla between 982 and 983 CE. The eyes of the statue are open as if viewing with work without any detachment. The statue has an anthill behind, representing Gomatha's long penance. Creeper emerges .....

At a distance of 1 km from Shravanabelagola Bus Station, Siddhara Basadi is a 14th century basadi situated just outside the main Bahubali Gomateshwara Temple on Vindhyagiri hill.

Dedicated to Sidda Bhagavan Thirthankara, the basadi has an attractive carved granite statue of Saint Sidda in sitting posture. The basadi has two wonderful pillars erected in 14th and 15th centuries with valuable inscriptions. These pillars are dedicated to the Jain saints Panditahradhya and Srtamuni. The text on one of the pillars was composed by a famous Kannada poet called Mangaraja.

The Wodeyar mandapa on the western side has inscriptions describing the donations made by the Mysore Maharajas to the temple in 17th and 18th centuries.

Few meters ahead of Siddara Basadi, Gullekayi Ajji Mandapa situated opposite to the entrance of Gomateswara Temple is a wonderful mandapa with a mansthamba erected in 12th century with inscriptions. The mandapa also has a beautiful carving of an old lady called .....

At a distance of 1 km from Shravanabelagola Bus Station, Tyagada Kamba is a wonderful 10th century monument situated on Vindhyagiri hill on the way to Bahubali Gomateshwara Temple, past Odegal Basadi.

Tyagada Kamba is a small, open pavilion with an elaborately carved stone pillar which is an unmatched artistic beauty. Built on an elevated platform, the pillar has elaborate carvings from bottom to top. It is believed that Chavundaraya, minister of Ganga Dynasty distributed gifts to needy people from this pavilion. This pillar brings out the best workmanship of Ganga rulers.

It is believed that the original inscription at bottom of the pillar was erased by Heggade Kanna in 1200 AD. He installed an image of Yaksha at the top of the pillar and added inscriptions on the pedestal. The upper mandapa of the pavilion was built using brick and mortar in 15th century.

At a distance of 1 km from Shravanabelagola Bus Station, Tyagada Kamba is a 17th century Jain basadi situated on Vindhyagiri hill near Tyagada Kamba on the right side while going to Bahubali Gomateshwara Temple.

The basadi is a small shrine with a small pillared madapa and sanctum with a small tower over the sanctum. Built on an elevated platform, the doorway of the main structure has is accompanied by dwarapalakas. The shrine is built against a large boulder which form southern wall of the basadi. The image of Chandraprabha, 8th Jain Thirthankara is carved on the boulder attached to the temple.

There is a large open hall with 24 pillars opposite to the basadi. Also, a large 30 feet manastambha is placed near the open hall. The basadi, hall and manasthambha are built by Chennanna, son of Puttaswamy Setti in 1667 AD.

This place offers panoramic view of the other side of Shravanabelagola town.

At a distance of 0.5 km from Shravanabelagola Bus Station & 1.5 km from Bahubali Gomateshwara Temple, Chamundaraya Basadi located on Chandragiri Hill is a wonderful structure dedicated to Lord Neminatha built in Jaina architecture of Dravidian style. It was built by Chamundaraya, the minister of Ganga king Marasimha II in 982 AD. The construction of this basadi was completed in 995 AD. It is one of the prime places to visit in Shravanabelagola, the holy site of Jain pilgrimage.

Chamundaraya Basadi is the most attractive and largest structure on Chandragiri hill. This structure resembles the Dravidian two-tier temple architecture introduced by Badami Chalukyas. The basadi is a rectangular structure facing east. The complex consists of a garbhagriha, a pradakshina path, open sukanasi, navaranga and a mukhamandapa. The garbhagriha houses the image of Lord Neminatha.

There is another small structure on the first level of Chamundaraya Basadi which can be accessed by a set of narrow .....

At a distance of 0.5 km from Shravanabelagola Bus Station & 1.5 km from Bahubali Gomateshwara Temple, Chandraprabha Basadi is located on Chandragiri Hill.

It consists of an open Garbagriha, a sukhanasi, a navaranga and a porch and enshrines a seated figure of Chandraprabha, the 8th tirthankara. In the sukhanasi are placed the images of Shyama and Jwalamalini, the yaksha and yakshi. The pedestal of Jwalamalini image shows a lion with two riders seated one behind the other.

The basadi is a brick structure raised over a stone base. It is said to have been constructed by the Ganga king Sivamara II.

At a distance of 0.5 km from Shravanabelagola Bus Station & 1.5 km from Bahubali Gomateshwara Temple, Kattale Basadi is situated to the left of Parswanatha Basadi on Chandragiri. It is the biggest of all the Basadis on Chandragiri hill.

This basadi is dedicated to Adinath, the first tirthankara. An image of the Goddess Padmavathi is also found in the verandah. It was constructed by Ganga Raja, the general of Vishnuvardhana. This structure was recently renovated by the Government of Karnataka.

The basadi has garbhagriha, pradakshinapatha, an open sukanasi, a navaranga of 16 pillars, a large rangpmandapa. The garbhagriha houses the seated image of Lord Adinatha. As per the inscriptions on the pedestal of this image, the temple was funded by Pochavve, the mother of Gangaraja.

At a distance of 0.5 Km from Shravanabelagola Bus Station & 1.5 km from Bahubali Gomateshwara Temple, Parshwanatha Basadi is located on Chandragiri Hill. The basadi contains a garbagriha, a sukhanasi, a navaranga and a porch. This is a beautiful structure with decorated outer walls. The doorways are lofty and the navaranga as well as the porch have verandhas at their sides. The pillars in the navaranga are of round Ganga type with bell, vase and wheel mouldings. The image of Parshwanatha is the tallest on the hill which is 18 feet in height.

The manastambha (pillar) in front of the Parshwanatha basadi has a pavilion on the top containing standing Jain figures facing four directions. This pillar is sculptured on all the four sides of the base and contains the figure of Padmavathi on the south, Yaksha on the east, seated Kushmandini on the north and a galloping horseman on the west. It was built by a Jain merchant Puttaiya between 1672 & 1704 AD.

At a distance of 6 km from Bangalore City Railway Station, ISKCON (International Society for Krishna Consciousness) Temple Complex is located on the Hare Krishna Hill in Jayanagar. Dedicated to Lord Krishna, it is one of the largest ISKCON temples in the world. This is also one of the top pilgrimage sites & tourist places to visit in Bangalore.

ISKCON Sri Radha Krishna temple was inaugurated in the year 1997 by Shankar Dayal Sharma, then President of India. The temple was built to honor the birth centenary of Sri Prabhupada, the founder of the ISKCON. The project was conceived and executed by Madhu Pandit Dasa following the wishes of Prabhupada to promote Vedic culture and spiritual learning. The temple is a huge cultural complex housing the temples dedicated to Sri Radha Krishna, Sri Krishna Balarama, Sri Nitai Gauranga, Sri Srinivasa Govinda and Sri Prahlada Narasimha.

The temple covers an area of 7 acres and is built in Dravidian style. The temple is an exclusive combination .....

At a distance of 4 km from Bangalore City Railway Station, Bangalore Palace is situated in the heart of Bangalore city, near Sadashiv Nagar. This is one of the best places of heritage in Karnataka, and among the top attractions you must include in Bangalore tour packages.

The Palace was first built by Rev. J. Garrett, who was the first Principal of the Central High School in Bangalore, now known as Central College. Spread over an area of 454 acres, the construction of the palace was started in 1862 and completed in 1944. In 1887, it was bought by the then Maharaja of Mysore Chamarajendra Wodeyar X. It is one of the most famous places to visit in Bangalore

During a visit to England, Chamaraja Wodeyar was inspired by the Windsor Castle in London and along similar lines, he built this palace in .....

At a distance of 3 Kms from Bangalore City Railway Station, the Jawaharlal Nehru Planetarium is situated at T. Chowdiah Road in Bangalore near Vidhana Soudha. Established in 1989, the Planetarium has an observatory equipped with a six inch code refractor telescope. It is one of the ideal places to visit for children in Bangalore.

The sky theatre inside with a dome of 15 m in diameter has a sitting capacity of 225. The Planetarium aims to provide an awareness of astronomy amongst students as well as the common public. Daily two shows are held here for everyone interested in knowing the mysteries of outer space. A Science Park is being developed around the Planetarium. Some of the models on display include Resonant Swings, Whispering Dishes, Sun Dial, Giant Kaleidoscope, Model of a Polar Satellite Launching Vehicle (PSLV).

Show timings: 3 PM and 4:30 PM. Closed on Mondays.

Entry Fee: Rs 35 for Adults & Rs. 20 for Children

At a distance of 6 km from Bangalore City Railway Station, Lalbagh Botanical Garden is a botanical garden situated near the Lalbagh Fort Road in Bangalore. It is one of the largest botanical gardens in India, and among the most attractive places to visit in Bangalore.

Located in South Bengaluru, the Lalbagh Botanical Garden is the first of its kind, with planned routes, glasshouses, and ornamental flowers growing throughout the property. The ruler of Mysore, Hyder Ali commissioned the development of the garden in 1760 and was completed by his son Tipu Sultan, who designed the garden keeping in mind the beautiful gardens of Sira in the Tumkur district of Karnataka. The garden attained the status of a Government Botanical Garden in 1856. It is one of the peaceful places to visit as part of Bangalore Packages.

Sprawling over an area of 240 acres, .....