COMPANY REPRESENTATIVE will receive you on arrival at the airport and transfer to the hotel.

Bangalore is a booming city and considered fifth largest and the fastest growing city in Asia. Bangalore combines a quaint old world charm with the hustle and bustle of a modern metropolitan city. It is a delightful place with an amalgamation of various rich cultures, crafts, and heritage centers. This city while enjoying the reputation of being a modern, high-tech city, still offers a lot of places of historical interest for the avid sightseer to explore. A trip around the city can be very interesting and provides a varied sightseeing experience with Palaces, museums, temples, churches and gardens. It has an enviable posterity and presents much to be discovered. Despite being one of Asia's fastest growing cities, Bangalore remains one of the most elegant metros in India. A well-planned city, with tree-lined avenues, a large number of parks, gardens and lakes, Bangalore is aptly called India's garden city. Bangalore is even gaining the status of the "Floriculture Capital of India" due to the present blossoming of flower exports from the city. The beautiful parks like the Lalbagh and Cubbon Park are indeed a treat to the eyes.

Overnight will be at Bangalore.

Day 02
Bangalore – Shravanbelagola - Hassan:
By Road 187kms/04hrs

After breakfast proceed for the sightseeing.

Cubbon Park: Lord Cubbon laid down the 300-acre park in 1864. A perfect place for joggers and nature walkers, it also has red Gothic structures to see such as the State Central Library with its rare treasure of books, architectural style and fluted pillars, the High Court, the Cheshire Dyer Memorial Hall, Ottawa Chatter, Museum, Century Club and the Press Club.

Lalbagh Gardens: A small fruit orchard of Hyder Ali, this garden had the glory of Tipu Sultan introducing several exotic trees here such as Cypress, Thuja, Junipers, Grapes, Guavas, Raspberries and Strawberries while John Cameron's period was certainly its 'Golden Era'. The Lalbagh Glass House once displayed the flora imported from England.

Vidhana Soudha: An imposing 46m high Bangalore granite monument that resembles the Temple architectural style houses the Legislative Chambers of the state government. The building has 22 departments and 300 rooms, four domes on all its corners and the four-headed lion.

Tipu’s Palace: Similar in many ways to the Summer Palace of Tippu Sultan at Sriangapatna, this palace was begun by Haider Ali and completed by Tippu in 1791. Known as `Rashk-e-jannat' (Envy of Heaven), it has massive wooden work and is known for five exquisitely ornamented arches with beautiful minarets and paintings on walls and ceilings.

Gandhi Bhavan: The Gandhi Smarak Nidhi (memorial of Father of India, Gandhiji) in the Gandhi Bhavan exhibits pictures and photos depicting Gandhiji's life from early childhood till the day of his death. One can also read copies of Gandhiji's letters to famous personalities of his time to fully comprehend his philosophy and his views on various subjects.

After lunch proceed to Hassan visiting Shravanbelagola enroute.

Shravanbelagola in Hassan District is an important Jaina centre. There is a pond and two stony hills, called Chandragiri and Indragiri. Chandragiri has the Chandraguptha basadis of the Gangas and the Parashwanatha basadis here is the biggest. The town below the hill has the Jaina matha whose walls have very old paintings. Indragiri has the Gommata monolith, 58' tall, installed by a Ganga general and scholar Chavundaraya, and also Siddhara basadis, Odegal basadis, Chennanna basadis and Chauvvisa Tirthankara basadis, and also the finely engraved pillar called Tyagada Brahma Pillar. The floral designs on it are excellent. To the north of town is Jinanathapura which has the Aregal basadis and the Shantinatha basadis of Hoysala times. Shravanbelagola has over 500 inscriptions, and some of them are recording death by starving (`sallekhana') by Jaina ascetics and laymen.

Reach Hassan and check into the hotel.

The Hassan City more fully and meaningfully known as the Simhasana Nagari originally, before the mutation of names made by foreign rulers is the administrative centre of the Hassan district which is the invaluable crown of the Karnataka state, whose glory is sung as being the dear offspring of the great Mother Bharata Maataa. This district is rich with natural sceneries and too with cultural wealth. It happens to be the confluence of three verities of areas namely the mountainous, the semi mountainous and the open field areas (Malenadu, Are Malenadu, and Bayalu Seeme). The Nandas, the Mouryas, the Kadambas, the Chalukyas, the Hoysalas, the Lords of Vijaya Nagar Empire, the Kings of Belur, and the Monarchs of Mysore - thus several dynasties had their dominions over this land. Belur and Halebidu have revelled in History as the Capitals of the Hoysala Reign. The very first written document of the Kannada Language has been exposed to the world by this district, in the form of Halmidi Saasana (Halmidi Inscription)

It was the Gangas and the Hoysalas who have contributed the immense treasure of sculptural art work to us to be handed over from generation to generation with proper care and protective measures. Empires and Kingdoms have come and gone, but the sovereign state of the Art of Sculpture erected by them has remained immortal unto this day.

Overnight will be at Hassan.

Day 03
Hassan – Excursion to Belur & Halebid:

Breakfast will be at the hotel.

Proceed for an excursion to Belur & Halebid.

BELUR: This quaint hamlet - 38 Kms from Hassan - is located on the banks of the river Yagachi. It was once the capital of the Hoysala Empire today made unforgettable for its exquisite temples. The Chennakeshava Temple is one of the finest examples of Hoysala architecture. It took 103 years to complete and you can see why. The facade of the temple is filled with intricate sculptures and friezes with no portion left blank. They are all there - awe-inspiring in their intricate workmanship. Inside are hand-lathe-turned filigreed pillars. The Veeranarayana Temple and the smaller shrines are well worth a visit.

HALEBID: Former Dwarasamudra in Hassan district is in Belur taluk and 27 Kms away from Hassan and was the capital of Hoysala after Belur. The Hoysaleswara Temple, dating back to the 12th century, is astounding for its wealth of sculptural details. The walls of the temple are covered with an endless variety of gods and goddesses, animals, birds and dancing girls. Yet no two facets of the temple are the same. This magnificent temple - guarded by a Nandi Bull - was never completed, despite 86 years of labor. The Jain basadis nearby are equally rich in sculptural detail. Belur and Halebid are 222 and 216 Kms from Bangalore, respectively. Channarayapatna, Ramanathpur, Gorur and Manjarabad are the other places of interest around Hassan.

Overnight will be at Hassan.

Day 04
Hassan – Hospet:
By Road 420kms/07-08hrs

After breakfast proceed to Hospet. Reach and check into the hotel.

340 Kms from Bangalore lies Hospet. Its tourist importance lies in its proximity to Hampi, the site of the medieval Vijayanagara Empire, situated about 13 Kms away. The Tungabhadra Dam here harnesses the sweet waters of the Tungabhadra River. At the base of the dam is a garden styled along Japanese lines.

Overnight will be at Hospet.

Day 05
Hospet – Excursion to Hampi:

After breakfast proceed for an excursion to Hampi.

Hampi – Remains of the capital city of the Vijayanagara Empire are spread out over a beautiful, hilly landscape along the Tungabhadra. Founded in the mid-14th century, Vijayanagara became most powerful during the reigns of Krishnadevaraya and Achyutadevaraya. This was also the period of greatest architectural activity, as both these rulers commissioned several buildings in the royal capital and in other parts of their vast empire. Continuous conflict with the Bahmanis, then with Bidar, Bijapur and Golconda, ended in the Battle of Talikota, in which the Vijayanagara forces were defeated and the capital thoroughly sacked and burnt. Ruins of palaces, temple-complexes, monoliths, royal baths, and mosques still lie mostly deserted and dilapidated.

Overnight will be at Hospet.

Day 06
Hospet - Badami:
By Road 214kms/05hrs

After breakfast proceed to Badami. Reach and check into the hotel.

The capital of the Early Chalukyas, Badami is picturesquely situated at the mouth of a ravine between two rocky hills. Badami is famous for its four cave temples - all hewn out of sand stone on the precipice of a hill.

Enter the first cave temple - past Shiva's door keepers - and there he is! The eighteen-armed Nataraja striking 81 dances poses!

The largest and most ornamental is the third cave temple dedicated to Vishnu. Overlooking the cave temples is a reservoir dotted with temples dedicated to Vishnu and Shiva. Also a must are the Bhutanatha temples that lend their name to the lake beneath the cave temples.

Enjoy the sightseeing.

There are several places of tourist interest in Badami that you may tour during your stay in Karnataka. Rock–cut cave Temples, Gateways, Forts, Inscriptions, and Sculptures that seem to come alive before your eyes. There are several monuments in Badami that were constructed during the 6th and 7th centuries. However, the town is best known for its cave temples, cut into the cliff face of the red sandstone hill and connected by flights of steps. They display the full range of religious sects, which have grown up on Indian soil. Two of them are dedicated to Vishnu, one to Shiva and the fourth is a Jain temple.

There's also one natural cave, which is a Buddhist One of the many masterpieces to be found in these caves is the famous, 18-armed Nataraja (Shiva) who if observed closely, strikes 81 poses. Cave 4, the last cave, is the only Jain Temple in Badami. The 24th Tirthankara-Mahavira is seated in a uniquely comfortable pose here, against a cushion in the inner sanctum. Also a must see are Bhutanatha temples that lend their names to the lake just beneath the cave temples. Take a dip in these green tranquil waters as it is said to have the healing properties. On the other bank of the ancient Bhutanatha Lake, astride whose shores the caves stand, is the shrine of Nagamma, the local serpent goddess, within a massive tamarind tree. Nearby, are two Shiva temples? Within the inner sanctum, on the edge of the water, He sits in a rare pose, leaning back, in all his awesome majesty.

Overnight will be at Badami.

Day 07
Badami – Excursion to Aihole & Pattadakal:

Breakfast will be at the hotel.

Proceed for an excursion to Aihole & Pattadakal.
Aihole: Aihole is at a distance of about 20 Kms from Pattadakal. It was the capital of the Chalukyas between the 4th and the 7th centuries and symbolizes Hindu temple architecture in its formative years. Gandaragudi and Ladkhan are the earliest temples and the Durga temple, unusually built like a horse-shoe is another important structure in Aihole. The Durga temple complex has the first model of the intricate Hoysala pillars.

There are more than 70 structures in Aihole, most of them still in good condition. Kunta temple complex, Ravanphadi Cave, Meguti temple (dedicated to Mahavira) and a Buddhist temple are a few among them.

Pattadakal: A mere 30 Kms away from Badami is Pattadakal, where, as the name suggests all the Chalukya kings were crowned. Situated on the banks of the Malaprabha River, it became a centre for experimentation in southern ad northern styles of temple architecture conducted by the Chalukyas. Viewed across the river, the cluster of ten temples reflects the architect's aesthetic approach to space and form.

The Virupaksha temple, which is an amalgam of the Chalukyan and Pallava styles of architecture, has some exceptionally beautiful sculptures. This is also called as the Lokeshwari temple, named after the queen of Vikramaditya II and built in 740 A.D. s it is believed to have been worked on by Pallava artists.

While the Papanatha temple is a fusion of southern and northern styles of architecture, the Galaganatha temple resembles the North Indian temples. The Mallikarjuna temple built in the Dravidian style has sculptures depicting the life of Krishna. An old Jain temple containing two stone elephants is also noteworthy
Overnight will be at Badami.

Day 08
Badami – Hubli – Departure:
By Road 130Kms/03hrs

Breakfast will be at the hotel.

Drive to Hubli airport to take flight for onward journey with sweet memories of the KARNATAKA TOUR.

• ACCOMODATION AT SUGGESTED HOTELS,
• DAILY BUFFET BREAKFASTS,
• AIR CONDITIONED VEHICLE WITH DRIVER FOR THE TOUR,
• SIGHTSEEING TOURS AS MENTIONED IN THE ITINERARY,
• MEET AND ASSIST SERVICES ON ARRIVAL AND DEPARTURE,
• ENGLISH SPEAKING GUIDE AT APPLICABLE PLACES,
• ALL APPLICABLE TAXES AND SERVICE CHARGES, AND
• ALL PARKING WITH DRIVER ALLOWANCES AND ROAD TAXES.

• LUNCHES & DINNERS,
• MONUMENT ENTRANCES,
• CAMERA CHARGES AT THE MONUMENTS,
• PORTER CHARGES,
• TIPS &
• PERSONAL EXPENSES.