Page 517 - (DK Eyewitness) Travel Guide - India

SOUTHWESTERN INDIA  515

KARNATAKA

Extending from the Arabian Sea and the fertile forested ridges of the
Western Ghats, with their thriving plantations of coffee, spices and fruit,
to the drier, boulder-strewn region of the Deccan Plateau, Karnataka’s
scenic diversity is striking. Equally varied are its historical monuments.
These range from the 6th- to 8th-century Hindu temples at Badami,
Pattadakal and Aihole, the earliest to be found in South India, to Tipu
Sultan’s 18th-century European-style island fort at Srirangapattana, and the
extravagantly turreted early 20th-century palace in Mysuru. Other sights
include the superb temples at Halebid and Belur, the colossal Gommateshvara
monolith at Sravana Belgola and the magnificent ruins of Hampi, the site of the
great citadel of Vijaya nagar. In northern Karnataka are the medieval citadels of
the Deccan sultans at Bijapur, Gulbarga and Bidar, with their walls enclosing
mosques, audience halls and royal tombs.

Sights at a Glance
Towns, Cities & Districts f Bijapur Historic Sites
1 Bengaluru g Gulbarga 2 Talakad
5 Mysuru h Bidar 4 Srirangapattana
6 Kodagu 9 Halebid
q Mangalore 0 Belur
e Barkur u Chitradurga
r Bhatkal i Hampi
t Gokarna a Badami
o Gadag NH9 s Pattadakal
p Belgaum Solapur d Aihole
NH218 Temples & Holy Places
Firuzabad 3 Somnathpur
Sangli 7 Melkote
Kolhapur 8 Sravana Belgola
w Udipi
y Sringeri
Krishna
NH218
Panaji Tun gabhadra 0 kilometres 100
N H 4A 0 miles 50
NH63 NH13
Hubli
Tungabhadra Bellary
Reservoir
NH63 Hospet Key
National highway
NH4
Major road
Davangere •
Anantapur
Minor road
NH206
NH13 Major railway
Linganamakki Shimoga State border
Arabian Reservoir
Sea
NH7
Tumkur
NH206
Mudabidri NH207 NH4 Chittoor
NH17
NH48 Kolar
Hassan
Ullal Vellore
NH209 NH7 NH46
Krishnagiri NH45
Kaveri
NH212 NH67 Dharmapuri
Salem
The ancient Virupaksha Temple in Hampi For keys to symbols see back flap
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