Sights in Southern Karnataka
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Namdroling Monastery
Bylakuppe's highlight is the Namdroling Monastery, home to the jaw-droppingly spectacular Golden Temple, presided over by an 18m-high gold-plated Buddha. The temple is at its dramatic best when school is in session and it rings out with gongs, drums and chanting of hundreds of young novices. You’re welcome to sit and meditate; look for the small blue guest cushions lying around. The Zangdogpalri Temple, a similarly ornate affair, is next door.
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Gomateshvara Statue
A steep climb up 614 steps takes you to the top of Vindhyagiri Hill, the summit of which is lorded over by the towering naked statue of Gomateshvara. Commissioned by a military commander in the service of the Ganga king Rachamalla and carved out of a single piece of granite by the sculptor Aristenemi in AD 981, its serenity and simplicity is in stark contrast to the Hoysala sites at Belur and Halebid.
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Maharaja's Palace
The fantastic profile of the walled Indo-Saracenic Maharaja's Palace, the seat of the maharajas of Mysore, graces the city's skyline. An earlier palace burnt down in 1897 and the present one, designed by English architect Henry Irwin, was completed in 1912 at a cost of Rs 4.5 million.
The palace's interior - a kaleidoscope of stained glass, mirrors and gaudy colours - is undoubtedly over the top, but it includes awe-inspiring carved wooden doors and mosaic floors, as well as a series of historically interesting paintings depicting life in Mysore during the Edwardian Raj. Hindu temples within the palace grounds include the Sri Shweta Varahaswamy Temple; its gopuram (gatewa…
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Channakeshava Temple
The Channakeshava Temple was commissioned in 1116 to commemorate the Hoysalas’ victory over the neighbouring Cholas. It took more than a century to build, and is currently the only one among the three major Hoysala sites still in daily use – try to be there for the puja (offerings or prayer) ceremonies at 9am, 3pm and 7.30pm. Some parts of the temple, such as the exterior lower friezes, were not sculpted to completion and are thus less elaborate than those of the other Hoysala temples. However, the work higher up is unsurpassed in detail and artistry, and is a glowing tribute to human skill. Particularly intriguing are the angled bracket figures depicting women in rit…
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Lalbagh Botanical Gardens
Spread over 96 acres of landscaped terrain, Lalbagh or the Red Garden was laid out in 1760 by Hyder Ali, and is now one of Bengaluru’s most famous greens. Ten-seater ecofriendly buggies (per head Rs100) can take you on a guided tour across the garden, telling you more about the centuries-old trees and collections of plants from around the world. A beautiful glasshouse, modelled on the original Crystal Palace in London, is the venue for flower shows in the weeks preceding Republic Day (26 January) and Independence Day (15 August). Walk in early on Sundays, and you can also hear the police band perform at the Police Bandstand.
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Hoysaleswara Temple
Construction of the Hoysaleswara Temple, Halebid’s claim to fame, began around 1121 and went on for more than 80 years. It was never completed, but nonetheless stands today as a masterpiece of Hoysala architecture. The interior of its inner sanctum, chiselled out of black stone, is marvellous. On the outside, the temple’s richly-sculpted walls are covered with a flurry of Hindu deities, sages, stylised animals and friezes depicting the life of the Hoysala rulers. A huge statue of Nandi (Shiva’s bull) sits to the left of the main temple, facing the inner sanctum.
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Bandipur National Park
About 80km south of Mysore on the Ooty road, the Bandipur National Park covers 880 sq km and was once the Mysore maharajas’ private wildlife reserve. The park is noted for its herds of gaurs (Indian bison), chitals (spotted deer), sambars, panthers, sloth bears and langurs, apart from tigers and elephants. Despite its rich wildlife, however, Bandipur isn’t the best place for animal sightings; unrestricted traffic hurtling down the busy highway that cuts through the forest has made the animals wary of venturing close to safari areas of late.
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Daria Daulat Bagh
Srirangapatnam’s star attraction is Tipu’s summer palace, the Daria Daulat Bagh, which lies 1km east of the fort. Built largely out of wood, the palace is notable for the lavish decoration that covers every inch of its interiors. The ceilings are embellished with floral designs, while the walls bear murals depicting courtly life and Tipu’s campaigns against the British. There’s a small museum within, which houses several artefacts including a portrait of Tipu Sultan aged 30, painted by European artist John Zoffany in 1780.
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Karnataka Chitrakala Parishath
This visual arts gallery is Bengaluru’s definitive art institution. A wide range of Indian and international contemporary art is on show at its exhibition galleries (open 10.30am to 7pm), while permanent displays showcase lavish gold-leaf works of Mysore-style paintings and folk and tribal art from across Asia. A section is devoted to the works of Russian master Nicholas Roerich, known for his vivid paintings of the Himalayas, and his son Svetoslav.
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Nagarhole National Park
West of the Kabini River is the 643-sq-km wildlife sanctuary of Nagarhole National Park, pronounced nag -ar-hole-eh. The lush forests here are home to tigers, leopards, elephants, gaurs, muntjacs (barking deer), wild dogs, bonnet macaques and common langurs. The park can remain closed for long stretches between July and October, when the rains transform the forests into a giant slush-pit.
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Bannerghatta Biological Park
The attached zoo is a little grim, but it’s worth making the 25km trek south of Bengaluru to this nature reserve to take its hour-long grand safari in a minibus through an 11,330-hectare enclosure. Here the Karnataka Forest Department rehabilitates tigers, lions and sloth bears rescued from circuses or the wilds. To get here, take bus 366A from City Market (Rs20, one hour).
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Nandi Hills
Rising to 1455m, the Nandi Hills, 60km north of Bengaluru, were once the summer retreat of Tipu Sultan. Today, it’s Bengaluru’s favourite weekend getaway, and is predictably congested on Saturdays and Sundays. It’s a good place for hiking, with stellar views and two notable Chola temples. Buses head to Nandi Hills (Rs40, two hours) from Bengaluru’s Central bus stand.
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Rail Museum
A must-see. Located behind the train station, this museum bears testimony to the stylish way in which the royals rode the railways in the past. The chief exhibit is the Mysore maharani’s saloon, a wood-panelled beauty dating from 1899. There are also five steam engines, each with its own story, and a sprinkling of instruments and memorabilia from the Indian Railways’ chequered past.
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Jayachamarajendra Art Gallery
Built in 1861 as the royal auditorium, the Jaganmohan Palace, just west of the Maharaja’s Palace, houses the Jayachamarajendra Art Gallery, where large crowds gather to check out a collection of kitsch objects and regal memorabilia. The collection includes some fantastic and rare musical instruments, Japanese art, and paintings by the noted artist Raja Ravi Varma.
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Sri Chamundeswari Temple
At a lofty height of 1062m, on the summit of Chamundi Hill, stands the Sri Chamundeswari Temple, dominated by a towering 40m-high gopuram (entrance gateway). It’s a fine half-day excursion, offering spectacular views of the city below; you can take bus 201 (Rs10, 30 minutes) that rumbles up the narrow road to the summit. A return autorickshaw trip will cost about Rs250.
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Keshava Temple
The astonishingly beautiful Keshava Temple is one of the finest examples of Hoysala architecture, on par with the masterpieces of Belur and Halebid. Built in 1268, this star-shaped temple located some 33km from Mysore, is adorned with superb stone sculptures depicting various scenes from the Ramayana, Mahabharata and Bhagavad Gita, and the life and times of the Hoysala kings.
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Government Museum
The Government Museum to the south of Cubbon Park houses a collection of stone carvings and relics, including some good pieces from Halebid. Your ticket also gets you into the attached Venkatappa Art Gallery, where you can see several works and personal memorabilia of K Venkatappa (1887–1962), court painter to the Wodeyars.
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Indira Gandhi Rashtriya Manav Sangrahalaya
A branch of the Bhopal-based Indira Gandhi Rashtriya Manav Sangrahalaya, this museum functions primarily as a cultural centre and exhibition space showcasing arts from rural India. Housing excellent rotating exhibitions and a souvenir shop, the centre organises two-week workshops in traditional art forms, which are open to the public.
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Brindavan Gardens
If you’re familiar with Bollywood, these ornamental gardens might just give you that sense of déjá vu – they’ve indeed been the backdrop to many a shimmying musical number. The best time to visit is in the evening, when the fountains are illuminated and made to dance to the accompaniment of popular film tunes!
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Iskcon Temple
Built by the International Society of Krishna Consciousness (Iskcon), better known as the Hare Krishnas, this shiny temple, 8km northwest of the town centre, is lavishly decorated in a mix of ultra-contemporary and traditional styles. The Sri Radha Krishna Mandir has a stunning shrine to Krishna and Radha.
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Krishnarajendra Market Area
For a pungent taste of traditional urban India, dive into this bustling wholesale fresh-produce Krishnarajendra Market and the dense grid of commercial streets that surround it. This is the main Muslim area of the city and you'll also find here several mosques, including the impressively massive lilac-painted Jama Masjid.
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Ranganathittu Bird Sanctuary
The Ranganathittu Bird Sanctuary is on one of three islands in the Cauvery River. The storks, ibises, egrets, spoonbills and cormorants here are best seen in the early morning or late afternoon on a short boat ride. There’s also a maze made from herbal plants and a restaurant on site.
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Nrityagram
Located 30km to the northwest of Bengaluru, Hessaraghatta is home to Nrityagram, the living legacy of celebrated dancer Protima Gauri Bedi, who died in a Himalayan avalanche in 1998. Protima established this dance academy in 1990 to revive and popularise Indian classical dance.
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Mysore Palace
Among the grandest of India’s royal buildings, the fantastic Mysore Palace was the former seat of the Wodeyar maharajas. The old palace was gutted by fire in 1897; the one you see now was completed in 1912 by English architect Henry Irwin, at a cost of Rs4.5 million.
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Cubbon Park
Named after the former British commissioner Sir Mark Cubbon, the 120-hectare Cubbon Park is where the city breathes. Inside and on its fringes you'll find the red-painted Gothic-style State Central Library, two municipal museums, an art gallery and a bleak Government Aquarium.
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