Bangalore is surrounded by wonderful places you can visit by road. Here are some Bangalore Day Trips for your South Indian itinerary.
Shravanabelagola
Hassan District, 157 km.
This is an ancient and important pilgrimage for Jains. There are two hills here – Chandragiri and Indragiri. The famous 58-foot 1,000-year-old monolith of the Jain saint Gomateshwara Bahubali, stands on the summit of Indragiri hill.
This idol is carved out of a single block of stone. Once every 12 years, it is showered with milk, gold coins, saffron, ghee (refined butter) and curd. The view of the surrounding countryside is worth it from the summit.
You'll find hundreds of inscriptions in Shravanabelagola, some of which record the voluntary death of Jain ascetics and lay devotees by starvation, considered as a means to attain enlightenment.
Nandi Hills
60 km
A hill station, 3,940 feet above sea level, Nandi Hills used to be the summer retreat of Tipu Sultan. It was also frequented by the British who wanted to get away from the heat of the plains.
Several rivers originate from these hills and the surrounding forests are home to many animals and birds. Some of the sights you should see at Nandi Hills are:
Tipu's Drop, a point from where his enemies were thrown to their deaths, and which offers spectacular views
Brahmashram, the cave in which the famous sage Ramakrishna Paramhamsa meditated
Tipu's beautiful palace which you can see only from outside
Bhoganandishwaraswamy Temple at the foothills
Kolar Gold Mines
120 km
The gold mines of Kolar are the second deepest in the world, going down 10,000 feet. Now no longer in operation, the mines yielded significant amounts of gold during the British Raj.
Kolar used to be a beautiful colonial town then, complete with gymkhanas, sprawling bungalows and gardens. You can visit the mines with permission from The Secretary, Kolar Gold Mine Undertaking, Kolar Gold Fields.
Belur and Halebid
222 km
The temples in these two towns, about 16 km from each other, are glorious examples of 16th century craftsmanship. Every inch of these stone temples is sculpted.
Belur's most beautiful offering, the Chenakeshava Temple took 103 years to complete. The 42 celestial dancers on the walls were inspired by the beauty of Queen Shantala, the wife of King Vishnuvardhana Hoysala.
The stone earrings worn by the voluptuous temple dancers adorning this temple can rotate and stone beads of perspiration can glisten. The rotating Narasimha pillar bears a blank space meant to be carved by anyone who would challenge the craftsmanship of the Hoysala sculptors.
The walls of the Hoysaleshwara Temple in Halebid are carved with friezes of naturalistic and mythical animals, as well as scenes from the Ramayana and the Mahabharata. The twin temples here are dedicated to Hoysaleswara – King Vishnuvardhana Hoysala and Santaleswara - Queen Shantala.
Contributors
January 25, 2010 change by 2 many commas (1 point)
January 21, 2010 change by sarandipity
January 29, 2010 change by schitti
