Karnataka, the sixth largest state in India, has been ranked as the third most popular state in the country for tourism in 2014. It is home to 507 of the 3600 centrally protected monuments in India, second only to Uttar Pradesh. The State Directorate of Archaeology and Museums protects an additional 752 monuments and another 25,000 monuments are yet to receive protection.
The ancient sculptured temples, modern cities, hill ranges, forests and beaches are some tourism centers. Broadly, tourism in Karnataka is divided into four geographical regions: North Karnataka, the Hill Stations, Coastal Karnataka and South Karnataka.
The Karnataka government has introduced The Golden Chariot – a train which connects popular tourist destinations in the state and Goa.
The Karnataka State Tourism Development Corporation is the governmental body that works to promote tourism in Karnataka.
North Karnataka
North Karnataka has monuments that date back to the 5th century. Kannada royal capitals are also present here. Monuments constructed by the Badami Chalukyas monuments are located at Pattadakal, Aihole and Badami. Aihole has been called the cradle of Indian architecture and has over 125 temples and monuments built between 450 and 1100 CE. Rashtrakuta monuments at Lokapura, Bilgi and Kuknur and Kalyani Chalukyas monuments built in Gadag style of architecture at Lakkundi, Gadag, Itagi (in Koppal District) and the Vijayanagar empire temples at Vijayanagara are some examples. Hampi in Bellary district has ruins spread over an area of 125 km2. There are fifty four world heritage monuments and six hundred and fifty national monuments (ASI). An additional three hundred monuments await protection. The Deccan sultanate monuments at Bijapur and Gulbarga show unique and discreet Hindu influences, and rival the Muslim monuments of North India. Archeologically important locations like Sannati, Kanaganahalli in Kalaburagi district have thrown more light on Buddhist centers of the 1st century BCE to 3rd century CE. The first ever statue of emperor Ashoka with his queens and a Prakrit inscription Rayo Ashoka (ASI) has been found.
Badami surroundings important locations are Kudalasangama, Aihole, Pattadakal, Mahakuta and Banashankari.
Hampi surroundings region, they can be visited from Hampi/Hosapete, or from Hubli. There are Kuknur, Itagi, Gadag, Lakkundi, Dambal, Haveri, Kaginele, Bankapura.
Utsav Rock Garden, a museum in the Haveri district, features a cultural heritage and educational tourist center. It is notable for having over 2000 sculptures relating to the depiction of rural life.
World heritage centres
Hampi, Bellary district: The site of the capital of Vijayanagara (1336) and formerly the seat of the Vijayanagar Empire. Foreign visitors in the 15th and 16th centuries described Hampi as being bigger than Rome. The city was destroyed and deserted in 1565 by marauding Moghul invaders and its ruins now lie scattered over a 26 sq. km area south of the river Tungabhadra. The rocky area near Anegundi to the north of the river has been identified as Kishkindha of Ramayana times. Hampi is home to a monolithic Narasimha, which was installed by Krishnadevaraya in 1529. The remains of palaces and gateways can be seen. Group of 8th-century CE monuments, Pattadakal: Located on the banks of the river Malaprabha, Pattadakal was the second capital of the Chalukyas and contains examples of 7th- and 8th-century temple architecture. Four temples are in the south Indian Dravidian style, four in the North Indian Nagara style and the last one, the Papanatha temple represents a hybrid of the two styles. The oldest temples are the Sangameshwara, Mallikarjuna and Virupaksha Temples.
Historical locations
Chalukya
Aihole: a former Chalukya trading city. There are around 140 temples including examples of early Chalukya, Rashtrakuta and later Chalukya dynasties from the 6th to 12th centuries. It has a Jain and Vedic rock-cut shrine, both of about the 6th century. It has a Durga temple and pictures of the Tirthankaras. The meguti on a slope is a jaina basti with a Buddhist two-story rock-cut shrine below it and an Aihole inscription from Pulakeshin 2 above it. All the other Jain and Buddhist temples are built of stone and resemble Hindu temples. The temples were built during the Middle Ages before any style was established and hence there is a mixture of styles.