KARNATAKA- PERFECT TREAT OF HISTORY, NATURE AND BEACHES

When it comes to tourism Karnataka succeeds in attaining and maintaining 5th position among the top popular states of tourism in India. Astonishingly enough , it houses 507 out of the 3,600 centrally protected historical monuments in India and stands second in this race after Uttar Pradesh.

It is located in the southern part of India.  Tourism in Karnataka is divided into 4 geographical regions of the state that are North Karnataka, South Karnataka , hill stations and Coastal Karnataka. Some of the famous temples bring devotees from various parts of the world to pay their homage. The state has also emerged as a healthcare tourism in past few years, attracting many health tourists to avail alternative therapies.

TOP DESTINATIONS

BENGALURU

The capital of Karnataka  and a hub of India's IT industries is a very rapidly growing and prosperous place in India. The state is full of greenery and interesting buildings.

 The city is always bubbling with life and enthusiastic energy may be this is the reason that city has achieved several names like pub capital of India, Silicon valley of India, Air conditioned city and city of gardens.

The major places to visit in  the city are Vidana Soudha - the lagislative chamber of Karnataka government, Attara kacheri, Lal bagh botanical garden, Cubbon park , Bengaluru palace, Tipu sultan's palace and fort, Ulsoor lake, Jawaharlal Nehru Planetarium, Crazy waters amusement park , Gandhi bhavan and the list continues endlessly.

HAMPI

Hampi is one of India's top historical destinations, Hampi once used to be  the capital of Vijaynagar which is said to be the greatest Hindu empires in Indian history. It consists of ruins of the 14th century , and comprise more than 500 monuments.Here you will feel as if you are there in the earlier timesas it has some extremely captivating ruins of the past intermingled with large boulders that weave up all over Hampi's landscape.

GOKARNA

It is a small and remote holy town , with 4 of India's most pristine beaches, located at an hour's  distance from south Goa border . The main attraction here are the beaches , one can go there

 to soak and chill . There are also some important temples to see like The Mahabaleshawr temple which houses a symbol of lord shiva. The four beaches are kudle, halfmoon, om and paradise beach.

Moreover, bonfires, singing ,guitars, and drums are a common part Of Gokarna's nightlife. Although officially alcohol is banned in the town but still you won't face any difficulty getting a cold beer on the beach.

MYSORE

The whole city of Mysore is decorated with an incomparable architecture

 of modern and ancient times. City's main tourist attraction is the Mysore palace.

 There are many other interesting palaces , buildings and temples to see. It is a perfect place to learn ashtanga yoga.

NAGARHOLE NATIONAL PARK

Park is situated in Karnataka state, 95 kms South west of Mysore .It comes in the list of top national parks in India and shelters many elephants in their natural habitat. The park has streams , lake and is maintained nicely with unspoilt wilderness. Nagarhole canbe explored by jeep, elephant back and boat. Entry fee in the park for foreigners is 1000 rupees, Indian adult and children 200 and 150 rupees.

COORG

The Kodagu region is reffered now as Coorg( the English version of the name),

 is the best place to visit in Karnataka for those who just love to be in the lap of nature as Coorg will definately allure them with its scenic beauty, the waterfalls and mountains. It is also endowed  for it's sprawling coffee estates.

6 visitable places of Coorg are coffee plantations, waterfalls, mountains and trekking, Dubare elephant camp, Tibetan monestary and golden temple and Raja's seat.

CUISINE

Karnataka is undoubtedly a great host and offers to its tourists a palate that is irresistible.

It meets the taste of every tounge no matter where that person is from. To sum it all , I would say the dishes here are of typical south Indian touch with a little bit of sweetness which makes it even more better and unique.

A special  dish named kannadiga , is a mysterious journey in itself because it's taste varies from region to region within the state itself. Other unique feasts of Karnataka are -Mangalorean which is

known for seafood and is a combo of spicy fish and rice based preparations . Udupi is a town from where whole South Indian vegetarian cuisine originates and takes it's name . Sambhar, rasam, chutneys made of coconut and skin of ridge gourd are specialities. Kodava's cuisine consists of  meat and gravy. Pork curry, rice dumblings are the most mouth- watering dishes of Kodava . The succulent koli curry , nool puttu, rice rotti and bamboo shoot curry also worth a try.

To end your meal , you may wish to have or  desserts or sweets like chiroti , mysore pak , obbatu or holige and shavige pyasa. With Karnataka ,the pudding is a proof  itself and it tastes heavenlygood.

SHOPPING

There is an endless list of items that are a must to shop from Karnataka. Major shopping destinations are Bangaluru , Mysore, Gulbarga, Mangalore. Mysore is just the perfect place to shop for sandalwood and rosewood and their articlesas gift items. Stone sculptures too can be a great gift. Mysore silk and It's sarees Bidriware mysore paintings, embossed and carved articles, Lambani jewellery, ivory statures are very famous. One instead of shopping from government emporiums should prefer local shops if in case they are a good bargainer.