GOKARNA BEACH
A sleepy Brahmin town, lodged somewhere between a conservative society and a faithful hippy fan following, Gokarna is a dream destination for so many different reasons. Its refusal to fall into a certain type casted slot is just one of them. Open beaches, undiscovered coves, epiphanic sunsets, jagged cliffs, quaint temples and an evasive culture make Gokarna whatever you want it to be. Sun, sand and surf is what you go to Gokarna for, and the solitude it offers is like a bonus track on a great music album. The Om Beach, with its Om-shaped shoreline is a scramble down a rocky cliff – just like every other beach in Gokarna. Cliffs separate each of Gokarana’s five beaches from the other and offer spectacular views far out into the Arabian Sea. You can either take a boat ride to other beaches or walk it down. But either way the Kudle Beach, the Paradise Beach, the Half-moon Beach and the Gokarna Beach are worth a visit.
With beach shacks aplenty, you can either idle away your time in sun-soaked bliss – the Half-moon in its quaint smallness is as secluded as a private beach – or you can go for an action-packed beach holiday. Fishing trips, jet-skiing, boating trips to spot dolphins off the coast, banana boat rides and good food at the end of it all. And yes, just as Gokarna becomes whatever you want it to be, for the few days you are there, it also lets you be whoever you want to be.
White Water Rafting
If white waters are your kind of rush, Karnataka has some rather good spots set in picturesque locales. Not that you’d be focusing on the scenery. Get in touch with Ozone, Wildcraft or Jungle Lodges & Resorts to drift down the wild side.
BANGALORE
South India’s most alive city is Bangalore. A melting point of ethnic and cultural backgrounds, the hoi polloi is charmingly mixed here. Nearly every one speaks English, even if it’s only a smattering, and everyone is aware of the privilege they’re bestowed with. Yes, every resident of Bangalore, regardless of where they’re from, takes immense pride in their address. Malls, parks, pubs, theatre, cafes, art galleries, palaces – at any given point, Bangalore is buzzing and alive with activity. A bustling city today, Bangalore often reminisces about its days as a sleepy cantonment area of the British – tree lined avenues with quaint sounding names like Richmond Town and Victoria Layout hint that the city does get sentimental about its past. The Bangalore Palace, the Attara Kacheri (High Court), St. Mary’s Basilica, Tipu’s Palace, ISKCON Temple and the Bull Temple highlight Bangalore’s many personalities and are monuments that mark its journey, ante-IT.
Now Bangalore is known for its thriving industry and as an IT hotbed. Lonely Planet rating the city as the No.3 destination in the Best Travel Cities in 2012 has made Bangalore an overnight star, if it wasn’t already. Almost at the heart of South India, this cosmopolitan city is everything a world city needs to be. Pleasant weather, pleasant people, pleasant hangouts. And for its people, being ‘Bangalored’ has a rather affectionate tone to it.
BADAMI
The capital of the mighty Badami Chalukyas might have shrunk into a few scenic square kilometres in terms of touristy value. But Badami still retains its majesty. The locale of its famous cave temples, made up of two giant sandstone hills that flank the placid water of the Agastya Lake paint a stark picture of earthy reds, muddy greens and stone browns set against a sky of acrylic blue – burning an impression into the canvas of your mind. One that you aren’t likely to forget in a hurry.
Aihole-Badami-Pattadakal
Bright yellow sunflower fields, red-ochre sandstone outcrops and cobalt blue skies. The journey to the Badami-Aihole-Pattadakal belt is a painting in the primary colours. The road to the past is nothing short of spectacular. Aihole has to be god’s collection of temple prototypes. Believed to be the cradle of Dravidian temple architecture, Aihole’s temple compendium spans styles and centuries, some as early as the 5th century – and some, like the Durga Temple is built on design that is seen nowhere else in the country. The Badami Chalukyas first had their capital at Aihole before they moved to Badami and it’s justified in resting on its ancient laurels. For, Aihole has a lot of ancient laurels. Pattadakal, similarly, has a finger lodged in the book of time – when it was the place where kings were coronated. A little away from Aihole, Pattadakal stands like an island of majesty – just like its name suggests: ‘pattada kallu’ translating into coronation stone. A complex of eight temples, each one commemorates a landmark event in the history of the Chalukyas, which in turn was one of South India’s most vibrant dynasties. The Malaprabha River flows by both Aihole and Pattadakal, a silent witness now as it was then.
Peeking from crags high above are the remnants of what look like watchtowers. You never know what you might encounter in the thick shrub undergrowth. Leopards have been known to pay unwelcome visits to the nearby villages to drag cattle away. Just a few kilometres apart, Aihole, Pattadakal and Badami can be covered in a day – a day well spent, at that! Badami is a snapshot of the past, where the elements, both natural and manmade, have been fixed in a tableau as if afraid to move on from a love affair that’s well and over now. The love affair being, the glory days of the Badami Chalukyas who had moved their capital to Badami in the apogee of their run as a dynasty. Karnataka is a rambling old storyteller, and the most exquisite stories it has. Every place is steeped in legend and myth, and Badami with the Agastya Lake flanked by two rocky, almost-rectangular sandstone hills represent the Sage Agastya and the two ill-behaved demons, Vatapi and Ilvala. It’s a steep climb up to its rock-cut cave temples. The four temples which are hewn into a rock, one level above the other, has the most exquisite carvings from the Hindu myths and the top most one, dedicated to the Jain faith, has iconography representing the thirthankaras who are considered the pillars of the faith. The view from here in the evenings is the stuff of epics. And yet, it pales in comparison with the one from the North Fort, which lies on the opposite hill. Man-made as it might be, the Agastya Lake has an untouched air about it, made complete by the brown sandstone Bhootanatha Temples that stand on its edge like ephemeral maidens, who might vanish any moment – so beautiful, that they are almost a mirage. Dedicated to the god of spirits and ghosts, the beauty of the Bhootanatha Temples glistening like a fleeting apparition in the dusk will haunt for a long, long time after you’ve left Badami.
The capital of the mighty Badami Chalukyas might have shrunk into a few scenic square kilometres in terms of touristy value. But Badami still retains its majesty. The locale of its famous cave temples, made up of two giant sandstone hills that flank the placid water of the Agastya Lake paint a stark picture of earthy reds, muddy greens and stone browns set against a sky of acrylic blue – burning an impression into the canvas of your mind. One that you aren’t likely to forget in a hurry.
Aihole-Badami-Pattadakal
Bright yellow sunflower fields, red-ochre sandstone outcrops and cobalt blue skies. The journey to the Badami-Aihole-Pattadakal belt is a painting in the primary colours. The road to the past is nothing short of spectacular. Aihole has to be god’s collection of temple prototypes. Believed to be the cradle of Dravidian temple architecture, Aihole’s temple compendium spans styles and centuries, some as early as the 5th century – and some, like the Durga Temple is built on design that is seen nowhere else in the country. The Badami Chalukyas first had their capital at Aihole before they moved to Badami and it’s justified in resting on its ancient laurels. For, Aihole has a lot of ancient laurels. Pattadakal, similarly, has a finger lodged in the book of time – when it was the place where kings were coronated. A little away from Aihole, Pattadakal stands like an island of majesty – just like its name suggests: ‘pattada kallu’ translating into coronation stone. A complex of eight temples, each one commemorates a landmark event in the history of the Chalukyas, which in turn was one of South India’s most vibrant dynasties. The Malaprabha River flows by both Aihole and Pattadakal, a silent witness now as it was then.
Peeking from crags high above are the remnants of what look like watchtowers. You never know what you might encounter in the thick shrub undergrowth. Leopards have been known to pay unwelcome visits to the nearby villages to drag cattle away. Just a few kilometres apart, Aihole, Pattadakal and Badami can be covered in a day – a day well spent, at that! Badami is a snapshot of the past, where the elements, both natural and manmade, have been fixed in a tableau as if afraid to move on from a love affair that’s well and over now. The love affair being, the glory days of the Badami Chalukyas who had moved their capital to Badami in the apogee of their run as a dynasty. Karnataka is a rambling old storyteller, and the most exquisite stories it has. Every place is steeped in legend and myth, and Badami with the Agastya Lake flanked by two rocky, almost-rectangular sandstone hills represent the Sage Agastya and the two ill-behaved demons, Vatapi and Ilvala. It’s a steep climb up to its rock-cut cave temples. The four temples which are hewn into a rock, one level above the other, has the most exquisite carvings from the Hindu myths and the top most one, dedicated to the Jain faith, has iconography representing the thirthankaras who are considered the pillars of the faith. The view from here in the evenings is the stuff of epics. And yet, it pales in comparison with the one from the North Fort, which lies on the opposite hill. Man-made as it might be, the Agastya Lake has an untouched air about it, made complete by the brown sandstone Bhootanatha Temples that stand on its edge like ephemeral maidens, who might vanish any moment – so beautiful, that they are almost a mirage. Dedicated to the god of spirits and ghosts, the beauty of the Bhootanatha Temples glistening like a fleeting apparition in the dusk will haunt for a long, long time after you’ve left Badami.
Bandipur National Park
Go wild and see just how therapeutic it can be. Trade those concrete jungles for a fresh breath of green. Put a pause on the rat race and ride an elephant instead. Take a break from bearding the lion in his corner office and go looking for tigers. The Bandipur Wildlife Sanctuary puts life back into perspective. Or rather it puts the perspective back into life.
Trying to spot elusive animals, listening for bird calls and commuting on the first elephant into the heart of the forests that were once the private hunting grounds of the Maharaja of Mysore himself – its a little like everyday life, only drastically different. The elephant safari is an experience not only because you feel like the lord of all that lies before you, but also because, you never know what you might see. Depending on the peacock temperament of the moment, you could get treated to a peacock dance, or you might catch it on a bad day when it might get modest and a vividly-hued tail peeking from the thick foliage is all youll get. You might spot a bison playing peek-a-boo from behind a bush, or a crocodile sunning itself on the banks of the River Kabini, its wicked grin intact. The Sanctuary is home to the spotted deer, the sambar deer, pythons, sloth bears, porcupines, monkeys and over 230 species of birds. Thats a lot of spotting to do – just might help you see the good things in life again.
Tourist Places 