After three weeks in beautiful Kerala, it was time to move on and go to another State. I would spend the last week in India travelling in Karnataka with two friends from Bangalore (its capital city). I discovered that there are many places to visit in Karnataka. It was intense, it was nice, it was interesting… here I present you five highlights of surprising Karnataka:
- Part 1:
- Beautiful Mysore
- Temples
- Part 2:
- Nature and animals
- Origin of Kaveri river
- Tibetan settlement
Beautiful Mysore
When I arrived in Mysore, I had been travelling in India for three weeks (plus two weeks on my first trip). And it was the first time I thought ‘oh, this city is beautiful’. Not only it has a wonderful palace, the streets are wide, it has beautiful architecture and it is quite clean.
My friends told me it used to be better, ‘clean as an european city’, with much less traffic and more green areas (progress is not always good on cities…). Still, it felt different, and I liked it.




The main reason Mysore attracts visitors is for its palace, which has wonderful architecture, paintings and carving. We visited it during the day and came back in the evening to see the building full of lights, which is quite impressive (and free!).
Also in the evening we found an exhibition center (or something like that). It was a big area with shops, food, lights, families, amusements attractions and an exhibition about Karnataka. Yes, this is India as much as the temples.




Another day we went up to Chamundi Hill to see the Chamundeshwari temple, the Shiva temple and the big Nandi*. There were many people (Indians, not many foreigners), food and flowers vendors, a very nice atmosphere.
We came down the hill by walk… 1000 steps! During the descent, we crossed several people going up, and some of them were leaving a yellow and red mark with the finger on each step, to workship the way to the temple (I do not know if at the end they had more pain in the legs, on in the back! I really admire them).



Temples
In Karnataka I saw some of the most amazing Hindu temples in India: Somanathapura, Halebeedu and Belur.
In these temples it is worth to pay a guide (an official one) who will explain the history and the meaning of the carvings. Such a detailed work!
The exterior parts are full of carvings of deities, ramayana, dancers… and every single carving has a meaning or a story behind. For example, in Halebeedu, the lower carvings all around the temple represent elephants for the strength, lyons for the courage, flowers for the beauty and horses for the speed.




Another example: there was a small carving representing a bird drinking with a snake behind. It means ‘a bit of wine is good, like medicine, but a lot of it is poison’.
These temples are ancient. They were constructed several centuries back, and amazingly show images that are still valid today: hairstyles, clothes, shoes, balconies, emotions, someone drinking with a straw, another taking a dog for a walk… and the carvings are so detailed, they were great artists.



A lot of carvings are missing since they were broken during invasions or vandalism, and others were taken to some museums in London. Still, a lot remain and they are worth the visit.
Somanathapura is the smallest one, a temple for Vishnu* no longer in use. Halebeedu is the biggest one, it is a Shiva* temple that took 190 years to be constructed (and it is incomplete). Belur, a Vishnu* temple, is the only one which is still active. It took 103 years and three generations to the constructed.


GOOD TO KNOW
- Mysore Palace: Indians 40 rupees, foreigners 200 rupees
- Mysore museum (inside the Palace grounds, apparently a weapons museum, I did not enter): Indians 35 rupees, foreigners 280 rupees
- Mysore Palace lightning: free entry. Only Sundays and public holidays from 19:00 – 19:45.
- Somanathapura temple: Indians 5 rupees, foreigners 100 rupees
- Halebeedu temple: free entry. Official guide (optional) 300 rupees per group
- Belur temple: free entry. Official guide (optional) 300 rupees per group
* Chamundeshwari, also named Durga and Parvathi, is a goddess. Shiva is a god and husband of Parvathi. Nandi is a bull and is the transport means of Shiva. Vishnu is another of the important Hindu gods.
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The views of that palace at night are incredible, wow! Were the lights just for Christmas time? (I’m not sure how widely the holiday is celebrated there)
Yes, the lightning of the palace was incredible! Non, the lights are there all the year. I’m not sure how widely Christmas is celebrated in Karnataka, but I think not much, I did not see any Christmas decoration there.
Beautiful post! Did you happen to visit Bangalore? Bangalore is colorful with lights and decorations during christmas.
Thanks! Yes, I visited Bangalore, but we did not go around that much… I stayed at my friend’s place, I got an ayurvedic massage (great!), but we mainly rested from the week’s trip. It was also my last day in India…
hey good one..also some more highlights of belur and halebeedu is that every column inside the temple is different from the other, also can you post a close up picture of the carvings?
Yes, that’s right, all columns inside are different. Thanks Kaushik! I will check if I have a good close up picture to appreciate the carvings.
I’ve never heard of Mysore palace before and it’s stunning! So intricate and beautiful when lit up at night. Those temples in Karnataka remind me of ones I saw in Cambodia. Very similar in style and elaborate.
I had not heard about Mysore before the trip either… and it is stunning, day and night! If the temples in Cambodia are as elaborate as the ones in Karnataka I will like them 🙂
What a stunning palace Laia especially all lit up at night! The temples have wonderful decorations too – so beautiful! Great post and so much information for anyone planning on travelling there too! Happy travels 🙂
Thanks Rosemary! Happy travels and Merry Christmas!! 🙂
Thanks Laia and hope that you had a very Merry Christmas too! 🙂
Good info and beautiful images. Thank you for sharing such useful info.
Thank you! I’m happy you liked it 🙂