Glorious Karnataka

When you have the passion to travel, you would normally start by exploring places closest to you. I guess that kind of explains why I travelled so much within Karnataka.

Having born and bought in Coorg I got to see the Scotland of India. I climbed hills, walked through coffee plantations, drove through dense forests and took dips in the rivers. And every time I went visiting one of my aunts I discovered another side of this beautiful place.

Mysore was the closest destination when we wanted to go on one day fun trips as kids. And even now when I visit Mysore I remember time when I was awed by 3-D paintings in the place, excited by the animals in the zoo and enjoyed the ride up Chamundi hill. Dassera here is again something that I always remember.

Doing my graduation in Bangalore fuelled my passion for travel. It was here I made friends with people who shared the same interest. Whenever we got a chance we would go and explore places close by.

One of the first places we went as a group was Sravanabelagola, Belur and Halebid. The workmanship in the temples is unmatched. The huge Mahaveer, The attention paid to details, effects achieved without any high tech gadgets, the perfect measurements, I continue to visit these places every now and then and they still mesmerize me. Since it’s so close to Bangalore I normally advise people to take sometime and go here. And if I have the time I go along.

But this in not the only place where once gets to look at the past, Hampi is another destination that’s a must visit. Music from the pillars, the pinhole camera effect, and the amazing food one gets here just add to the feel. In one of my three day trip here I also stopped by at Badami, Patadkal and Aihole. Though they are all sculptures from the past each one is different from the other. I could spend days here going back in time.

Again the thing about Karnataka is that one is not limited to historical places. An overnight drive can take one to places waiting to be explored. I have been on many trips like this and seen the scenic side. Discovered hidden water falls, trekked up many a peaks, walked through dense forests and wildlife sanctuaries, sighted rare birds and camped at backwaters.

And that is not all, when I think I need a little more of sun and sand I head to costal Karnataka. I could eat seafood all day and lay in the beach, some well-known and some virgin ones. I also make these trips to costal Karnataka for religious reasons. Some of the oldest and well known temples are located here. My fun trips tend to be extension of the religious ones.

Though I have travelled through Karnataka extensively I still feel there is lot more to see and I will continue making trips to explore the beautiful State.