Wednesday, January 1, 2014

Karnataka Travelogue


One State Many Worlds as said!!

A land blessed with many fascinating worlds. Discover ageless monuments, world heritage sites, lush green forests, amazing wildlife, spectacular waterfalls, romantic hill stations, timeless temples, pristine beaches, exhilarating adventure sports and vibrant art & culture. And, as you traverse through the length and breadth of Karnataka, be spellbound by every facet of this amazing land.

This is my travelogue of Karnataka, blended equally with Photologue-Travelogue-Infologue

Some less know facts about the tourist places in Karnataka:
1. Mysore Palace: most visited palace in India and 2nd most visited in the world and with over 2.7 million annual visitors for Mysore Palace it is the most visited tourist destination in India after Taj Mahal.
2. Two of the 7 wonders of India as published by Times of India have been located in Karnataka - Hampi and Shravanabelagola
3. Jog falls being the second highest plunge waterfalls in India. Also termed as country's most famous waterfall and even though it has compromised by hydroelectricity it is listed as the best waterfalls of Asia by world of waterfalls website http://www.world-of-waterfalls.com/top-10-asia-waterfalls.html
4. Karnataka has been ranked as fifth most popular destination for tourism among states of India. It has the highest number of national protected monuments in India, at 507. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tourism_in_India

Top 3 must see in Karnataka:
1. Nature: Jog falls during monsoons
2. Buildings: Mysore Palace on weekday
3. Monuments: Hampi during winter on a two wheeler

The other Top 5 destinations are:
1. Monuments: Belur Halebid
2. Forest/wildlife: Kabini (Nagarhole National Park)
3. Monuments/caves: Badami-Aihole-pattadakallu
4. Nature: Chikamagalur
5. Beaches: Gokarna