Shravanabelagola & Hoysala Wonders | Weekend Getaway guide with detailed itinerary!

Hoysala sculptural heritage is mind-blowing. Add to it the hill heritage centre of Shravanabelagola and you have a lovely Heritage trail to explore over the weekend.

These Weekend getaways from Bangalore are short and sweet. They provide much-needed break from the routine. Bangalore is blessed with numerous options for weekend trips to rejuvenate oneself.

These weekend getaways from Bangalore cover Saturday and Sunday. They can be comfortably done by car/bike. A detailed itinerary given here will help you plan the trip.

Fifth in the Weekend getaways from Bangalore series, this trip will provide you an opportunity to explore some of the finest examples of Indian sculptural Heritage. This trip will take you to not only to the famed temples at Shravanabelagola, Belur and Halebid but also some unknown Hoysala gems.

The Plan

This is an overnight road trip from Bangalore. After completing day 1, you need to stay for the night around Hassan which has many hotels/resorts.

The Complete Circuit

Bangalore – Shravanabelagola – Hassan – Belur – Hassan (Night Halt)  – Halebid – Koravangala – Nuggehalli – Bangalore

Please recharge your FASTag account before starting the journey

Day 1 Plan – Stunning Shravanabelagola and Beautiful Belur!

Route – Bangalore – Shravanabelagola – Channarayapatna – Hassan – Belur – Hassan (Night Halt)

Route Map – Google map link

Distance – 279 KMs

Road Condition – Very Good.

The Itinerary

7 AM – Leave Bangalore. If you are near NICE road take the NICE road and exit at Tumkur road. Join the Bangalore – Mangalore highway at Nelamangala check post. Keep looking for signage to Mangalore and enter the service road. Another good landmark to remember this point is a tall Hanuman statue which is visible from the distance. When you see it, take the service road before it.

8.30 AM – Breakfast time. You can either eat soft Thatte Idlis at Shark Food Court which is after Solur or drive another 30 minutes to eat excellent breakfast at Swathi Delicacy. The Masala Dosa and Filter coffee here is to die for!

9.15 AM – After breakfast head straight to Shravanabelagola.

10.45 AM – Arrive at Shravanabelagola. The Hill shrine is a fabulous example of Indian sculptural heritage. There are two hill shrines here. Vindhya Giri and Chandra Giri. The Vindhya Giri hill is a steep climb. The rock-cut steps are provided with hand rail for support. 58 feet monolithic statue of Gommateshwara is the highlight of this place. The temple has lovely sculptures. The view from the top of the hill is breathtaking during this season. After visiting Vindhya Giri, drive to the foot hills of Chandra Giri. Climb up the steps and visit the temple complex. Enjoy the sight of Vindhya Giri from this place.

Please click on the picture to see them in larger size.

1.30 PM – Depart Shravanabelagola. You can either have lunch in this town – which we don’t advise as it does not have many options – or drive back to highway and head to either Adyar Anand Bhavan or Kamat Upachar at Uayapura for Lunch.

2 PM – Lunch time at either Adyar Anand Bhavan or Kamat Upachar.

3 PM – After lunch drive straight to Belur.

4.30 PM – Arrive at Belur and explore the lovely Channakeshava temple. Take a good guide who are available at the entrance for a small fee.

6 PM – Return to your place of stay. We recommend you to stay around Hassan. Our choice is excellent Captain’s Farm near Halebid. A nice farm stay which has only three lovely rooms. This is the ideal location to explore other Hoysala gems next day. If you are unable to get accommodation in Captains farm then you can stay in either Hoysala Village resort ( A nice resort but slightly expensive) or any hotels in Hassan.

Relax for the day.

Day 2 Plan – Get awestruck at Halebid and little Hoysala gems!

Route – Your place of stay – Halebid – Your place of stay – Hassan – Koravangala – Nuggehalli – Bangalore

Route Map – Google map link

Distance – 265 KMs

Road Condition – Very Good.

The Itinerary

6.30 AM – Get up and after freshening up head straight to Halebidu. This marvellous temple is best seen when it opens in the morning when there is no one around. This is also the best time to click photographs. Spend an hour minimum to explore the intricately carved sculptures. After completing the exploration, then head to Huliikere close-by which has a lovely temple pond with beautifully carved gopuras in all four corners. For more on Halebidu and its marvellous sculptures, please see this post in this blog.

Halebidu – Breathtaking Stone Sculptures!

9.30 AM – Return to your place of stay. Have breakfast and check out.

10.30 AM – Depart from your place of stay and head straight to Koravangala

11 AM – Arrive at Koravangala which has a little gem of temple. Smaller in size compared to Belur and Halebid, it has elegant sculptures. Dedicated to Lord Shiva (Bucheshwara), it has ornate carvings. Check out these pictures taken by Bikash Das.

11.45 AM – Depart Koravangala and head straight to Nuggehalli.

12.45 PM –Arrive at Nuggehalli. The temple here is larger in size compared to the one in Koravangala. Dedicated to Lord Lakshminarasimhaswamy, this is well maintained. Check out the ornate sculptures as captured by Bikash Das

1.30 PM – Depart form Nuggehalli. Head straight to Mayura Restaurant at Bellur cross for lunch (You will see it on the right side of the road).

2.15 PM – Lunch time

3.15 PM – Depart for Bangalore. On the way stop over at Swathi Delicacy for excellent Filter Coffee.

6.30 PM – Arrive in Bangalore.

For other Weekend Getaways in this series please click this post in this blog

Weekend Getaways from Bangalore – Exciting Options with Itineraries!

Travel Tips

1. This an easy weekend trip. The Hassan district is treasure trove of Hoysala Temples. In fact the other big temple is very close to Halebid at Belavadi. Halebidu also has excellent Archeological Museum. Due to paucity of time we made you skip it. Other important Hoysala temples around Hassan are

   1. Belavadi
   2. Mosale
   3. Agrahara Belaguli
   4. Doddagaddavalli
   5. Basaralu
   6. Javagal
   7. Haranahalli
2. If you are a heritage buff, then you can add another day or two to explore more Hoysala temples at
   1. Turuvekere
   2. Aralaguppe
   3. Arsikere
   4. Anekere
3. Add 45 minutes extra in Day 2 Plan if you are staying in Captain’s Farm and 15 minutes if you are staying in Hoysala Village resort.
4. Wear a nice hat as the sun will be hot during the day.
5. All these temples are photographer’s delight. Carry a good camera.
6. The priests in these temples are treasure trove of history and legends. You can speak to them to get more details.
7. Old people will find it difficult to climb Shravanabelagola. They may take the help of “Doliwalas” for a fee.
8. Carry an umbrella in this season.
9. There are many hotels/Cafe Coffee Days on the highway for you to stop over if you wish to. We have recommended the restaurants we have been to being vegetarians.
10. If you want to know more about Hoysala Architecture, this link on Google Book will be helpful. – http://bit.ly/2wAuXAs

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