5 Weekend Getaways From Bangalore
By: Priyanka Maheshwari Fri, 13 Apr 2018 11:27:55
Bangalore is blessed with plenty of weekend getaways as it’s literally located in the center of South India. Ranging from Trekking destinations to Beautiful Waterfalls, Heritage Sites & Popular Hill Stations, Bangalore offers numerous options to pick a perfect weekend attraction. While each destination offers it’s own charm, we tried to pick Top 10 weekend destinations near Bangalore within a distance of 200 Km. Most of these places can be visited as one day trip from Bangalore.
* Lepakshi
Lepakshi is a small village which lies 14 km east of Hindupur in Anantapur district of Andhra Pradesh. It is the one of the important heritage sites highlighting the legacy of Vijayanagara Dynasty. This is one of the famous weekend destinations from Bangalore. Lepakshi was founded in the 16th century during the reign of the Vijayanagara king, Aliiya Rama Raya. Virupanna, the royal treasurer was accused of drawing funds without the king’s permission from the state treasury to build the Veerabhadra Temple at Lepakshi. However, he blinded himself to avoid the king’s punishment. Even today one can see two dark stains upon the wall near the Kalyana Mandapa, which are said to be the marks made by his eyes.
* Srirangapatna
Srirangapatna is a historical town in Mandya district of Karnataka. Located near the city of Mysore, Srirangapatna is one of the key places to experience the best of Karnataka Tourism owing to its cultural, religious and historic importance. The entire town is surrounded by Kaveri river to form a river island. According to history, Srirangapatna was founded by the rulers of Ganga dynasty in 9th century. The town takes its name from the celebrated Ranganathaswamy Temple which dominates the town, making Srirangapatna one of the most important Vaishnavite centers of pilgrimage in South India. This temple is dedicated to Lord Vishnu and is one of the largest temples in Karnataka.
* Shivanasamudra Falls
Shivanasamudra is a famous waterfall situated in Mandya district of Karnataka State and also one of the top places to visit in Karnataka in monsoon season. This is one of the best waterfalls near Bangalore and also a popular weekend getaway from Bangalore. These waterfalls are also known as Siva Samudram, literally meaning Shiva’s Sea. Situated on River Kaveri, Shivanasamudra is also called as Bluff. The island of Shivanasamudra divides Kaveri River into two parts that form two waterfalls, one is Gaganachukki and the other is Bharachukki. Gaganachukki and Barachukki Falls are collectively called as Shivanasamudra Falls though Gaganachukki is most commonly represented as Shivanasamudra Falls. This place offers breathtaking sight in the peak monsoons.
* Somnathpur
Somnathpur is well known for the breathtaking Prasanna Chennakeshava Temple, one of the three famous & finest representations of Hoysala architecture (other two being temples at Belur & Halebid). This is one of the wonderful weekend getaways from Bangalore and Mysore. It is also one of the popular Karnataka tourist places of interest. Located on the banks of Cauvery River, this temple was built in 1268 by Somnatha, a general of Hoysala King Narasimha III. The temple comprises three shrines and three wonderfully carved vimanas with a common Mandapa. The three sanctums once housed beautifully carved idols of Keshava, Janardhana and Venugopala.
* Shravanabelagola
Shravanabelagola is one of the most popular Jain pilgrimage center in South India. This place is named after the pond in middle of the town (Bela-Kola means White Pond). This is one of the top weekend getaways from Bangalore and one of the best heritage places to visit in Karnataka. Shravanabelagola is famous for the Bahubali Statue which is supposed to be the tallest monolithic stone statue in the world with a height of 58 feet carved out of a single block of granite. The Gomateswara Temple is built on top of a hill at an altitude of 3347 feet, called as Vindhyagiri hill (also known as Doddabetta or Indragiri). The town of Shravanabelagola is famous with several Jain temples and historical sites.
