Places of Interest at Chikkamgaluru
Chikkamagaluru District offers a wide variety of places of tourist interest. It has Lofty hills, swift flowing and meandering rivers and brooks, pilgrim centers of various faiths, evergreen forests, a wide variety of bird life, a variety of crops ranging from plantations to dry crops and folk traditions. Thus, Chikkamagaluruhas every thing to offer, be it Adventure tourism, ecotourism, pilgrimage tourism and culture tourism. Following are some tourist attractions for the Tourists to enjoy their journey in the district.
Horanadu
Nestled in the midst of evergreen hills is Horanadu. It is about 10 kms from Kalasa and has the temple of goddess.Sri Annapoorneshwari. The place attracts devotees throughout the year. Accommodation for night stay is and free food is offered by the temple authorities.
Chikkamagaluru City
The city is a fantastic dividing line between the malnad and maidan regions of the District. To the west of the city are hills with coffee plantations and low level paddy fields. The people of the city are gentle and hospitable. To the north of the city on the way to Mullayyanagiri, There is a Ratnagiri Bore – Mahatma Gandhi park, a must see place especially for children. It has Toy train, a musical fountain and play items nestled in green surroundings. Atop the hillock, there are two temples. Two Kilometers from this park to the north, is the beautiful Golf course for the golfers. Tourists can also visit Coffee Museum situated behind Zilla Panchayat Office. About two kms. from Chikkamagaluruis Hiremagalur where Sri Kodandarama Swamy Temple is situated. This temple has been made famous by “Kannada Poojary” Sri Kannan. It is supposed to have been the first Temple in South India dedicated to Sri Rama.
Sringeri
It is a famous pilgrim centre situated on the banks of the river Tunga. It is about 100 kms. from Chikmagalur. The Sri Sharada Peetha here is supposed to have been established by Adi Shankaracharya the proponent of Advaita Philosophy. Vidyashankara Temple built here is a combination of Chola, Dravida, Nagara, and Chalukya styles and stands on a plat form of 3ft. Sri Sharadamba Temple is another major temple worth visiting. Accommodation for overnight stay and free food is offered to the devotees though out the year by Peetha. The sacred fishes in the river are an attraction to both young and old.
Rambhapuri Peetha
Situated on the western bank of the river Bhadra, this place has the Rambhapuri Peetha, one of the Pancha Peethas of Veershaivas. It is about 50 kms from Chikkamagaluruand has a tradition of more than 1500 years. The temple of Veerabhadra has rare images of Veerabhadra and Bhadrakali. Free accommodation and Dasoha are offered throughout the year to the devotees by Mutt. Near by is Segodu where a Coffee research station run by the Government of India constantly evolves new varieties of coffee.
Kalasa
About 90 kms from Chikkamagaluruis Kalasa in Mudigere Taluk. Travelling on K.M. Road upto Kottigehara, one has to take a deviation to the right to reach this place. The journey becomes tireless as the road passes through coffee, Tea and cardamom Plantations. Kalasa is also called “Dakshina Khasi”. It has Kalaseshwara Temple. The landscape around is enchanting and one can have the view of the surrounding hill ranges, peaks and eat out at Kalasa View Point.
Bababudangiri/Dattatreya peetha
To the north of the city is a hill range called Bababudangiri. It has many peaks, the prominent being Mullainagiri and Deveerammana giri. Bababudan dargah/Dattatreya Peetha is a holy place to both Hindus and Muslims. A cave contains the tomb of Fakir Dada Hayaath mir Khalandar, and the sacred padukas of saint Dattatreya. Annually, Urs for Muslims and Dattajayanthi for Hindus take place at different times with devotion.
Mullayyanagiri and Seetalayyanagiri
These are the two places with shrines dedicated to lord Shiva.Mullayyanagiri is the tallest peak in Karnataka (6330 ft). They are at a distance of 24 and 20 kms from Chikmagalur, respectively. Two siddhas are supposed to have performed penance at Mullayyanagiri. There are few caves to the left of the temple where Siddhas are supposed to have performed penance. The temple is called Mullappa Swamy temple. A little below is Seetalayyanagiri where Seetala Mallikarjuna Temple is situated. Annual fair takes place here. A panoramic view of Chikkamagalurucity and surrounding areas can be enjoyed from Mullayyanagiri peak. This is a Trekker’s paradise also as large numbers of trekkers Iike this peak.
Kemmannugundi / Krishnarajendra hill station
It is a Hill Station with salubrious climate throughout the year. Its red soil is reflected in the name “Kemmannugundi”. This hill station is also named after Krishnarajendra Wadeyar IV, the then Maharaja of Mysore. It starts with the ‘Z’ point and is 4500 ft above sea level. It has a Rock and a botanical garden. It is managed by Department of Horticulture. It is about 55 Km from Chikkamagaluruand 35 kms from Tarikere.
Angadi
Situated 20 kms from Mudigere, this place is associated with Sala the founder of the Hoyasala dynasty. The temple of Sri Vasanthika Parameshwari here was the patron deity of the Hoysalas.
Marle
It is about 12 kms from Chikkamagaluruon Belur road with a deviation to the left at Hand post. Here, there are two temples of the Hoyasala period, standing side by side near an ancient tank. The temples built in 1150 AD are dedicated to Channakeshava and Siddheswara.
Belavadi
Traveling further from Marle, situated about 30kms from Chikmagalur, is this place where a triple shrine (Thrikutachala) in which the images of Sri Venugopalaswamy, Narasimhaswamy and Veera Narayanaswamy are housed. The beauty of the temple is comparable to the Keshava temple at Somanathapura. There is an “Udbhava ganapathi” temple nearby.
Magundi River Rafting
Situated between Balehonnur and Kalasa is Magundi. Here river Bhadra flows slowly with intermittent rapids creating opportunities for river rafting, swimming and other Water Sports.
Amruthapura
About 8 kms from Tarikere is this place. The famous Amrutheshwara temple of the Hoyasala period has been under the supervision of the Department of Archeology. It has beautifully caved pillars and images of Narayana, Chammundeshwari, Kalabhairava, and Saraswathi, Agni and Saligrama are the two important sculptural features. It is believed that on Shivarathri day the first rays of the sun fall on the Shivalinga.
Muthodi Forest Camp
Muthodi is the most famous part of Bhadra Wildlife Sanctuary. It is 32 kms from Chikmagalur. The other parts of Bhadra Sanctuary areHebbe, Tanigebylu, and Lakkavalli. Muthodi is a natural forest with a variety of lofty mountains in the neighborhood. It is part of Bhadra Tiger Reserve and inhabits sizeable number of tigers. Besides, one can sight Elephants, Sambhar, gaurs, red Squirrels, spotted deers, barking deers and variety of birds. There is a nature camp run by forest department. There are facilities like tents, wooden cottages for stay and vehicle safari.
Hebbe Falls
Situated 8 kms away from Kemmannugundi, Hebbe Falls is a magnificent waterfall which gushes down 554 ft in two stages. Even though there is jeep service to this place, usually people trek to this place.
Kalhatthi Falls
It is 10 kms away from Kemmannugundi towards Tarikere. Here the water Cascades down 403 ft. The place has legendary association with sage Agasthya. A temple dedicated to god Veerabhadra by the side of the falls attracts devotees from nearby places. There is accommodation for over night stay. Annual fair takes place during month of March/April. People also trek to the top of falls from Santaveri.
Khandya-Kudure Abbi
It is about 45 kms from Chikkamagaluruon the Sringeri route. The very journey on this road is exhilarating. The winding road passes though hills and dales, running brooks, manicured Coffee and Tea plantations, and thick forests. Khandya has the temples of Markandeya and Janardhana, Markanda sage is supposed to have performed penance here. Orthodox Hindus offer ashes of their dear departed to the Bhadra River, for their salvation. The river Bhadra flows past the temple, dressing the hard stones into different shapes, by constant friction of the loose rocks. The shapes of the stones in the river have resemblance to the horses hoops which has made this place to be called “Kudure Abbi”.