Tour to Jog Falls

Facts And Figures

• Total Population: 2,74,102
• Best time to visit: August-December
• Area: 50 sq km
• Languages: Kannada and English
• STD Code: 08188

Introduction

One of the highest waterfalls in India Jog Falls is one of the major attractions in Karnataka. Created on Sharavathi River, Jog Falls is also known by alternative names of Gerusoppe Falls, Gersoppa Falls and Jogada Gundi.

Location

Jog is located in Shimoga District of Karnataka, 30 km away from Sagara, 104 km from Shimoga, and 379 km away from Bangalore.

Best Time To Visit

For a Tour to Jog Falls, the best time to visit is between the months of August and December.

History

Jog Falls is formed by the Sharavathi River, gushing down from a height of 253 meters. The river originates at Ambuthirtha in Thirthahalli taluk, flows north-west through the Western Ghats forming the Jog Falls before joining the Arabian Sea at Honavar.

Tourist Attractions

Make your Tour to Jog Falls memorable by visiting these famous tourist places near Jog Falls –

• Honnemaradu: Situated on the back waters of River Sharavathi, this island formed with the backwater of Linganmakki Dam is famous for water sports.
• Tunga Anicut Dam: Situiated 15 km from Shimoga, this dam was built across the river Tungabadra. You can enjoy boat trips around the lake.
• Lion Tiger Reserve: This Lion – Tiger Reserve / Safari is located nearly 12 km from Shimoga towards Jog Falls.

Places around Jog Falls

Explore the land of Jog Falls, visiting the places around it, while on a Tour to Jog Falls –

• Sagara: A small town in the district of Shimoga, located 30 km from Jog Falls, Sagara is home to several ancient temples.
• Siddapura: a small town in Kodagu district, Siddapura lies in Western Ghats, providing captivating views of the Sahyadri mountain ranges.
• Sirsi: A town in Uttara Kannada district, Sirsi is like a hill-station set amidst emerald green forests and several waterfalls.

Fairs And Festivals

• Ganesh Festival: Black marble idol of Lord Ganesh is worshipped every year at Sirsi, a place near Jog Falls.

Where to stay

Enjoy a comfortable stay while on a Tour to Jog Falls at the hotels in Jog Falls, offering a remarkable blend of tradition and modernity. Some of the major hotels in Jog Falls are Sharavati Tourist Home, Tunga Tourist Home, Inspection Bungalow, Jog Falls Guest House, etc.

How To Reach

• By Air:The nearest airport is at Bangalore.
• By Rail :You can take a train to Sagara from Bangalore, from where you can get into buses to Jog.
• By Road: You can reach Jog Falls directly by availing of buses to Jog from Bangalore. Alternatively, from Bangalore you can take a bus to Sagara, from where local bus to Jog is available.

Badami is a small town of Karnataka, which was once the erstwhile capital of Chalukyas. The town has been noted for its several cave temples, carved out of rock in the sixth-seventh century AD. Badami was the headquarters of the Early Chalukyas, who ruled much of Karnataka in the 6th – 8th centuries. Travel to this magnificent town, situated amidst a ravine between two rocky hills housing the magnificent rock cut cave temples as well as the Chalukyan style structural temples.

¤ Places to See In Badami

Cave Temples
Badami Cave Temples are group of 4 cave temples, carved out of a hill opposite Badami fort. of the four, three are Brahmanical, while the fourth is Jain. Almost 2000 steps have to be climbed to reach the cave.

These cave temples are just adjacent to the Bhutanatha tank where Nagamma, Siva & Vishnu shrines can also be seen. The first cave temple houses the Shiva manifested as the eighteen-armed Nataraja displaying remarkable 81 dance poses! The biggest and most enhancing is the third cave temple dedicated to Vishnu. Overlooking the cave temples is a reservoir dotted with temples dedicated to Vishnu and Shiva. Also a must are the Bhutanatha temples that lend their name to the lake beneath the cave temples.

Badami Fort
Perched on hill top about 2 km. from the town, the fort encompasses large granary, an underground chamber which must have served as a treasury or private audience hall, double fortification walls and many other architectural marvels. The fort also houses a carved temple raised on top of the northern end of the hill. Malegitti Shivalaya – one of the oldest temples in the region is dedicated to Lord Shiva. The temple is constructed out of stone on a summit of a rocky hill.
It’s a 4-hour journey from Bijapur and is connected by rail to Gadag, a convenient stop to get a connecting train to Hospet or Hubli.

Naganath Temple
Naganath Temple is one of the ancient Chalukyan temples dedicated to Lord Shiva. The temple lies amidst the green forest on the way to Mahakuta about 10-km from the Badami town, definitely worth a visit site.

Aihole
Aihole Aihole is well known for its cluster of magnificent temples constructed during the reign of Chalukyan rulers, dating from the sixth to the eighth centuries. The temple lies at a distance of 46 km from Badami.

Serene Lake
Besides a picturesque location the lake flowing near the temple complex has its medicinal value. Visitors go for a holy dip in to the lake, according to a popular story, King Kushataraya was cured of leprosy here.

Archaeological Museum
Archaeological Museum at Badami is known for some of its ancient specimens. Shiva’s bull, “Nandi” at the entrance of the museum is its foremost attraction. The museum is nestling near the reservoir is worthwhile for the intellectuals. Timings: 0900 to 1700 hrs. This museum is closed on Fridays.

Banashankari (5 km.)
Travel to Banashankari, located at a distance of 5 km from Badami.Banashankari temple is dedicated to goddess Banashankari, a configuration of goddess Parvati. The temple is highly worshiped by the weaver community in the town. Built in the Dravidian style, the image depicts the mighty eight-armed goddess seated on a grumbling lion.

There is an annual temple festival celebration in Banashankari, the festival is celebrated with full devotion and enthusiasm. Whole town is decorated, the streets around the temple are taken over by a huge fair, marked by color and liveliness and attended by thousands of devotees.

Mahakuta (14 km.)
Mahakuta is a small town surrounded by hills ones known as a great center for the Shaiva sect. The place is famous for the Mahakuteshwara Temple, the holy deity of the temple is Lord Shiva. The temple is constructed in the Dravidian style with magnificent carvings and sculptures. The temple is surrounded by several small shrines bedecked by awesome carving on their walls, there is also a natural spring pond called Vishnu Pushkarni used as a relaxing joint by the visitors.

¤ The Festivities
Badami Town is throng by visitors all the year round due to its continuos festivals celebration throughout the year. The annual temple festival held at Banashankari in the month of January-February is worth visiting, so are the Virupaksha Temple Car Festival and Mallikarjuna Temple Festival held in Pattadakal during March-April.

¤ Accessibility To Badami
Air: The nearest airport is Belgaum located 192 km from the town. From there one gets direct flights to Mumbai.
Rail: It takes four hours to reach Badami by train Hampi. One can also reach the town by changing the train at Gadag station. The town is 4 km from the railway station and one can take an auto-rickshaw or a horse driven carts.
Road: Badami is well connected by road to all the major places in the south. Karnataka State Transport Corporation buses are available from Badami to Aihole, Bangalore, Bagalkot, Belgaum, Bijapur, Hubli and Pattadakal.

Private taxis and vans are also available to visit or travel in the town. Tongas- Horse-Cart is another mode of transport easily available in the city. The important places are – Ailhole -44 km, Bangalore -499 km, Bijapur -163 km, Hubli -128 km, Pattadakal -22 km.

The history of Shivaji is inextricably entwined with the history of Bijapur, for his father Shahaji was in the military service of that kingdom.

Bijapur: Origins The name is a form of “Vijaypur”, or City of Victory. ” Bijapur formed a part of Gulbarga province of the Bahmani kingdom founded by Alla- ud-in Hassan Gangu Bahmani in 1347. When the Bahmani kingdom lost its power in the last decades of 15th century, the kingdom was broken up and Yusuf Adil Khan of Bijapur was one of provincial governors who declared independence. Bijapur, thus became a separate kingdom under the Adil Shahi rulers in 1489.

Shivaji began his career by seizing the fort of Torangarh from Bijapur.

The 9 Sultans
Adapted from RC Majumdar’s “The Mughul Empire”, which is Volume 7 in his monumental study “The History an Culture of the Indian People”, pages 445-463. Bhartiya Vidhya Bhavan, Bombay. 1974.

1490 – 1510 Yusuf Adil Shahi A son of Murad II of Turkey, his mother managed to save him from customary execution of all other sons when the Crown Prince succeeded Murad. She had him smuggled to Persia, from where he eventually found service with the Bidar Sultanate. He attained the position of Governor of Bijapur, a province of the Bahamani Sultanate. He died in the war against Vijaynagar’s emperor Krishnadevaraya.

Krishnadevaraya of Vijaynagar

1510 – 1534 Ismail Adil Shahi On Yusuf’s death, his wife – a Marattha princess – defended their young son, Ismail, against a palace coup, and thus preserved the dynasty.

1534 – 1535 Mallu Adil Khan Unfit to rule, and addicted to low vices, his excesses become intolerable to the point his own grandmother had him removed and blinded. He was replaced by his younger brother Ibrahim.

1535 -1557 Ibrahim Adil Shahi I Succeeded his unfit elder brother. Disestablished the Shia faith, replacing it with the Sunni.

1557 – 1580 Ali Adil Shahi I Elder son of Ibrahim, he became king though his father preferred the the younger brother. The younger, however, was even more adamant in his faith of Shia Islam than the elder brother, so he was given the throne. Nonetheless, he moves to restore the Shia faith.

Ali I was initially an ally of Vijaynagar. The latter, however, attacked Ahmadnagar, one of the four original survivor states of the Bahamani Sultanate, which included Bijapur. Accordingly, Ali I led an alliance of the four states against Vijaynagar, defeating the latter in the Battle of Talikota in 1558.

He then led an alliance against the expanding Portuguese, and was defeated. This led to his expansion in the south, at Vijaynagar’s expense. In this also, ultimately, he was unsuccessful.

Lacking any son of his own, Ali I designated his nephew [the son of his younger brother] Ibrahim II as his successor. He fell to an assassin at his own court.

1579 – 1626 Ibrahim Adil Shahi II

Ibrahim Adil Shahi II

Ibrahim I had no sons, so on his death his nephew Ibrahim II ascended the throne, with his aunt, Chand Bibi, wife of Ibrahim I, as his regent.

Ibrahim II was a great patron of the arts and lover/composer of music. He was famous for his religious tolerance and attempts to reconcile different sects of Islam, and Islam and Hinduism. He is known to history not as a warrior, but as an aesthete.

1627-1656 Muhammad Ali Shahi

Muhammad Ali Shahi

Under him, the dynasty reached its zenith. He was a great builder.

1656 – 1672 Ali Adil Shahi II This was the ruler from whom Shivaji sought to wrest Bijapur.

Ali II faced an invasion of his kingdom from Aurangzeb, eventually sixth Mughul Emperor, who at this time as acting as regent for his farther Shah Jehan

1672 – 1680 Sikandar Adil Shahi – defeated by Aurangzeb, Bijapur passes to the Mughul Empire in 1680. [Please note some dates put Sikandar on the throne as late as 1686; if this is correct Aurangzeb must have restored Sikandar, this time as his vassal.]

Badami Caves – Rocks That Speaks

Situated in the once mighty capital of Chalukya Empire, Badami; the caves are the most stupendously carved caves in South India. Carved on top of a hill, there are four major caves. These are not just plain caves; they are temples dedicated to different religions. They generally are temples dedicated to Hindu and Jain temples. All the four caves are carved out of Deccan sandstone. They were built by the Chalukya Empire around 6th century. The architecture of these caves shows a mixture of North Indian Nagara style and South Indian Nagara. Apart from the caves, there are many temples on the banks of an artificial lake, on which Badami town is located. The lake is named ‘Agasthya Tirtha’. Some of these temples were built at the same time along with caves and date back to 7th century. The temples are dedicated to Lord Vishnu, Lord Shiva and Lord Mahavir Swamy. There is an archaeological museum maintained by ASI, which shows many sculptures of the Chalukyan era. However the main attraction without a doubt are the four magnificent caves.

Cave 1

Carved in 578 AD, this is probably the oldest of the four caves. As you climb 40 odd steps, you come across a hall full of pillars and a square shaped sanctum. From top to bottom, the cave is filled with splendid carvings and paintings that will mesmerize you, the moment you get a glimpse of them. Apart from the walls, even the ceilings have some exceptional art work. The ceiling has painting of Lord Shiva and Goddess Parvati. Verandah has a painting of Lord Shiva as Nataraja. The Lord is shown with 18 hands and in 81 dance poses.

Cave 2

Cave 2 is situated just above cave 1 and is a cave temple is dedicated to Lord Vishnu. You will find different forms of Lord Vishnu portrayed here. Lord Vishnu is shown as Trivikrama. The image is shown with one foot conquering the earth and the other covering the sky. There is another image of Lord Vishnu in incarnation as Varaha, ‘a boar’. Then there is one that is in form of Lord Krishna, riding a Garnda and the lotus encircled by 16 fishes.

Cave 3

Few more steps above Cave 2, is the biggest and most attractive caves of the four caves. Dating back to 578 AD, the cave has paintings and sculptures of both Lord Shiva and Lord Vishnu. You also get to see some inscriptions that tell us that the cave was built by Mangalesha. The front of the cave is nearly 70 feet wide with some exquisite carvings. Inside, there are images of Trivikrama, Narasimha, Shankaranarayana, Bhuvaraha, Anantasayana, Harihara and many carvings of Ganas.

Cave 4

This is the only Jain Temple among the four Badami Caves. It is situated to the east of other three caves and its construction was completed nearly 100 years after the other three were completed. There is a magnificent image of Lord Mahavira inside the sanctum. There is an image of Lord Parsvanath with a serpent at his feet. Images of Padmavathi and tirthankaras can also be seen inside the cave. Near the cave, are the steps that lead to Badami Fort, another interesting attraction of the town.

Badami as a town has become a great tourist spot in Karnataka. Apart from the magnificent caves, there are many other attractions inside the town like temples, forts and the artificial lake; all deserving your attention and accolades.

Source : Badami Caves

Bijapur – Mirror To Royal Past

Nestling in the northern part of Karnataka, Bijapur is a historically important city of the state. Situated 530 Km from Bangalore and only 550 Km from Mumbai, it was once the celebrated capital of Adil Shah dynasty. The city was established by the Chalukyas and the city was named as Vijayapura. Soon it came under the rule of Bahmini Sultanate and was named Bijapur. Under this dynasty, Bijapur saw the construction of many exquisite structures that would be counted among the best in the world. A lot of monuments have been partially destroyed during the wars, but still the uniqueness of the monuments is not hidden and attracts all enthusiastic travelers. The grandest of all monuments in the city is Gol Gumbaz, the second largest tomb.

There are many excursion options from Bijapur. Badami, Aihole and Pattadakal which are all located around 100 Km from here. All these places are famous for the temples of Chalukyan style. Engage in shopping in Bijapur which is known for the hand woven lkal silk saris.

Attractions – Exceptional Class of Work

Bijapur has few of the most stunning creations by Muslim rulers in India. There are mosques and tombs that have magnificent works of carvings and architecture. The most important is the Gol Gumbaz which is the second largest tomb in the world. Most of the attractions of the city are situated close to each other and is easy to commute between them. There are many excursion possibilities as well around Bijapur like Aihole which has few of the oldest temples in India.

The Gol Gumbaz

Gol Gumbaz is the tomb of Mohammad Adil Shah and is the second largest tomb in the world, next only to St. Peter’s Basilica in Rome. Gol Gumbaz is 124 m in diameter. The structure of the tomb is unique and the four minars of the corners, serve as staircases to the top of the tomb. Gol Gumbaz is most famous for the ‘Whispering Gallery’. The gallery is a circular balcony on the periphery of the dome where even the tiniest of sounds can be heard at the other side of the room. It is said that a sound gets echoed 9 times in the room before starting to fade away. A remarkable structure, Gol Gumbaz is a must visit for all tourists.

Jumma Masjid

It is believed to be among the earliest of Mosques in India. Jumma Masjid is famous for the exclusive copy of Quran which is written in gold. The Mosque was built during the Period of Adil Shah. It still holds prayers and is used for worshiping by many people. The mosque covers an area of 10, 810 sq m which makes it one of the biggest mosques in the region. Jumma Masjid has some decorative motifs inside, on the walls and the ceilings.

The Ibrahim Rauza

It is said that the beauty and architecture splendidness of Ibrahim Rauza inspired the greatest creation in India, The Taj Mahal. Ibrahim Rauza is the mausoleum of Ibrahim Adil Shah II and is among the most picturesque structures in Aihole. There are well cut out gardens in the premises that compliment the beauty of monument with magnificently carved walls and perforated stone windows. Ibrahim Rauza is situated at the edge of the city.

Source : Indialine.com