Day 01 : Bangalore
Meeting and assistance on arrival and transfer to hotel. Later a half day
city tour visiting Lal Bagh,Cubbon Park,Bull Temple,Vidhan Soudha and
M.G.Road.Evening at leisure.
Bangalore :
Founded in 1537 by a local chieftain Kempe Gowda,this bustling capital city
of Karnataka has a perpetual holiday atmosphere thanks to its weather.It is
also known as the garden city and Silicon valley of India.
Vidhan Soudha :
A magnificent building housing the State Legislature and Secretariat.It is
built entirely of Granite in Neo-Dravidian style.
Attara Kacheri
houses the State High Court.
Lalbagh has a variety of Old trees,
fountains, Lotus Pools, Terraces and assortment of Tropical Herbs and Sub
Tropical Herbs.
Overnight at the hotel.
Day 03 : Mysore
Morning after breakfast an excursion to Somnathpur and return by
noon.Evening at leisure.
Somnathpur, the
Chenna Kesava Temple situated in the village
of Somnathpur,35 Km from Mysore,the exquisitely carved,star-shaped temple
with triple towers is a typical example of Hoysala architecture.Beautifully
sculptured images of gods and goddesses and the scenes from the epics
Ramayana and Mahabarat as well as the remarkably ornate ceilings in the
pillared hall will take your breadth away.
Overnight at the hotel.
Day 05 : Hassan - Hospet
Morning travel north to Hospet the base from which to visit the Vijanagar
City ruins near the village of Hampi.
Hampi :
Holds many a delightful surprises.The most famous is the
Kings Balance
where kings were weighed against gold or money and which was then
distributed to the poor.Also worth a visit are the
Queen's Bath with
its arched corridors,projecting balconies and lotus shaped fountains,the two
storied
Lotus Mahal,the huge
Elephant stables,the splendid
Vitthala Temple with its musical pillars and the
Stone Chariot,the
Virupaksha Temple,
Ugra Narashima,the 6.7 meters tall
monolith,the
Pushkarini Tank,the
Mahanavami Dibba,etc.
Temples of this city are noted for their dimensions,florid ornamation,bold
and delicate carvings,stately pillars,magnificient pavilions and a great
wealth of iconographic and traditional depictions which include subjects
from Ramayana and Mahabharata.The
Pampapati temple is one of the
largest temples at Hampi.The
Vitthala Temple is an excellent example
of Vijayanagara style.
Also present are some monolithic statues of Lakshmi,Narashima and Ganesha
which are noted for their massiveness and grace.
Overnight at the hotel.
Day 01 : 
Hyderabad
– Golconda – Hyderabad
Meeting and assistance on arrival at Hyderabad airport/railway station and
check into hotel. Later a full day city tour ,visiting Golconda Fort, Birla
Mandir , Salar Jung Museum, Charminar and return to the hotel. In the
evening visit the light and sound show at Golconda Fort. Overnight stay at
Hyderabad.
Charminar, Mohammed Quli Qutb Shah, the founder of Hyderabad, built
Charminar in 1591 at the centre of the original city layout. Four graceful
minarets soar to a height of 48.7 mts. above the ground. Charminar has a
mosque in it and visitors can view the architectural splendor inside.
Birla Mandir, this white marble temple of Lord Venkateshwara floats
on the city skyline, on Kala Pahad.
Salar Jung Museum houses one of the biggest one-man collections of
antiques of the world by Mir Yousuf Ali Khan, Salar Jung III. The objects d’art
include Persian carpets, Moghal miniatures, Chinese porcelain, Japanese
lacquerware, famous statues including the Veiled Rebecca and Marguerite and
Mephistopheles, a superb collection of jade, daggers belonging to Queen Noor
Jahan and the Emperors Jahangir and Shah Jahan, Aurangzeb’s sword and
many other fabulous items.
Golconda Fort is one of the famous forts of India. Golconda was
originally a mud fort. The fort is famous for its acoustics, palaces,
ingenious water supply system and the famous Fateh Rahben gun.
Day 2 : Hyderabad – Bidar – Gulbarga by
road (140km + 170 km)
Early morning after breakfast drive to Gulbarga via Bidar. Overnight stay
at Gulbarga.
Bidar was once the capital of the Bahmani Kingdoms. The town has a splendid
15th century fort, surrounded by a triple – moated wall hewn out of red
rock, with intricate battlements and an imposing gateway.
The Rang Mahal has elaborately carved wooden pillars, Persian couple
engraved in tiles and exquisite mother – of – pearl inlay work.
Also worth seeing are the Madrassa of Khwaja of Mahamud Gawan, the Chaubara,
a 71ft. high tower and the Bahamani Tombs at Ashtur.
Gulbarga is a unique synthesis of two cultures. It has beautiful palaces,
mosques, stately buildings and bazaars. Gulbarga Fort originally built by
Raja Gulchand, was later strengthened by Ala-ud-din Bahmani. The fort
contained 15 towers and 26 guns of which one was 8 mts long. Within the
ramparts of the fort, there is the Jumma Masjid, an imposing mosque which
resembles the great mosque of Cordona in Spain.
The Sultan Hasan’s tomb, the tomb of Ghias – ud – din, the
fine mausoleum of Feroze Shah and family, the Haft – Gumbaz outside the
city, and Gulbarga’s many elegant mosques are also worth seeing.
Day
3 : Gulbarga – Bijapur – Badami by road (170km + 150km)
Morning drive to Badami, en route visit the Gol Gumbaz and the Ibrahim
Rouza at Bijapur. Upon Arrival at Badami, check in to the hotel. After
freshening up, visit the Badami caves. Overnight stay at Badami.
Bijapur, this erstwhile capital of the Adil Shahi Kings (1489-1686)
is dotted with mosques, mausoleums, palaces, fortifications, watchtowers and
strong gateways, with the massive Gol Gumbaz dominating the landscape.
Gol Gumbaz built in 1659, this magnificent mausoleum houses the
world’s second largest dome unsupported by pillars – an acoustic
and architectural wonder. The most arresting features are the seven storied
octagonal spires at the four corners and the heavy bracketed cornice below
the parapet.
Ibrahim Rouza is a beautiful group of buildings, a tomb and mosque
standing on a common platform, supported by arches and enclosed by gardens
on three sides with a 400 foot square enclosure.
Badami is renowned for its rock-cut cave shrines and is an
outstanding example of early Chalukyan art. It was the capital of the early
Badami Chalukyas. Badami has both the rock-cut shrines and structures with
simple exteriors but exquisite interiors. The town is picturesquely situated
at the mouth of a ravine, between two rocky red-sandstone hills. Badami has
a fort atop the hill and there are four rock-cut shrines on a very tall
rock, one situated above the other.
Day 4 : Badami – Hampi/Hubli/Goa
Morning sight seeing of Badami and later drive to Hampi/Hubli/Goa.
