The Northern part of Karnataka is most noted for the historical monuments that are still intact. It consists of areas such as Badami, Bijapur, and Bidar it offers wide variety of attractions to the tourists. To cater to the wide variety of tourists it also boosts of wide variety of accommodation facilities for the tourists.
Badami :
Badami is apart of the Karnataka Northern circuit. If you start your tour of historical Karnataka and are traveling towards the north, than Badami caves are most probably you first stopover. Badami is primarily known for the exotic carved out caves temples. Badami caves are located on the red sandstone ridge. These caves were built during the regime of the Chalukya Empire from 543 AD to 757 AD. There are total of four Badami caves. Out of which three are Brahminical caves and one is the Jain cave. Cave I is dedicated to Lord Shiva, Cave II and III to Lord Vishnu and cave IV to the Jain saints. Apart from thee caves there are other numerous ancient monuments in the area.
Bijapur :
Bijapur is the ancient town located at the distance of 530 km from the capital city of Bangalore. Dotted with numerous sightseeing destinations including mosques, mausoleums, palaces and fortifications, Bijapur is a must visit destination in Karnataka. The ruins and still intact gems depict the finest example if the Islamic architecture. Bijapur was once the capital of Adil Shah kings. The town reflects the strong Islamic character but it also a a center for the Lingayat brand of Shaivism, which emphasises on the single personified God's.
It is very convenient to start your sightseeing tour with the most famous Golgubaz located here. This gigantic mausoleum of Mohammed Adil Shah, is the second largest dome in the world, after that of St. Peter’s in Vatican City. The main highlight of the Golgubaz is the Whispering gallery where the whispers carries 38 meters, repeated 10 times again and again. Ourists can also check out the Ibrahim Rouza, (deorated with delicate stone work ) and Jami Masjid noted for its graceful arches, a fine dome and a vast inner courtyard with room 2250 worshipers.
Bidar :
Tucked away in the Karanataka's far north east corner, Bidar is a tiny district steeped deep in the history. It was once the capital of the Bahmani kingdom (1428 -87) and later on the capital of the Barid Shahi dynasty. The forts, magnificent monuments in south India in ruins makes your tour to Bidar truly memorable. Today it is better known for its pilot training base than the monuments. Even today the major population of the town is mainly that of Muslims.
The Bidar fort, running next to the Madrasa, is the major highlight of the region. The five darwazas (gates) with the imposing bastion lead into the town tucked within the ramparts. The fort is noted fort the Rangin Mahal – the colored palace which was built by Muhammad Shah , after an unsuccessful uprising of Abyssinian slaves in 1487 forced him to relocate to a safer inside the citadel. Inside the fort are elaborate tile work, fascinating wood work, and paneys with mother of pearl inlay and Solah Kambah Mosque which are worth visiting.
