Places to Visit in Haveri: Hangal, Bankapur, Galaganatha & 12 Best Sights

Hours: daytime | Where: Haveri town, walkable from the bus stand | Time needed: 1 to 2 hrs

The Siddheshwara Temple, also known as Purada Siddheshwara, is a Western Chalukya shrine of the 11th to 12th century with a staggered square plan and miniature Dravida and Nagara towers decorating its walls. It is about 500 m from Haveri railway station and is the monument most visitors start with. Haveri town also has the Ugra Narasimha Temple, St Anne’s Church and a Veerashaiva matha.

Plan it: Allow one to two hours to study the carvings and inscriptions. Haveri is also the trading town for the cardamom garlands it is known for.

Distance: about 30 km from Haveri | Where: Tungabhadra bank | Time needed: about 1 hr

Galaganatha, once known as Palluni, has the Galageshwara Temple, a Western Chalukya Shiva temple of about the 11th century on the bank of the Tungabhadra. It has an unusual pyramidal base, a large open hall, intricate carving and a Sparsha linga. The Kannada novelist Venkatesh Galaganath is said to have worshipped and written at the temple.

Plan it: Public transport is thin, so go by car. The district website suggests taking the Agadi road and turning off after Guttal. Pair it with Chaudayyadanapura on the same river.

Distance: about 37 km from Haveri | Hours: daytime | Time needed: about 1.5 hrs

The Tarakeshwara Temple at Hangal, built in the mid-12th century in black-green stone, is the largest and most artistic of the town’s temples. It is known for a vast domed ceiling that ends in a great rosette, for walls that mix Dravida and Nagara miniature towers and for carved scenes from the Ramayana. A small Nagara-style Ganesha temple stands near the entrance. Nearby are the Hoysala-style Billeshwara Temple, beside a lake on the Hangal to Haveri road, and the old Hangal fort, once called Viratakote, a Kadamba stronghold.

Plan it: Hangal has few places to stay, so many visitors base themselves in Hubballi, about 75 to 80 km away.

Distance: about 22 to 28 km from Haveri, near the highway | Hours: daytime | Time needed: 1 to 1.5 hrs

Bankapur Fort, held over the centuries by the Kadambas, Rashtrakutas, Hoysalas, Vijayanagara kings, the Adil Shahis, Hyder Ali and Tipu Sultan, is now largely ruins across about 139 acres. Inside it stands the Nagareshwara Temple, a 12th-century Chalukya temple with 66 carved pillars of grey stone, along with a mosque. The fort wall runs along the back of the temple.

Plan it: Combine it with the peacock sanctuary, which sits inside the same fort, and arrive early before the heat builds.

Hours: 6 am to 6 pm | Best time: June to September for dancing, November to February for pleasant weather | Time needed: 1.5 to 2 hrs

Declared a sanctuary in 2007, this 139-acre reserve inside the old fort shelters more than a thousand peacocks and peahens among temple ruins and fort walls. The birds are most active early in the morning, and the monsoon is the season of display. Babblers, robins and other small birds share the scrub.

Plan it: Go at opening time, move quietly and keep to the paths. Bankapura is about 45 km from Hubballi and a short drive off the highway.

Best season: October to March | Distance: about 8 to 15 km from Ranebennur | Time needed: 2 to 3 hrs

Declared a sanctuary in 1974, this 119 sq km area of scrub, grassland and plantations protects one of the state’s best-known blackbuck herds, and Karnataka Tourism says the antelope can be seen between October and March. Wolves, foxes, jackals and harriers share the landscape, and the critically endangered Great Indian Bustard has been recorded in small numbers, mostly from February to June, though sightings are rare.

Plan it: Day visits need forest department permission, so check at the Ranebennur forest office first. Go at dawn or late afternoon and keep a respectful distance from the herds.

Distance: about 13 km from Haveri | Hours: daytime | Time needed: about 1 hr

Kaginele is the home of the Kanaka Guru Peetha and the Kanakadasa Brindavana, honouring the 16th-century saint-poet Kanakadasa. Karnataka Tourism also lists the Sangameshwara and Adikeshava temples and the dargah of Adam Shafi in the village. The state’s Kaginele Development Authority has decided to hold a Kanaka Utsava here every year to celebrate his legacy.

Plan it: Check the date of the Kanaka Utsava before you travel if you want to see it, and dress modestly.

Hours: reported 9 am to 6 pm | Where: Gotagodi, near Shiggaon | Time needed: 1.5 to 2 hrs

Utsav Rock Garden, created by the sculptor Dr T. B. Solabakkanavar, is an open-air museum of North Karnataka village life, with thousands of life-size figures of farmers, weavers, musicians and dancers. It lies off the highway near Shiggaon, about 40 km from Hubballi, and has a small lake with boat rides and local jowar roti meals.

Plan it: It suits families and makes a good break on the Hubballi to Haveri road. Confirm the hours and entry fee on the day.

Distance: about 44 km from Haveri | Where: Tungabhadra bank, Ranebennur taluk | Time needed: about 1 hr

The Mukteshwara Temple complex at Chaudayyadanapura, in Ranebennur taluk, is one of the Western Chalukya monuments that put Haveri on the map of South Indian temple architecture. It stands in a quiet village on the Tungabhadra and is popular with photographers and architecture students.

Plan it: Combine it with Galaganatha on the same river, and carry water, since there is little shade or refreshment nearby.

Distance: about 10 km from Ranebennur | Hours: daytime | Time needed: 1 to 1.5 hrs

Devaragudda is a hill near Ranebennur crowned by the temple of Mailara, also called Malatesha and Khandoba, one of the most important Mailara centres in Karnataka. Special pujas are held on full-moon days, Saturdays and Sundays, and a large fair at Dasara draws devotees from across the state. The annual Karnika, a ritual forecast for the year, takes place on Bharat Hunnime, the full-moon day. The temple’s huge leather slippers at the entrance are a local curiosity.

Plan it: Crowds are heavy during the Dasara fair and on Bharat Hunnime, so check dates locally whether you want to join in or avoid them.

Distance: about 32 km from Haveri | Hours: daytime | Time needed: about 1 hr

Savanur was once a princely state under a Nawab, and the Nawab’s palace now houses the town’s court. Karnataka Tourism highlights three large baobab trees growing close together, which it describes as unusual in India and a draw for botany students.

Plan it: Ask locally for directions to the baobabs and the old palace, since signboards are few.

Where: Byadgi town | Hours: market hours | Time needed: about 1 hr

Byadgi is home to one of the biggest red chilli markets in the country, and Byadgi chillies are known for their deep red colour. A stop at the market and the spice shops shows how central chillies are to the district’s economy, and dried chillies make an easy souvenir.

Plan it: Visit in the morning when trading is active, ask before photographing traders and buy from established shops.