Places to visit nearby destination
- Mysore
Bandipur
 On the way to Ooty, about 80 km
off Mysore, is situated the Bandipur
National Park. The park, spread
over an area of 875 km, is a famous
tiger reserve. Besides tiger, the
other animals you can see here are
the barking deer, tuskers, and bison.
Belur
One of the three major Hoysala
temples still in daily use today
is the Channekeshava Temple of Belur.
The construction of the temple,
which took almost a century, was
started in 1116 to commemorate the
Hoysalas’ victory over the Cholas.
Enclosed in a paved compound, the
temple complex includes a well and
a bathing tank. It is believed that
every major deity of the Hindu pantheon
is represented in the temple.
Halebid
The Hoysaleswara
temple at Halebid has a history
dating back to around AD 1121. Though
its construction spanned 80 years,
it was never completed. The temple
is set in a well-tendered garden.
A small museum adjacent to it houses
a collection of sculptures. The
Kedareswara temple and three small
Jain temples are also located at
Halebid.
Ranganathittu
 For bird lovers, Ranganathittu
is worth a visit. This bird sanctuary
is situated around 18 km from Mysore
and offers a close view of the exotic
and common birds.
Somnathpur
Thirty-five kilometres east of
Mysore lies Somnathpur, a town famous
for the temple built by the Hoysala
kings. The beautiful building of
the Keshava temple built in 1268
is the major attraction here. The
walls of this star-shaped temple
are covered with sculptures in stone
depicting various scenes from the
Ramayana, Mahabharata and the Bhagavad
Gita and the life and times of the
Hoysala Kings.
Sravanabelagola
Sravanabelagola,
meaning the Monk of the White Pond,
is the oldest and the most important
pilgrimage centre for the Jains
in the country. The town is also
the home to the world’s tallest
monolithic statue, the 17-metre-high
naked statue of Bahubali. Besides
the statue, the town also has several
interesting Jain temples and monasteries.
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