One of the oldest village in the Belgaum District, it is famous for Panchaligeswara temple. some of the other ruined temples waiting for conservation and restoration.

Conservation and Restoration

Conservation and Restoration needed for some of the temples at Hooli

Halasi is a town in the Belgaum district of Karnataka state in India. It is famous for having been the capital of a branch of Kadamba Dynasty. The town is rich in historical monuments and temples and is near Khanapur.

Originally single-shrine with the majestic two- handed image of Lord Narasimha a second inner shrine was added later on with a gigantic image of a seated Narayana. Look up and admire the inverted lotus motif or go through the inscriptions, one of, which records the gifting of a village to the temple deity. Wander around and explore the remains of one of the earliest Jain bastis, built by the Kadambas who also made a half dozen grants to it

Accommodation: Khanapur or Belgaum.

Located in the heart of Belgaum, Belgaum Fort is one of the oldest monuments of Karnataka. This stone and mud structure was constructed in 13th century by Jai Raya, an ally of the Ratta dynasty. The Bijapur Sultan, Yakub Ali Khan, built huge walls, bastions, battlements and the parapets and rebuilt this fort surrounded by a deep moat.

The fort was possessed by Rattas, Vijayanagar emperors, Bijapur Sultans, Marathas, and finally by the British. During the British rule, Mahatma Gandhi was imprisoned here.

Belgaum Fort is a remarkable monument, where mosques and temples co-exist. At the entrance, there are two shrines - one devoted to Shri Ganapathi and another to goddess Durga. Two basadis built in the Chalukyan style is located inside the fort. Kamal Basadi is the famous one. A Jain temple is on the right side of the fort. Safa Masjid and Jamia Masjid are within the fort.

Belgaum Fort is near the Belgaum Central Bus Station. Belgaum Railway Station is the nearest railhead. Belgaum Airport is around 10 km.

Safa Masjid, noted for its minars, domes and arches, is situated inside the Belgaum Fort,
Belgaum. It was constructed in typical Mughal and Deccan styles.

The arches at the three entrances to the Jamia Hall have floral and calligraphic designs carved on it. An underground passage, situated out side the mosque is believed to be lead to Yellurgad.


Kamal Basti is one of the two bastis situated within the walls of Belgaum Fort which is encircled by a Moat. There are two Jinalayas in later Chalukya style. One of them is Kamal Basti. This Jain Temple was built in 1204 AD by Bichirja, a minister of Kartavirya IV of the Ralta Dynasty. Two of its pillars have Kannada inscriptions in Nagari scripts, one of 1199 of Ratta King Kartaveerya IV and another of 1261 of Sevuna (Yadava) Krishna. The temple has Kadamba Nagara Shikara. The other Jinalaya is almost a ruined one. This 10th Century AD Basti is under the protection of Archeological Dept. This temple is nearby to Belgaum Main Bus Stand. The two temples in the fort are known as Kamal Basadi (Mandir) and Chikki Basadi.

Kamal Basadi is so called because of the Gumbaj of the temple as the masterpiece here is the "Mukhamantapa" with a well-executed in the form of the Lotus of 72 Petals on the ceiling. Outside the Kamala Basti is another ruined Jain temple called the Chikki Basti. The Belgaum Fort is the ancient architectural pre-Muslim monument is one of the best and shining examples of communal harmony with both mosques and temples co-exist in perfect harmony, though not much of the original structure remains.

In this temple, the past present and future Tirthankars 24 for each period are shown on the 72 petals of the lotus flower. The Sanctum Hill has the stone carved Sinhasan with seated Idol of Bhagwan Neminath and is very artistic. The pillars of the temple are decorated with carvings and brightly polished. The Idol of Bhagwan Neminath was found in the Jungle about 200 years ago. The Idol and other statues are of 11CAD.

There are Idols of Bhagwan Sumatinath in standing posture, Idol of Bhagwan Adinath in Padamasan, Idol of Bhagwan Parsvanath under the shade of 7 hooded Nagraj.

Also the only single Masterpiece in the world is the Idol of Navgraha which is also worth seeing. This temple is under active puja.

For More informartion about Kamal Basti and its history visit http://kamalbasti.blogspot.com/

It is said to be the oldest, is well worth a visit. The other temples you could visit are those of Kapileshwara Temple, Maruti etc.

Of the churches, the st. Mary's church awesome with its imposing gothic stone structure built in 1869. Light filters through the gorgeous stained glass windows and doors to enhance the fine Biblical drawings on the walls. You could take time to visit the St. Xavier's church ( the oldest ), st. Anthony's church, the cathedral of Our Lady and Methodist church.The church in the camp was built in 1869. Reverend Francis Gell designed the building. This imposing stone church of the Anglicans has fine pillars in the prayer hall and gorgeous stained glasses at its doors and windows. The paintings on the inner walls have pleasant colour combinations and reflect biblical episodes. In front of the West Porch almost at the meeting of the four chief cantonment roads, stands a lofty memorial cross raised in memory of the 64th Regiment coldies who fell in the 1857 Revolt.

About 10kms south of Belgaum and 4 kms east of Desur Railway station, this place is situated. It is a good place for bauxite mine.

Accommodation: Belgaum.

Situated at the foot of a small hillock locally called Yellurgad. The place has temples dedicated to kamaleshwar, Lakshmi, Dattatreya, Parameshwara and Chaugaleshwari. The jatra in honour of the goddess is held during Chaitra when about 10,000 people participate.

The temple appears to be the oldest as the 1204 AD Kamal basti inscription makes amention of this and is renovated now. This being a shiva Temple has flat peetha with Shivalinga. The annual jatra is held during Shivaratri . It is called as the South Kashi of India.





Belgaum also has a number of training centers of the Indian Armed Forces, and an air base of the Indian Air Force. The British ad a sizable Infantry post here, having realized the military importance of its geographical location. Perhaps that is one of the reasons for Belgaum's sobriquet. The Cradle of Infantry. Belgaum houses the Maratha Light Infantry Regimental Centre(MLIRC). Belgaum also houses the Commando Training Wing which is a part of the Infantry School, MHOW, where the country's valiant infantry commandos are trained in endurance, escape and evasion, guerilla and commando war fare techniques.

Belgaum's Watchtower and sunset point should not be missed if one wants to savor the scenic beauty surrounding this town

Best season to visit: The fall is generally calm durin summers. During monsoon, the falls become alive and attracts tourists mostly during monsoon season.

What to do at falls: Swimming is a good options at the bottom of the falls. But one has to make sure that the water is calm in desired area. The sure-footed adventurers could try and climb up to the head of the falls through bushes, boulders and water. It’s a tough climb which takes at least a couple of hours. The fall's surrounding area form a good picnic spot. While visiting Dudhsagar falls, one should ensure that at least entire day is spent near the falls.

This waterfall of the Bedti river is around 17kms from Yellapur. You have to take deviation to the left after around 5kms on the way to Ankola from Yellapur (this highway ride which actually starts from Hubli and ends near Ankola meeting NH 17 is an experience by itself. Almost empty smooth road with your loving vehicle hmm..). This place has a forest guest house though, do carry your food and water supplies.
To reach to the bottom of the waterfall you have to take deviation of about 10+kms on the way to the place (there is a place with 4 roads meeting at one place , take left) to walk upstream to reach the waterfall.This height of this water fall is around 650ft. On the way to this waterfall you will find nice lake called "Kavade Kere" of about 60acres area.
A word of caution : Avoid sundays and holidays as it will be crowded (mostly with unhealthy social practices).

Fact File:
Geography: place {magod} in Yellapur taluq in North Kanara district in North West Karnataka.

Other places of interest : satoddi falls.

Distance:

- From Bangalore 500+ kms

- From Nearest Town 17kms(yellapur)

- From Nearest Petrol Bunk yellapur

- Nearest Medical Help yellapur

- Nearest Hotel yellapur

This place near Ambikanagar near Dandeli is famous for its fabulous view of the valley of the river Kali inside the Dandeli Reserved Forest. There is a temple near by on top of a small hill. This temple is inside a cave, This place is called "kavaLa caves". This place offers a great part of the untouched part of the forests of the Western Ghats. Being a wildlife reserve opportunities for trekking are less.
This place is round 23kms from Dandeli. The other place near by is the Syntheri Rocks which is 32kms from Dandeli. Here is a monolith of around 500ft with the Kaneri river beneath with a small waterfall.The Dandeli Reserved Forest is 475sq.kms big with Aninshi National Park with area 250sq.kms.



Fact File :
Geo: ...place {sykes point, kavaLa caves} in Supa taluq in North Kanara district in North West Karnataka.

Distance:
- From Bangalore 500+ kms
- From Nearest Town Ambika Nagar 8kms
- From Nearest Petrol Bunk Ambika Nagar
- Nearest Medical Help Ambika Nagar
- Nearest Hotel Ambika Nagar

Approach : Best Time Any Time but Summer.

About 32 km away from Yellapur in Uttara Kannada district close to Sirsi, several unknown streams converge near Kallaramane Ghat and Plunge from a height of about 15m to create a picturesque waterfall and then joins the backwaters of Kodasalli dam built across Kali River. We can also view the coconut tree tops that went down under back waters. This is situated in the midst of dense forests. The forest department were building a pergola for tourist to rest as of December 2006.



Distance:
- From Bangalore 450+ kms
- From Nearest Town- Yellapur 25+kms
- From Nearest Petrol Bunk- Yellapur
- Nearest Medical Help- Yellapur
- Nearest Hotel- Yellapur


Hotels and Foods:
There is only one hotel near the waterfalls. It opens really late around 9am and we require to tell him, in order to get food early enough. Better to eat at Yellapur and carry enough food.


Best Season and Transport:
Winter is best time to visit. Avoid the rainy season, when hostile terrain and blood-sucking leeches make these falls inaccessible.

From Yellapura, we need to take highway towards hubli [opposite direction of magod falls] and then turn left towards ganesh-gudi [Immediately after the petrol bunk and ]. An Arch at the beginning of this road is a good indicator for the road towards sathodi water falls. This is not JLR's GaneshGudi which near Dandeli. Roads are in patches are good. After Ganesh Guddi there is only mud road with huge rocks/stones. From Ganesh Gudi, the falls is around 10km. For Sedan cars, avoid using car after ganesh gudi because the roads are more rocks/stones. Only cars that make to the base of falls are Indica and marutis apart from Jeeps. Also After Ganesh Guddi, it is just forest and forest and then comes the beautiful view of the backwater of Kodasalli dam built across river kalli.

Also, to reach the place one can take a bus up to Barballi, and from there it is a long trek of about 10 km. The alternate route is to go up to Dehalli - Kattige via Ganesh Gudi, wherein a kutcha road winds all the way to the falls. Bikes are also available for rent at Dehalli, which is a common means of transport in this region.


Other places of interest : Magod, Ganesh gudi, Yellapur