In 2020, Karnataka was the 3rd most popular tourist destination among domestic tourists. Around 77 million domestic tourists visited the state of Karnataka in 2020. Some of the most famous tourist places in Karnataka are given in this article.

List of Karnataka Tourist Places

Some of the important Karnataka tourist places are listed below:

• UNESCO World Heritage Sites such as the ruins of the Vijayanagara Empire at Hampi, Pattadakal.
• National Parks such as Bandipur National Park, Nagarhole National Park, and Bannerghatta National Park.
• There are many important temples of the Hindu religion such as Sringeri Temple, Kollur Mookambika Temple, Dharmasthala Temple, and Kukke Subramanya Temple.
• Mysore Palace
• Chamundeshwari Temple at Mysore
• Mysore Zoo
• Jog Falls, Shimoga
• Kudremukh
• Agumbe, Shimoga
• Madikeri
• Rock-cut temples at Aihole and Badami.
• Hoysala temples at Belur and Helebidu.
• Shivanasamudra Falls
• There are many popular beaches at Karwar, Malpe, Gokarna, Murudeshwar, Mangalore, etc.
• Karakala, Mudabidri, and Shravanabelagola are important sites for people following Jainism.

Pattadakal

• Pattadakal is located on the banks of the Malaprabha river in the Bagalkot district.
• Pattadakal is a complex of 7th and 8th century CE Hindu and Jain temples.
• This monument is protected by the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI).
• This is a significant centre of Chalukya monuments.

Hampi

• Hampi is located in the Vijayanagara district.
• There are a group of monuments in Hampi.
• Hampi was the capital of the Vijayanagara Empire in the 14th century.
• Hampi-Vijayanagara was the world’s second-largest mediaeval-era city by 1500 C.E.
• Hampi was mentioned even in the Puranas of Hinduism and Ramayana.

Chamundeshwari Temple

• Chamundeshwari temple located in Mysore is a very famous destination for tourists. It is one of the most traditional temples of Hindus.
• People of Karnataka revere Goddess Chamundeshwari as “Naada Devi”, meaning state goddess.
• Chamundeshwari Temple is one of the 18 Shakti Peethas in India.

Mysore Palace

• Mysore Palace located in Karnataka is one of the most famous tourist destinations in entire India, along with the Taj Mahal located in Agra.
• Mysore Palace is known as Amba Vilas Palace.
• Mysore Palace was the royal residence of the Wadiyar or Wodeyar dynasty that ruled the Kingdom of Mysore from 1399 to 1947, one of the longest surviving dynasties in India.

Nagarhole National Park

• Nagarahole is spread over the Mysore and Kodagu districts covering an area of 847.981 sq km.
• Nagarhole National Park is an important hub for Project Elephant and Project Tiger.
• Nagarahole is contiguous with Bandipur Tiger Reserve to its southeastern parts and Wayanad Wildlife Sanctuary (Kerala) to its south.
• Nagarhole National Park has one of the highest densities of tiger population after Corbett and Kaziranga Tiger Reserves.

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