A Fab weekend trip from Bangalore

Start point atA - MG Road, FM Cariappa Colony, Shivaji Nagar, Bengaluru, Karnataka, India

End point atH - MG Road, FM Cariappa Colony, Shivaji Nagar, Bengaluru, Karnataka, India

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Day : 1 - Spectacular of Lepakshi & Gandikota

Halt B1 - Lepakshi main temple
Distance from days start -124 Kms.

Activities - Visit Lepakshi temple

Factors at the Halt include : Spiritual,Cultural / History,Forts, Palaces & Monuments.

Night stay at C2 - Gandikota Canyon
Distance from days start -189 Kms.

Hotel - Haritha Resorts

Star Rating of Hotel :

Halt C2 - Gandikota Canyon
Distance from days start -189 Kms.

Activities - Visit Gandikota Fort, Visit Gandikota Canyons

Factors at the Halt include : Rural / Ethnic Stay.

Lepakshi temple is just over 2 hours drive from Bengaluru making it an extremely easy-to-reach destination from Bengaluru city. Lepakshi temple, originally called Veerabhadra Temple, is a temple dedicated to Veerabhadra, an incarnation of Shiva. Built in the 16th century, the architectural features of the temple are in the Vijayanagara style with a profusion of carvings and paintings on almost every exposed surface of the temple. There is a huge boulder of granite stone that has a carving of a coiled multi-hooded serpent providing an umbrella cover over a Shiva Linga, which is a major attraction in the temple. The hanging pillar is another attraction of Lepashi temple, which is a pillar that apparently does not have any contact with the ground and one can pass a cloth underneath it making the pillar looks like it is literally suspended in air, or hanging from the ceiling. After visiting Lepakshi temple we shall head on a long drive to reach the spectacular Gandikota fort and canyons which is about 4 and a half hour drive from Lepakshi. On reaching Gandikota we shall visit the Gandikota fort first. The historical fort is situated right on the banks of the Penna River. This massive Fort is guarded by a 5 Mile Wall in perimeter. The fort was originally built in the 11th century and it passed hands through various dynasties that ruled the region over the period. In the fort are two ancient temples, and a Mosque. They are in ruins and the fort area is full of the debris of ages and many ancient structures in varying stages of decay. The large granary, with a vaulted roof, is now used as watchman's quarters. The Jamia Masjid mosque has two minarets that stand adjacent to each other. The magnificent Gandikota fort sits majestically on top of the gorge. Apart from the unmatched beauty of the gorge, the mystical charm of this fort makes this a must-visit spot in the region. Apart from the Fort the major natural attraction of the trip is probably the Gandikota Canyons, also called the Grand Canyon of India. Similar to the Grand Canyon in Arizona, this gorge is a stunning assemblage of rocks, cut and layered in the most amazing way as if they were arranged by hand! Climbing up those treacherous rocks can be a task in itself, but the amazing views you’ll get once you’re up there is totally worth it.

Day : 2 - Belum Caves and Gooty Fort

Halt D1 - Belum Caves
Distance from days start -37 Kms.

Activities - Visit Belum Caves

Factors at the Halt include : Caves / Springs.

Halt E2 - Gooty Fort
Distance from days start -77 Kms.

Activities - Visit Gooty Fort

Factors at the Halt include : Forts, Palaces & Monuments.

Halt F3 - Anantapur
Distance from days start -76 Kms.

Activities - Andhra meals from SS Palace Iconic Andhra restaurant

Factors at the Halt include : Iconic Food Outlets.

On the second day of the trip, we shall drive to Belum caves, hardly a 2-hour drive away from Gandikota. The Belum caves are the largest and longest cave system in the country. Known for its speleothems, such as stalactite and stalagmite formations. The Belum Caves have long passages, galleries, spacious caverns with fresh water, and siphons. This cave system was formed over the course of tens of thousands of years by the constant flow of underground water from the now-disappeared river Chitravathi. The cave system reaches its deepest point 46 meters from the ground level at the entrance, at which point it is famously known as Pataalaganga. Belum Caves have a total length of 3.2 km, making them among the longest cave in the subcontinent. After visiting Belum caves we shall go on another 2-hour drive to reach the Gooty Fort, a 10th century fort, also known as Ravadurg, now a ruined fort located on a hill in the Gooty town. The fort is located on a group of hills that rise up to 680 m above the sea level. The hills are connected by lower spurs. In the citadel of the fort, at the summit has two buildings, apparently a granary and a gunpowder magazine. The ruined Narasimha temple is located near the summit. On a 300 m high cliff, there is a small pavilion that provides a panoramic view of the town below. After visiting the Gooty fort, we shall drive back towards Bangalore, and on the way we shall stop by at Anantapur town to eat from an iconic eatery in the town. While in Andhra we are expected to have Andhra style meals, and we shall do it from where it gets its best from an iconic restaurant called SS Palace, that is particularly famous for the Andhra style meals it serves. We can expect to return to Bangalore by early evening making it an extremely convenient trip from Bangalore.