This section was a well-planned circuit trip in the month of late August when the rains had slowed down, but it still rained when I was at Amboli. Aihole, Badami, and Pattadakal give immense depth to the culture followed in the 7-8th century AD, and the kinds of temples of that time-the architecture and design is worth a look! However, I didn’t feel bogged down seeing these temples! Amboli, in contrast to this historical site, is a hill station. Since I was there during the monsoon period, there were the lovely green hills with many waterfalls here and there all over the ranges-western ghats in the rainy season are absolute cheese delight!
Reasons why you must visit Aihole/Badami/Pattadakal and Amboli:
- Amboli, also known as the ‘Queen of Maharashtra’ in the Sahayadri Hills, is a great hill station to be during or just after the monsoon. July to September is an appropriate period in terms of months to visit.
- Just 3 km from Amboli’s main bus stand, Mahadevgad Fort is a great place to witness the sunset and view the green Western Ghats and the Arabian Sea!
- Amboli Falls is a beautiful waterfall, around 4 km from the bus stand, surrounded by greenery all over. This becomes a frequent spot for tourists in monsoons due to massive water flow. Plus, you’ll notice several mini-falls in the vicinity in the rainy season.
- Kavalshet Point (11 km from the bus stand) is another viewpoint in Amboli that offers a breathtaking view of western ghats. There’s a reverse waterfall because the wind makes the fall take an upward direction, causing that illusion!
- The 10 feet of Nangarta Falls 10 km from Amboli, produce a vibrant sound when they crash on the floor with lots of rainwater in the monsoon.
- Shirgaonkar Point in Amboli is another place to see lush green valleys and numerous tiny falls in a panorama in monsoons.
- Agastya lake in Badami is a big lake surrounded by rugged hillocks, which looks excellent in monsoons when the lake is entire. Several temples and caves surround it.
- Northern hill in Badami offers a great view of Agastya Lake and the surrounding rocky landscape, though you need a bit of climbing to reach the top! It’s quiet and peaceful too-courtesy less frequented by tourists.
Location: Aihole and Amboli have located about 450 km and 700 km approximately northwest of Bengaluru.
Tourist Attraction on the spot:
Aihole: Durga and Ravana Phadi temples, Museum, Jyotirlinga temple group, and several other temples;
Pattidakal:Mallikarjuna Temple,Papanatha Temple,Virupaksha Temple,Shiva Temple;
Badami: Badami cave temples, Bhootnath complex, Agasthya lake, Badami Fort, other several temples;
Amboli-Mahadev Gad; Kavalshet point, Nangartas falls,parixit and shirgaonkar points.
Tourist Attraction in Vicinity:
You can visit Dudhsagar Falls, Ratnagiri, Goa, Kaas, Mahabaleshwar, Gokarna, Kohlapur and Panchgani from these tourist places.
Group of Monuments at Pattadakal, UNESCO World Heritage Site
Distance Charts:(Aihole | Amboli)
- Udupi(440 | 390 km)
- Bangalore(450 | 580 km)
- Chennai(800 | 930 km)
- Kanyakumari(1120 | 1140 km)
- Delhi(1780 | 1800 km)
- Mumbai(610 | 490 km)
- Pune(440 | 345 km)
- Hyderabad(390 | 600 km)
- Ooty(650 | 720 km)
- Panjim-Goa(290 | 80 km)
- Cochin(890 | 860 km)
- Mahabaleshwar(420 | 300 km)
How to Reach Aiholi-Badami-Amboli:
Road Routes:
Bengaluru-Chitrakoot-Hosapete-Aiholi-Pattadakal-Badami-Belagavi-Amboli
An important note from my experience:
1)The post-monsoon period is excellent for Aiholi, Badami. Pattidakal, whereas the monsoon is great for Amboli. Well. I’ll say you can cover all this in late monsoons when it rains periodically, allowing you sufficient time to cover all the places.
2)Since these places are far apart you’ll need public transport. If you use private transport, you can cover all four of these places daily, whereas public transport depends. In particular, the viewpoints in Amboli require you to have your vehicle or walk.
3)Start early for these places; even if walks and public transport are used, you will be able to wrap up by late evening. Keep Amboli at the top, followed by the three historic sites.
4)Food is hard to get in these regions. Yes, you may find snack shops here and there, but that’s it. Have some food and water with you as these are remote areas- fewer people, less transport, fewer shops!
RAIL:Bagalkote/Belgaum are nearest railway stations
AIR: Belgaum has an airport as well as Hubli.
ROAD: Roads are in good shape upto say Hosapete,Beyond that,all the way upto Amboli,roads are dusty patchy and bumpy-not so bad but still not so great but yeah well-directed roads. KSRTC / MSRTC buses are still available for certain places.
Map:
Time to Visit:
August to February is a good time to be here.(Aug-Oct are best months)
Spend Time With:
Friends, Groups, Solo, Couple, Family
Food and lodging
Bagalkot is the best place in Belgaum to visit these places. Hotels are excellent and cheap, with no need to book. However, carry snacks and water with you when you see these places, as you’ll not have great options to eat at these places.
Expense:
A 2 day trip to Aiholi-Badami-Pattadakal-Amboli costs:
Food: INR 100/person/day(3 times a day) X2
Transport: Public transport will mainly help you see the temples at Aiholi Pattadakal and Badami (INR 150), but Amboli needs to hire a vehicle which will cost maybe INR 1500 or so.
Lodging: INR 700/day X 1 at Belagavi/Bagalkote
Entry Fees: INR 100 at the temple entrances
Group of Temples at Acholi
Total: 3050 INR
Total: 3050 INR
Nearby Attractions(Aiholi | Amboli)
- Pune(440 | 345 km)
- Hyderabad(390 | 600 km)
- Panjim-Goa(290 | 80 km)
- Mahabaleshwar(420 | 300 km)
- Udupi(440 | 390 km)
- Bangalore(450 | 580 km)
- Mumbai(610 | 490 km)
- Mahabaleshwar(420 | 300 km)
- Ratnagiri(370 | 210 km)
- Jog Falls(300 | 320)
- Hampi(140 | 330 km)
- Aurangabad-Ellora Caves(510 | 580 km)
- Bhandardara(560 | 480 km)
