Bustling
and colourful, Belgaum is a typical middling-big Indian town. It has character and plenty
of relics from a glorious past, and any tourists around are in-transit. Belgaum stands on
the northwestern border of Karnataka, within striking distance from Goa and Mumbai.
Panaji, the Goan capital is 5 hrs by road.
In
its rich and varied past, Belgaum has been part of the Chalukyan, Rattan, Vijayanagara,
Bahmani and Maratha empires. There are some interesting testaments to those days. The old
fort, now under restoration, was built in 1481 over an older original fort. The
Masjid-I-Sata mosque inside is beautiful. Remnants of the old colony, Kamala Basti, are
still found, as is a black Neminatha stone sculpture. There is a lot of Jain architecture
in Belgaum. An olden temple stands some way off from the Fort has lovely carvings of
musicians. Just outside Belgaum is Kapileswara, which has one of the oldest Hindu temples.
Getting
There: Trains take only 15½ hrs to Mumbai, going via Pune (10 ½ hrs), and 13¾
hrs to Bangalore. Belgaum also has a functional airport . If having completed your trip of Karnataka, you find you’ve ended in
the north (Hampi-Hospet-Badami-Gulbarga-Bidar-Bijapur) Belgaum is a good place to leave
from. Alternatively, if you decide to begin your tour around Karnataka with the northern
circuit of ancient cities and fabulous ruins, then Belgaum is a good entry point. There
are car-rental services from where a car and driver may be hired so you can do the trip in
comfort. For the budget traveller, there are buses plying to places all over the state and
while state-run buses may be a little rickety, there are privately run buses that are
fast, sometimes air-conditioned and will run a video for you.
Accommodation:
Belgaum is a pleasant place to spend an evening or two. There is no accommodation that
would make the ‘luxury hotel bracket’, but mid-rung establishments are cosy,
have a few air-conditioned rooms, and cable TV. Even budget lodges are clean and have
ambience.
For detailed state and visitor
information, see Karnataka. |
