This district has been bifurcated recently from Mysore district. The ruins of an antique city, Manipura are nearby. Chamarajeswara temple built in 1825 is another place of interest in the district. Rail and road connect the town with rest of the country.

Bandipur Wildlife Sanctuary (52km): Situated on the Mysore - Ooty road, this sanctuary is brought under project tiger since 1974.

Biligiri Rangaswamy temple of Dravidian Style (109km) and the Kaveri fishing camp at Bhimeswari are of interesting places for tourists.

Places of interest in Chikamangalur

The town of Chikmangalur is the district headquarters. It is a centre for education, trade and commerce. The town enjoys a very healthy climate and has revered monuments of all religions.

Places of interest in the town are the fort and its moat, the Parasurama temple, the Kali shrine, the Ishwara temple, St. Joseph's Cathedral, Kodandarama Temple etc.

Kemmangudi (54km): It is an ideal retreat with bracing climate and located at 4700ft above sea level. The sites of Kalahasti and Hebbe waterfalls are ideal picnic spots.

Sringeri (103km): Situated on the banks of Tunga River the Sringeri Mutt was founded by Sri. Adi Shankara., the exponent of the Adwaita philosophy. The Vidyashankar Temple has 12 zodiac pillars and a huge paved courtyard. The pillars are constructed in such a way that the rays of the sun fall on the pillar corresponding to the month.

Other places of interest around the town are Bhadia Wildlife Sanctuary (38km), Bhadra Reservoir (76km) etc.

Places of Interest in Chitra Durga

A place existed during the epic period of Ramayana and Mahabharatha, this district was a place of prominence for all dynasties those ruled Karnataka. Rail and road connect the town to most of the important places of the state.

Built in part by the Palegars, Hyder Ali and Tipu Sultan, the fort has seven series of enclosure walls and many ancient temples.

Places of Interest in Dakshin Kannad

Mangalore is the district headquarters. Located near the backwaters formed by the Netravathi and Gurupur rivers, it was once a major seaport and shipbuilding center of Hyder Ali. The backwaters, the palm trees and the pleasant climate make Mangalore a unique place.

Mangalore is connected to Mumbai, Goa, Bangalore and Kochi by air. Roads and rails connect Mangalore to other parts of the state.

Places of interest in Mangalore are the Sultan Battery, a remnant of Tipu Sultan's fort, a picturesque Ullal Beach situated at the mouth of two rivers entering the sea, the Shreemanthi Bai Memorial Govt. Museum, the Kadri temple, Mangladevi Temple etc.

The River Netravati surrounds the town Dharmastala (70km) in all sides. The famous Manjunatha Temple is in situated here. 30km east is Katil with the Durga Parameswary Temple. 35km northeast is Moodabidri and the famous Jain temple here has 1000 pillars. 52km northeast is Karkala. It is a 15th century Jain centre and has a 13m tall monolithic statue of Bahubali

Places of Interest in Gulbarga

Formerly known as Kalbugi, Gulbarga is the headquarters of the district. The town rose into prominence when the founder of Bahmani kingdom shifted the capital from Daulatabad to Gulbarga. It continued to be the capital until 1424AD. The town is 613km from Bangalore and accessible by rail and road from every important place of the state.

The Fort: Raja Gulchand originally built the fort. Ala-u-Din Bahmani strengthened it later. The fort has 15 towers and 26 guns. One of the guns is 8m long. In the fort there is an imposing mosque that resembles the mosque of Cordona in Spain. Situated within the fort walls is the Jama Masjid with stilted domes and narrow entrances in the Persian style of architecture.

Places of Interest in Hassan

Hassan is the headquarters of the district. This fairly large city was developed into a tourist centre because of the proximity to Belur and Halebid. Hassan is 194km from Bangalore on the national highway linking Mangalore and Bangalore. The district has a salubrious climate. Rail and roads connect Hassan to important centres of the state.

Belur: 34km from Hassan, Belur is a tourist attraction with its exquisite temples. Located on the banks of river Yagachi, the Chennakeswara Temple is one of the finest examples of Hoysala architecture. It took 103 years to complete and you can see why when you see it. The facade of the temple is filled with intricate sculptures friezes with no portion kept blank. The interior of the temple is even better and contains many exquisite panels and richly carved pillars. The Veeranarayana Temple and other smaller shrines are also worth visiting.

Halebidu: 16km from Belur and 39km from Hassan, the Hoysaleswara Temple of Halebidu is a wealth of sculptural details. The walls of the temple are covered with an endless variety of gods, goddesses, animals, birds and dancing girls giving importance to the minutest details. Yet no two facets of the temple are the same. Two massive monolithic bulls guard the temple. Despite 86 years of hard work, the temple is not completed.