Bijapur 1: Tour Plan

Bagalkot to Bijapur 

 In my wish list of places to visit, Bijapur was perhaps little ahead of Afghanistan and Siberia and Bagalkot was little below them. Still, amidst my hectic commitments, I took time last month to have my first tete-a- tete with these two cities, as between these two not so fancied places lay everything I love. Places loaded with history, heritage and awesome sculptures; Badami, Aihole, Pattadakal, Mahakuta, Kudala Sangama etc abound in these two districts.
I must confess, post tour of Bijapour, I am a changed man. I regret having a lowly notion about their touristic importance and it also pinches me to firms up my resolve not to  make unfair judgement  on anyone; people or places.

Tour Plan
First day : Visit Badami, Banashankari,  Mahakuta, Aihole, Pattadakal
Second Day: Bagalkot to Kudala Sangama, Alamatti and reach Bijapur
( You would enjoy Kudala Sangama either if you are religiously minded or like me you have a place in your heart for Basavanna, If you don’t belong to either category better to travel directly to Bijapur.
They dont permit you to get too close with Alamatti these days too)
Third Day: City tour of Bijapur

Transport Facilities:
Its such a pity that there are no package tours from either Bijapur or Bagalokot to Badami, Aihole and Pattadakal.
You have to either take the KSRTC buses with uncertain timings or hire a private Taxi.
If you have a big group with you it’s highly recommended to hire a Taxi for whole day and do the tour of Badami- Aihole-Pattadakal in a single day. Unless you are a lover of architectural details desiring to probe very deep, a day would suffice your curiosity.
If you travel alone and you are gifted with some patience, travel by KSRTC plus autos tangas etc. I travelled as much as possible by KSRTC bus to have a feel of people, language and culture and economy and must confess got a load of it.

KSRTC buses in Bijapur are quite neat and travel well in time between destinations. Only issue is that there is no one to tell you when they would arrive to where you are waiting.

Distances  :
(In Kilometers, approximate)
Bagalkot to Badami 30
Badami to Pattadakal 22
Aihole to Pattadakal 13
Bijapur to Aihole 115
Aihole to Kamatagi 9
Kamatagi to Bagalkot 30
Bagalkot to Kudala sangama 30
Kudala Sangama to  Alamatti 15
Alamatti to Bijapur 70
Mahakuta to Badami 15
Badami Banashankari 5

Highlights

Badami- Aihole and Pattadakal feature three diverse presentations of glorious architecture of sixth century onwards. It’s a must visit to every traveler, every Kannadiga, let alone History/ architecture enthusiasts from around the world.

Bijapur is a splendid city. Its Adil Shahi infrastructure is much grander than I could ever imagine. City thoroughly deserves a full days sauntering for a casual tourist and has a treasure trove for longer period for a History enthusiast.