En route to Badami

Date: 25-Sep-15

As we planned, all four of us hopped into our Nano at 4 AM in the early morning of 25th Sep and started our trip to Badami and Bijapur. Our first destination was Badami which is a taluk headquarters in Bagalkot district of Karnataka. We took the Nelamangala > Tumkur road and reached Hiriyur (via AH47) at around 6.30 AM. We had assumed that we would reach Hiriyur at around 7 AM and we can have breakfast at a hotel in Hiriyur. But, 6.30 AM was too early to have breakfast. So, we decided to have breakfast somewhere near Chitradurga. This route was familiar for us. All of us were on the same beautiful highway three months before when we visited Chitradurga and we had noticed a VRL hotel near in Chitradurga. At around 7 AM, we reached that hotel. It was deserted at that time. Only 2-3 people were there. We wondered whether we would be able to get anything to eat. Luckily, we got some food at that time. We finished our breakfast there and started at around 7.30 AM. Though the highway AH47 is beautiful, there are not many family restaurants on the way.

On the Way to Badami (somewhere near Chitradurga)

At Chitradurga junction, we left the beautiful highway and took a right turn towards Hospet. This road was a single lane road and was not in a very good condition. Only vehicles that we were able to see throughout this road were huge trucks and they were large in number. The weather was sunny; the road was narrow and filled with potholes and with huge number of trucks. It was an annoying journey of 100 kms. Hardly there were any houses on the way. But, there were beautiful green fields, many sunflower plantations which were giving us some relief from the boring journey. At the end of this stretch, in Hospet, we saw many industries and after that, we were up for a pleasant surprise. At the end of this bad road, suddenly we saw an ocean like reservoir on one side of the road. That was the backwaters of famous Thunga Bhadra dam. It was extraordinarily huge. After this point, the road was again a beautiful expressway. Whatever time we lost in the stretch of bad road, we gained in this stretch.

Thunga Bhadra Dam backwaters

After around 65 km, in a place called Kushtagi, we took a right turn. From here on, again the road was single lane, but there was absolutely no traffic. On both sides of the road, there was greenery. This made our journey a pleasant one. After around 25 kms, we reached a place called Gajendragada (which is one of the big towns of Gadag district). This place had a long hill strip and on top of the hill was a mighty fort. It was a very beautiful sight to watch. Since we did not have much time, we did not explore the place. After around 11 km from Gajendragad, we took a right turn towards Bevinakatti and from there, Badami was only 30 kms. The road that we took to Badami was not that well maintained. But, on both sides of the road were huge agricultural lands. The villages, the people and the culture were entirely different for us. Thilak and I were feeling happy to experience such a difference.

On the Way to Badami

We reached Badami at around 12.30 PM and checked-in to our hotel Chalukya Maurya at around 12.45 PM. I expected a lot from the KSTDC hotel. But, the rooms that they gave us were not that good and did not meet our expectation at all.

Since our plan was a jam-packed plan, we did not take any rest. We quickly freshened up, finished our lunch in a nearby hotel, and started our visit to famous Badami temples.

The total toll fee that we paid during our journey is as follows:

• Route Travelled: BTM Layout > Tumkur > Chitradurga > Hospet > Kushtagi > Gajendragad > Bevinakatti > Badami
• Total distance (one way): 480 km
• Mileage (car): 20 km/l
• Journey time (Excluding 45 mins break): 8 hrs

Tips:

• There are not many family restaurants in this route. Plan accordingly. Either carry food or make a note of the exact location of the few restaurants. Few good hotels that we noticed are: Kamat Upachar at Sira, Atithya Midway Plaza at Hiriyur, VRL hotel at Chitradurga.
• Carry enough water as the weather is very hot in these places.

See also:

• Badami, Aihole, Pattadakal, and Bijapur Trip – Planning
• Day 1 – Badami and Mahakoota
• Day 2 – Aihole, Pattadakal, and Alamatti
• Day 3 – Bijapur and Kudala Sangama

Route Map: