Tourist Centers

• A kannada poverb says "see a country, Read a book" . People go to different places from their places to satisfy their curiousity, for religious celebrations for peace of mind for relaxation, to see pictures places, seeking happiness and for improvement of health. This is called touring. Tourist centres have facilities to stay and eat. So people stay there and visit tourist places.

• In modern world, tourism has become an inevitable part of the human life.

• We can gain knowledge about the place, culture, civilization, life style etc by tourism.

• Karnataka is one of the many states in India which has very famouse tourist spots. Karnataka has many more natural scenic places, for instance, the evergreen Sahyadri ranges with their rivers, waterfalls, beautiful valleys, wild animals , sandalwood forests etc. The attractive coastlines, historical places , temples with grand sculpture, religious centers, place of pilgrimage etc attract people from the state and foreign countries. Realising the importance of tourism, Karnataka Government has established the 'Karnataka state Tourism Development Corporation ' (KSTDC) in the year 1974 to provide tourists with basic requirements like tourist homes, lodges and restaurants at important tourist centres.

• Karnataka , being a heaven for tourists, has various beautiful places and attracts lakes of people. UNESCO has recognized and declared Hampi, Pattadakal, and recently , the Western Ghats as 'World Heritage Sites' . This has made Karnataka world- famous.

• The Government of Karnataka has implemented new tourism policy and given opportunity and encouragement to private companies in tourism. Karnataka has won the award for ' Best tourism Management ' state in 1966-97 .

Hill stations of Karnataka

• Karnataka has a variety of relief features and many hill ranges. Thus, there are many hill stations. Kudremukh hill station of Chikmagalur district, is a major hill station. It has dense, green forests , many hillocks, coffee estates,waters making it a beautiful place.

Waterfalls of Karnataka

• Our state is home to many waterfalls . The Malnad region has many waterfalls. During the rainy season, the water routes down with great force. Uttara Kannada has a greater number of waterfalls.

wildlife santuaries of karnataka

• Karnataka has dense forests. In order to protect forests and wildlife, the Government of Karnataka has established a number of wildlife sanctuaries, bird sanctuaries, national parks, tiger projects and biosphere reserves area.

• There are five national parks in Karnataka . They are: Rajiv Gandhi National Park in Nagarahole , Bandipur, Bannerughatta, Kudremukh and Anshi National Park.

Historical places

The earlier rulers of Karnataka , the Kadambas, Hoysalas, chalukyas and the kings of Vijayanagar have left behind very beautiful sculptural wonders.