Chikballapur

Resides on top of the hill of Ellode, Gudibhanda Taluk, Chikballapur district. It is believed that the idol of Sri Lakshmi Adinarayana Swamy Temple is self originated. This holy temple has its existence since ancient times (over 1000 years). The Lord is sitting on top of Kurma giri (tortoise shaped hill). The 618 steps climb has greenery on either side. The scenic beauty, lake and greenery all around is a real feast to the eyes. The temple is well connected through the National Highway 7 (NH7) from Bengaluru to Hyderabad, with a deviation of just 3 km before Bagepally. Ellode is around 120 km from Bengaluru, the capital of Karnataka. Note that transportation to the temple is not great, so most devotees use private vehicles. Special poojas are made in Maagha masam on all Sundays and Rathotsava is performed on 3rd Sunday. Vaikunta Ekadashi is done in a very grand manner with the Vaikunta Dwara open in the early morning starting from 5AM till the evening. Satyanarayana Swamy pooja is performed on all the Pournima days (Full moon day) at the temple which is on the foothill of Sri Lakshmi Adinarayana Swamy Temple. Kalyana Utsava (or Kalyanotsava) is performed at the Ganesh temple near the entrance of the temple. Offering hairs is done on all Sundays on top of the hill. Maagha masam is observed in Sri Lakshmi Adinarayana Swamy Temple with utmost enthusiasm.

About 10 km from Ellode. Lepakshi is very important historically and archaeologically. A huge or biggest Nandi bull in India made out of a single granite stone is one of the attractions in Lepakshi. The place is renowned for being one of the best repository of mural paintings (see below) of the Vijayanagar Kings. There are three shrines dedicated to Shiva, Vishnu and Virabhadra. The famous Veerabhadra temple, dedicated to Veerabhadra, is located here.

One of the popular pilgrim centers located near Doddaballapur of Bengaluru North district. Ghati Subrahmanya is located about 60 km from Bengaluru.

Situated near the Karnataka Andhra Pradesh border and about 6km from Gauribidanur, it had a major role to play in the freedom movement of India. The name Vidurashwatha is derived from that of a big Ashwatha (Ficus religiosa) tree located in this village. According to a legend of the times of Mahabharata, this tree was planted by Vidura, a courtier in the kingdom of Dhritarashtra and hence the name Vidurashwatha.