There is a well known story about a great Hoysala king, Veera Ballala, who lost his way during a hunt and was fed boiled beans by an old woman who had nothing else to offer. "Bangal-uru", the place of boiled beans, is now the fifth largest city in India and now-a-days renowned as Silicon Valley of India.

The capital of Karnataka state is the Garden City of India. The Lalbagh Garden is particularly beautiful and well laid out. Srirangapatnam is known for its fortress and tomb of the famous Warrior King. It can be visited enroute to Mysore . Somnathpur Temple This temple is dedicated to Shiva and is a marvellous example of Hoysala architecture with exquisite sculptures.Belur Famous for the Chennakeswara temple, one of the finest specimens of Hoysala temple architecture of the 13th century with numerous carvings. Halebid The elaborately carved temples of Hoysaleswara and Kedarswara are to be found here.