Belagavi travel guide

Belagavi, India

By the Travel Wiki editorial team

Belagavi

Introduction

Belagavi, still widely called Belgaum, sits in the Western Ghats near Karnataka's northern western border. It serves as the administrative headquarters of both the Belagavi district and the wider Belagavi division, and the state government has proposed it as a second capital alongside Bangalore.

That status is visible in the Suvarna Vidhana Soudha, a second state administrative building inaugurated in 2012. Treat the city as an administrative and hill-country stopover in Karnataka's far north rather than a conventional tourist circuit.

Before you go

Belgaum takes its name from Venugrama, or "bamboo village", and the wider district holds some of the region's oldest history — Halsi, once the capital of a dynasty of nine Kadamba kings, is the most ancient place in the area. The city's later story runs through Hyder Ali of Mysore, who overran it in the late 18th century, before it was retaken by the Peshwa with British help and eventually handed to the British East India Company.

The hilly topography keeps the weather pleasant for much of the year. Summers are mildly hot, winters are cool, and the southwestern monsoon brings heavy rain from July to September. Kannada and Marathi are both spoken here, along with a sizable Urdu-speaking population; because language can be a sensitive subject in the region, English or Hindi is the safer choice when you need to be understood.

Getting there

Belagavi Airport (IXG) receives daily flights from Bangalore, Delhi, Mumbai and Hyderabad, making it the quickest way in if you are coming from one of those cities. The railway station, served by South Western Railway, is well connected to major destinations including Bangalore (via Hubli), Mumbai, Pune and Delhi (via Miraj), and Goa.

Getting around

Belagavi is a spread-out city rather than a dense one, and there is no metro or tram, so you will rely on buses, autorickshaws, taxis and hired cars. City buses are the backbone of local transport: the network is well regarded for reaching both the centre and the rural areas around the city, fares are nominal, and tickets are bought on board. Two bus points are most useful to you — Belagavi City Bus Stand for local services, and Belagavi Railway Station Bus Terminal if you are arriving or leaving by train. For longer journeys, private and government buses connect to nearby places such as Hubli, Dharwad and Goa.

Where to stay

Belagavi's accommodation ranges from heritage seafood hotels in the city centre to resorts and homestays out in the surrounding countryside. On Kirloskar Road in Bogar ves, Hotel Adinarayan is known for fresh seafood cooked in Goan style and for a heritage stretching back decades; Aadinarayan also appears on the same road. Hotel Aadarsh Palace sits opposite Lingraju College, while Hotel Ramdev in Nehru Nagar, close to the JNMC campus and KLE Hospital, is an economical option with two separate restaurants, one vegetarian and one not. Hotel Sai Sangam International is also in Nehru Nagar, and Hotel Eefa and Sanman Deluxe, a business hotel, round out the in-town choices.

If you would rather stay outside the city, several options lie within easy reach. Pai Resort is a short drive from Belagavi and closer still to the airport, and Sankam Residency and Surya Yatri Nivas on Kapileshwar Road are similarly convenient for both. For something quieter, Alurkar Resorts is an agrotourism resort on Ajra-Amboli Road near Bugte Alur village, and Nature And I offers an eco-friendly homestay about 10 km from the city.

Food & drink

Belagavi's food blends central Indian and north Indian flavours, making it a good place to try chaats and other Maharashtrian specialities within Karnataka. Solkadi, a drink made from kokum fruit, is a Goan import that pairs well with fish. The city's signature sweet, Kunda, is sold in the major sweet shops, including Kalyani Sweets in Camp.

What to see and do

Belgaum is known for its temples, and the religious traveller will find plenty to visit. The main ones are Kamal Basti, which sits inside Belgaum Fort, along with the Kapileshwar temple, the Shani temple and the Maruti Temple. Within the lush green surroundings of the Cantonment you can also see the Masjid-Sata mosque, which dates back to the 16th century, the Mahadeva temple with its gardens, St. Mary's Church of England, St. Xavier's Church, the Catholic Cathedral and St. Anthony's Church.

The old stone fort is the town's key sight. It was built in the 12th century by the local Ratta rulers, though hardly anything of the original structure remains, having been renovated and added to by the successive rulers who governed Belgaum. Don't miss the fort's watchtower and sunset point if you want to take in the scenery around this small town, and note that the fort premises also host the Sri Ramakrishna Mission Ashram. Inside are two Jain temples: Kamal Basadi, a splendid example built by the Ratta dynasty around 1204 under the guidance of a Jain monk, and Chikki Basadi, a ruined temple nearby. Elsewhere in the city, Killa Lake lies in front of the fort, and the Suvarna Vidhana Soudha, largely identical in design to Bangalore's Vidhana Soudha, hosts the winter session of the Karnataka Legislature. Further out, Mahipalgad is a fort on a mountain ridge amid dense evergreen forest near Dewarwadi, close to the old Karnataka-Maharashtra border and reachable by regular buses from Belgaum town, while Tillari Dam is another option.

For activities, you can trek around Jamboti and the Amboli ghats, go white water rafting on the Kali Nadi at Dandeli, or try paragliding around Belgaum. The Kittur Rani Chennamma Zoological Park is also worth a stop.

When to go

Belagavi has a tropical savanna climate that stays pleasant year-round, though the seasons differ sharply. Winter is the coldest time of year here, and the lowest temperatures in Karnataka are usually recorded in the city, so expect genuinely chilly conditions, especially at night.

April can bring hail storms, but is otherwise a warm month ahead of the monsoon. From June through September, almost continuous monsoon rains fall, making for persistent wet weather throughout that stretch.

Three days in Belagavi

Day one: Start in Belagavi itself, the city also known as Belgaum, and take in its layered history. The name is linked to Venugrama, and the wider region was once held by the Kadamba dynasty, with Halsi among the old centres of their power. Later the city passed through the hands of Hyder Ali and Mysore, the Peshwa, and the British, and the British East India Company left its mark on the cantonment and civic buildings. Walk the central streets to get your bearings, then visit Suvarna Vidhana Soudha, the seat of the state legislature in the city. Belagavi sits at the edge of the Western Ghats in Karnataka, so the setting is green and the air is cooler than the plains.

Day two: Use the city as your base for the surrounding hills and the Western Ghats. The climate is mild for much of the year, and the monsoon arrives around July and lasts into September, when the hills turn lush and the roads can be wet. Kannada is the main language, but you will also hear Marathi, Urdu, English and Hindi in daily conversation, which makes getting around straightforward. In the evening, return to the city for a meal and a stroll through the older quarters.

Day three: Plan your onward travel. Belagavi Airport (IXG) connects the city with Delhi, Mumbai and Hyderabad, while South Western Railway links it with Hubli, Pune, Miraj, Goa and Bangalore. By road, National Highway routes carry you toward Maharashtra and Andhra Pradesh. If you have time before you leave, revisit the parts of Belagavi you enjoyed most, whether the historic core or the green edges of the city.

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