[condor]

Originally Posted by rk_sans

Update on the roads i took, to bijapur was this https://goo.gl/maps/oP2DMLaz9A8xZ8Jd7

How much time did you take to cover this stretch ? Also, start time, pls.

[rk_sans]

Originally Posted by condor

How much time did you take to cover this stretch ? Also, start time, pls.

Started around 4.45 am from Bangalore reached Bijapur around 4 pm. Breakfast break for 60 mins.
Petrol break in Bellary 15 mins.
Lunch break in Gangavathi 60 mins.
Photo breaks till Gangavathi 30 mins.
Misc breaks 30 mins.

Couple tolls, fastag didn't work properly and wasted few minutes there too.
Appx 8 hours of drive is what i can say.

[narayans80]

Originally Posted by rk_sans

Till about 20 kms before Bellary

But why Bellary? The Chitradurga route is fully 4-laned till Bijapur bypass. I had written about it here.

To answer condor's question as well. Took about 6.5-7 hours driving time, from the time I was released from the Bijapur bypass jam (1615) till NICE road entrance from Tumkur road (2345), with about an hour break in between.

Originally Posted by condor

How much time did you take to cover this stretch ? Also, start time, pls.

[rk_sans]

Originally Posted by narayans80

But why Bellary? The Chitradurga route is fully 4-laned till Bijapur bypass. I had written about it here.

I generally do not like to take the same route for to and fro. Prefer to take different route always.
Also, by the time you updated the road conditions here about the route conditions, i had finished my trip Thanks for the detailed updated on the route conditions.

[autoweirdo]

Bumping up old thread, travelled over to Pune via Bijapur (over night stay)
Route: Sarjapur Road - Chitradurga - Hospet - Bijapur - Pandharpur - Pune.
Started at 4.30 am and reached around 1.30 pm with a breakfast break of half hr.
Roads are fabulous with very less traffic compared to NH4. There was only one diversion before Hospet but service road was in good condition. Post Hospet there are speed breakers at junctions which are not marked properly at many places. Near Ikal there was police check for documents mainly PUC.
At Bijapur stayed at Hotel Kyriad, rooms were very clean and can be good option for stop over.

[GeeTee TSI]

Taking inspiration from this very informative thread by Dr.AD, I had firmly set a drive to Bijapur at the next available opportunity over a 3 day weekend. That I checked out a day earlier and returned late on day 2 is a different matter (but I state it here because it is possible)

An overview of route and halts

First up, I did not spend any time on shortlisting hotels at Bijapur and just went with The Fern Residency. Excellent and consistent in service, the highway right in front of the hotel is being widened hence the whole area is a dust cloud. The other option is KSTDC Maurya Adil Shahi in a leafy section of the town center

Starting from Yelahanka at around 05:45, I stopped at 3 halts enroute which in hindsight was not equally spaced at all.

• Yelahanka to Hotel Nanjundeshwara near Tumkur (good food, parking, restrooms and situated on the left hand side)

• Tumkur to Hotel Anand Vihar near Hulikere (excellent food, adequate parking, average restrooms)

• Hulikere to Hotel Gujarat (a proper dhaba so forget about restrooms, great food, infinite parking available!)

I would recommend an earlier 3rd halt which you can see on the map as Hotel Sangam (Kushtagi) and target Bijapur destination straight from there


My arrival time at Fern Residency Bijapur was 14:40. The condition of the roads overall is great with different sections exhibiting different traits

Bangalore to Tumkur: dense traffic, average surface, plethora of choices for halts

Tumkur to Chitradurga: Road opens up to 3+3 lanes, average speeds and fuel efficiency creep up and stress levels drop!


Being a major highway, there is fair traffic with many large, popular joints available but are clustered around town exits

Chitradurga to Hosapet: This is an enjoyable 2+2 stretch with light traffic, excellent surface (dotted with strikingly beautiful sunflower cultivation) with some arrow straight sections.



This is a rather desolate stretch with eateries few and far in between and don't count on an unscheduled stop

Hosapet to Bijapur: This one takes the attributes of the earlier stretch and moves everything up a notch - very straight, very fast, very desolate. The eateries are almost disappear entirely with just a few dhabas and that too, far apart.

On my return I spotted a rather nice Kamat in Ilkal town, this is not easy to spot enroute Bijapur unless it is set as a destination. Be mindful of a rather confusing turn off loop at Huligi cross, one wrong turn and you will find yourself enroute Hubli!

The mighty Tungabhadra in spate near Hosapet


The very green (and dense!) vegetation near the Tungabhadra Reservoir


More delightful straights along the Hungund - Bijapur stretch



The massive bridge over the Krishna


Almatti dam or Lal Bahadur Shastri Hydroelectric Project with the sluice gates opened. This is a very doable visit enroute Bijapur and probably the best time (although I did not))


Stay At Bijapur

Fern Residency is situated on the outskirts of town (which is not an issue) with a 5-10 minutes drive to major attractions

Not really a garden view from the room but helps folks with OCD to keep an eye on their steeds!


The attractions: I had shortlisted the following places and have mentioned here in the order of visit. Almost all places close by 5 pm so choose wisely to make the most of day 1 (or whatever is remaining of it). Some places open early for morning walkers but it gives only partial access.


I covered most of the spots on Day 2 morning (with Ibrahim Rosa at a very calm and serene 7 am).

Sangeet Naari Mahal - also serves as a historic backdrop to the Navarasapur festival



Malik-E-Maidan Cannon - a 55 ton behemoth with a diameter of 1.5m, carving of a lion swallowing an elephant on the muzzle; this was used in the Battle of Talikota which effectively brought down the Vijayanagar Empire....


Ibrahim Rosa - the tomb of Ibrahim Adil Shah II, with intricate designs abutting a rather ugly, modern urban landscape



Bara Kaman - an eternally unfinished monument by Ali Adil Shah II of supposedly gigantic proportions


Gol Gumbaz - A masterpiece of architecture and engineering ingenuity during the time of Muhammed Adil Shah, the enormous spherical dome is constructed on a square base; featuring galleries of acoustic properties enabling sounds (even whispers!) to be carried by the wind from one end to another



The Archeological Musuem is a heritage structure in itself adjoining the Gol Gumbaz and well worth a visit. Expect the counters to never have change for cash payment but there is UPI option thankfully

As one approaches the structure, the dome appears to peek from behind!


The Jal Mahal Palace is some distance away from the town and I would suggest to keep it as a back up (but only due to logistical reasons)


Return to Bangalore
Around half past one on day 2, I was done with the above itinerary and hence decided to drive back to Bangalore with a late night arrival. The prospect of an entire Sunday at my disposal was very alluring

After a rather late (coupled with slow service!) lunch at KSDTC, I started my return drive around 14:45 which was way too late but I pushed on nonetheless

You know this is a truckers' halt thanks to the charpoy


and the rather unforgiving site of boys with grease guns (and grease all over)


Melted tarmac flattening the speed breakers even


Driving summary from a full tank fill up at Bijapur town


Arrived home around 00:10 and except for the Tumkur Bangalore stretch, night driving was a breeze. Now to look up other Deccan Sultanates to visit in order to complete the circuit

[condor]

Originally Posted by GeeTee TSI

Starting from Yelahanka at around 05:45, I stopped at 3 halts enroute which in hindsight was not equally spaced at all.

Lovely pics of the route - it's been 10 years since I did that stretch, when the Chitradurga-Hospet was still a 2-laner.

Anand Vihar looks better during morning/lunch/evening times and not in-between. They also have a nice nursery adjacent to it, and are quite well known for people who want saplings.

Other option would have been Upadhya Ruchi before the Chitradurga by-pass. ( will never again go to sarvodaya).

[Dr.AD]

Originally Posted by GeeTee TSI

Taking inspiration from this very informative thread by Dr.AD, I had firmly set a drive to Bijapur at the next available opportunity over a 3 day weekend. That I checked out a day earlier and returned late on day 2 is a different matter (but I state it here because it is possible)

Thank you for the kind mention, and thank you for sharing this report. A lovely report with some very informative updates and nice pictures!

Glad that you visited all major monuments in Bijapur. They are really nice. I sometimes like such underrated destinations compared to the major tourist destinations. Such destinations sometimes offer a very unique experience, and Bijapur is certainly one of those unique places.

Fern Residency is quite a nice hotel and I would certainly stay there if I visit Bijapur again.

Your report is now making me feel like driving to Bijapur again on a weekend.

[narayans80]

Ibrahim Roza opens at 6. It is a pleasant experience to walk around at that hour.

I think Fern is on the northern end of town. There are Kanishka and Kyriad on the road coming from Gulbarga. Parking is generally on the smaller side in Bijapur, not as bad as Solapur, but certainly smaller for a smaller sized city.

[Dr.AD]

Originally Posted by narayans80

Ibrahim Roza opens at 6. It is a pleasant experience to walk around at that hour.

True, and even the Gol Gumbaz opens at 6am (although somehow everywhere they mention 9am or 10am as the opening time).

I visited Gol Gumbaz just a few minutes after 6am, and it was a lovely experience. There are no crowds at that time, and that is the ideal time to visit Gol Gumbaz.

I think the opening time refers to the museum next to it, which opens at 9am, and that is the time mentioned everywhere. But the Gol Gumbaz by itself opens at 6am.

[GeeTee TSI]

Originally Posted by narayans80

Ibrahim Roza opens at 6. It is a pleasant experience to walk around at that hour.

Originally Posted by Dr.AD

I think the opening time refers to the museum next to it, which opens at 9am, and that is the time mentioned everywhere. But the Gol Gumbaz by itself opens at 6am.

To add further, Bara Kaman and Malik-E-Maidan (cannon) premises open around 6 too but the inner gates to enter their respective attractions are locked till about 8 (or 9 to be sure)

[narayans80]

Originally Posted by GeeTee TSI

To add further, Bara Kaman and Malik-E-Maidan (cannon) premises open around 6 too but the inner gates to enter their respective attractions are locked till about 8 (or 9 to be sure)

I visited Bara Kaman around 830 am, it still wasn't open

Originally Posted by Dr.AD

True, and even the Gol Gumbaz opens at 6am (although somehow everywhere they mention 9am or 10am as the opening time).

Sadly, I realized this after reaching Gol Gumbaz.

[srh]

Any idea whether the Bijapur Solapur stretch is now 4 laned or still 2 lane?

[narayans80]

Originally Posted by srh

Any idea whether the Bijapur Solapur stretch is now 4 laned or still 2 lane?

Yes it is. Entire Bijapur bypass and more recently Solapur bypass has been completed as well. You can have a look at the Bangalore-Aurangabad thread.

[PhoenixInRising]

Originally Posted by GeeTee TSI

Taking inspiration from this very informative thread by Dr.AD, I had firmly set a drive to Bijapur at the next available opportunity over a 3 day weekend. That I checked out a day earlier and returned late on day 2 is a different matter (but I state it here because it is possible)

Now to look up other Deccan Sultanates to visit in order to complete the circuit

Visiting these places is there in my bucket list for long time. I really love visiting places of historical significance. The historical monuments fascinates me. I was awestruck when I had visited Lucknow as a school kid. The Bada Imambada, Residency, Bhoolbhulaiya and other places had a mesmerising effect on the school kid. I am not going into details about other places.
But visiting the Deccan sultanates and Vijayanagar monuments was always there on my list when I had moved to the Garden City.
This write up will definitely figure in the consulting list of anybody who is planning any trip in these parts including me.
Thanks for sharing the details.