Touring on less than Rs. 1,000

Travelling today is rather expensive and more so if you want to visit places of interest. Getting accommodation and food at reasonable rates are the main hurdles and much time and money is spent on them.

There are many people who would prefer not to opt for personal means of transport and they would rather choose the road or rail network.

A major problem in opting for rail or road travel is that there is either little connectivity between places or  it is so bad that you end up cursing yourself and of course the tour operators and the Government.

Well, how about a trip if all your basic needs are taken care of and you do not have to worry about your trip. All you do is pay up and reserve a seat.

The North East Karnataka Road Transport Corporation (NEKRTC), a Government of Karnataka undertaking, has introduced one such service. It has specially designed two buses called Vijaya Ratha to take tourists on a trip of historical places to  Bijapur, Bidar and Hospet.
Bijapur is home to the famous whispering gallery of Gol Gumbaz and the intricate workmanship in the Ibrahim Rauza. There are more than one hundred Islamic style monuments in Bijapur which was once the capital of the Adil Shahis.

Bidar was once the capital of the Barid Shahs and earlier to them the Bahamanis. It has several monuments and temples. Hospet of course in knows for the nearby ruins of Hampi. This is the largest open air museum in the world and you can spend days wandering amid the ruins.

Well, coming back to the Vijaya Ratha, it starts from Hampi every day and it will take Indian and international tourists to Badami-the capital of the Chalukyas and the home of the earliest temples in India, Aihole, Pattadakal and Bijapur.

Aihole and Pattadakal have temples of Chalukyan period.

The bus has been so designed that its interiors give a feel of Hampi’s heritage. The tour has been so arranged that tourists can go around Hampi and Badami, Pattadakal and Aihole on a two-day tour which would cost less than Rs. 1,000 per person.

The cost includes transportation and a guide. Tourists can also opt for one-day package tour either to Hampi and this would come up to Rs  200 per person or to Badami, Pattadakal and Aihole.

There are other ways to see these tourist spots. But you would be entirely responsible for the journey. How about allowing others to take care of your journey. Enjoy the ride to north Karnataka and visit it again with family and friends if it enchants you.