Pop: 120,000 Area Code: 08172

This is a good place to use as a base when visiting Sravanabelagola, Belur, and Halebid. There are no sites to visit in this industrial town, but it does have a train station and an assortment of hotels.

Information
The Regional Tourist Office (68862), Vartha Bhavan, B-M Rd, is open Mon to Sat 10 am to 1.30 pm and 2 to 5 pm. To get there from the bus stand, walk one block south, turn left onto B-M Rd, and this place is on the left 400m down the road.

You can change money at the State Bank of Mysore, corner of Bus Stand Rd and B-M Rd. They change US dollars, British pounds, and travelers cheques.

The Post Office is opposite the bus stand on Bus Stand Rd. Postal Code: 573201.

The Cauvery Tourist Centre (68026), on Race Course Road, arranges tours of the local sites.

Where to Stay—Lower
KSTDC Tourist Lodge has cottages and dormitories.
Vaishnavi Lodging (67413), Harsha Mahal Rd, near the bus station, is a cheap, clean place with good-sized rooms for Rs 125/200. It has a good vegetarian restaurant. It is the best of the inexpensive places and is usually full. 24-hour checkout.
Satyaprakash Lodge (68521; fax 65067), Bus Stand Rd, is a good value. A basic room with bath is Rs 80/125. 24-hour checkout.
Hotel Lakshmi Prasanna (68391) has good rooms with bath for Rs 125/250.
Mahaveer Hotel (68885), B-M Rd, near Narsimharaja Circle, has rooms with mosquito nets and a vegetarian restaurant.
Abhiruchi (68885), B-M Rd, has clean rooms for Rs 250/300. It is a good value. 24-hour checkout.

Where to Stay—Middle & Higher
Hotel Amblee Palika (66307; fax 577-137), Race Course Rd, has good facilities and is a good value, but it fills up early. Comfortable rooms are Rs 500/600. Clean and well-maintained.
Hassan Ashok (68731; fax 67154), Bangalore-Mangalore Rd, in the center of town, has good facilities. Rooms with a TV are Rs 1200/1600 and Rs 1700/2400 with A/C.
Suvarna Regency (64006; fax 63822), B-M Rd, has comfortable rooms with a TV for Rs 700/900. Along with the Ashok, it is the best hotel in town. 24-hour checkout. Recommended.

Where to Eat
New Siddharth, near the bus stand, is a popular place with good, inexpensive North and South Indian food.
Vaishnavi Lodging, Harsha Mahal Rd, near the bus station, has a good vegetarian restaurant. So does the Hotel Mahaveer.
Abiruchi Hotel, B-M Rd, west of City Circle, has a good vegetarian restaurant serving North Indian and Chinese foods. Recommended.
Hotel Samman, B-M Rd, is popular with the locals. It has inexpensive thalis.
Malanika Restaurant is in the Hotel Amblee Palika (Rs 50 for a main dish).
Hotel Hassan Ashok serves Indian and Continental. It has a good buffet for Rs 200.

Travel
Train Three trains a day go to Mysore (4 hr, 115km). Several a day go to Mangalore (4 hr). To get to Bangalore, you take a train to Arsikere (1½ hr) and from there another to Bangalore.

Bus There are many buses each day to Mysore (3 hr, each hour), Bangalore (4½ hr, each hour), and Mangalore, and less frequent buses to Goa (14 hr) and Hospet (9 hr, 7 am).

There are frequent buses daily to Halebid (1 hr, Rs 7; first bus, 6.30 am, last bus, 5.30 pm) and Belur (2 hr, Rs 10; first bus, 6.30 am, last bus, 8.30 pm). If you are going to both Halebid and Belur on the same day, it is best to go to Halebid first because the last bus back to Hassan from Belur leaves later.

There are four direct buses a day to Sravanabelagola (1½ hr, Rs 12). You can also catch a bus to Channarayapatna (1 hr, Rs 10) and from there to Sravanabelagola.

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