- Best time
- October to February
- Nearest airport
- Hubballi Airport, about 8 km
- Nearest railway station
- Hubballi Junction
- Distance from Dharwad
- About 20 km
- Also known as
- Hubli, Chhota Mumbai
A short history
The region has seen many rulers, including the Chalukyas, the Vijayanagara kings, the Bahmani Sultanate, the Mughals, the Marathas and the Mysore kingdom, before coming under British control. The name Hubballi is usually explained as 'flowering creeper'. Today the South Western Railway zone is headquartered here, and together with Dharwad it forms one of Karnataka's largest urban areas.
What to see
- Chandramouleshwara Temple: a Chalukya-era stone temple about 900 years old, with fine carving
- Siddharoodha Math: the monastery around the samadhi of the Advaita teacher Siddharoodha Swami, busiest during the Mahashivaratri car festival
- Navagraha Teertha: a Jain pilgrimage site with a 61-foot idol of Parshvanatha
- Unkal Lake: a large lake with boating and a Vivekananda statue
- Indira Gandhi Glass House Garden: a public garden with a glass pavilion used for shows
- Nuggikeri Hanuman Temple in Dharwad, crowded on Saturdays
Day trip: Attiveri Bird Sanctuary
About 50 km away, Attiveri is a reservoir sanctuary good for winter birding. Look for shrikes, barn swallows and rose-ringed parakeets, and bring binoculars.
Best time to visit
October to February is the most comfortable period, with dry days and cooler evenings. Summers in north Karnataka are hot.
How to reach
Hubballi Airport, about 8 km from the centre, has flights to several major cities, and Goa is the nearest international airport. Hubballi Junction is a major railway station with trains to most parts of the country. The city sits on national highways linking Bengaluru, Pune and the coast, and state buses run frequently. We can combine Hubballi with Hampi, Badami or Gokarna.
Also nearby
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