Chamarajanagar district
Chamarajanagar is a district of Karnataka. Browse its towns, famous tourist places, treks, beaches, temples, backwaters and local businesses. Hotels and homestays can list for free, and travellers contact them directly.
Chamarajanagar at a glance
Chamarajanagar is a district of Karnataka — Forested southern Karnataka where the Western Ghats meet the Tamil Nadu and Kerala borders, ~700 m, with its headquarters at Chamarajanagar. It is best known for The BR Hills and Bandipur tiger reserves, the MM Hills and Himavad Gopalaswamy hill temples, the Chamarajeshwara temple, and the Bharachukki cascade of the Shivanasamudra falls. Signature sights include Bandipur National Park, Biligiri Rangaswamy Temple, BR Hills, Bharachukki Falls. The nearest airport is Mysuru (MYQ), ~60 km; Bengaluru (BLR), ~180 km and the main rail gateway is Chamarajanagar (CMNR), the line terminus, with trains from Mysuru and Bengaluru. October to February is the coolest, most comfortable season; March to May is hot on the plains, and the June–September southwest monsoon brings the main rains, heaviest along the coast and Western Ghats. Most travellers spend 1–2 days here, and while Kannada is the local language, English is widely understood.
Best time, weather & festivals in Chamarajanagar
October to February is the coolest, most comfortable season across Chamarajanagar; March to May is hot, and the June–September southwest monsoon brings the main rains. Live conditions below are for Chamarajanagar.
Live forecast loads in your browser.
Karnataka festivals worth timing your trip around
Celebrated across Karnataka, including Chamarajanagar. Dates shift with the Kannada calendar — confirm the year's exact dates before booking.
- Mysuru Dasara Sep – Oct — Karnataka's grand 10-day state festival — the lit Mysuru Palace and the Jumboo Savari elephant procession on Vijayadashami.
- Karaga Mar – Apr — Bengaluru’s centuries-old Thigala community festival, with a night procession from the Dharmaraya Swamy Temple.
- Kadalekai Parishe Nov – Dec — The groundnut fair around the Bull Temple in Basavanagudi, Bengaluru.
- Ugadi Mar – Apr — Kannada New Year, marked with bevu-bella and home celebrations across the state.
- Hampi Utsav (Vijaya Utsava) Nov — Hampi’s grand cultural festival among the Vijayanagara ruins, with music, dance and light-and-sound shows.
- Hasanamba Temple Utsava Oct – Nov — The Hasanamba temple in Hassan opens to devotees for only about a week each year around Deepavali, drawing enormous queues.
- Vairamudi Brahmotsava, Melukote Mar – Apr — Melukote’s grand festival when the deity of the Cheluvanarayana temple is adorned with the Vairamudi (diamond crown), brought under armed guard; huge crowds throng the hill town.
- Sharada Navaratri, Sringeri Sep – Oct — The nine-night Navaratri festival at the Sringeri Sharada Peetham, with processions, music and rituals for the goddess Sharadamba on the Tunga river.
- Mangaluru Dasara (Kudroli) Sep – Oct — Mangaluru’s grand Dasara centred on the Kudroli Gokarnath temple, with illuminated Navaratri tableaux and night processions through the city.
- Dharmasthala Laksha Deepotsava Nov – Dec — The festival of a hundred thousand lamps at the Dharmasthala Manjunatha temple, with cultural programmes and huge pilgrim crowds.
- Udupi Paryaya Jan (every 2 years) — The grand biennial handover of the management of the Udupi Sri Krishna Matha between the eight mathas, with processions filling Car Street.
- Udupi Krishna Janmashtami Aug – Sep — Krishna’s birthday at the Udupi Sri Krishna Matha, marked by the lively Vitla Pindi and Mosaru Kudike celebrations.
- Gokarna Maha Shivaratri Feb – Mar — Gokarna’s grand car festival at the Mahabaleshwara temple, when a huge temple chariot is drawn through the streets and pilgrims throng the town.
- Sirsi Marikamba Jatra Mar (every 2 years) — The biennial fair of the goddess Marikamba at Sirsi — one of the largest festivals in Karnataka, drawing lakhs of devotees.
- Basava Jayanti Apr – May — The birth anniversary of the 12th-century reformer Basavanna, marked across Karnataka and especially at his birthplace of Basavana Bagewadi in Vijayapura district.
- Banashankari Jatre Jan – Feb — The great fair of the goddess Banashankari at Cholachagudda near Badami, running for days around the Pushya full moon with a temple-car procession and a float on the Haridra Tirtha tank.
- Khwaja Bande Nawaz Urs Nov — The annual urs of the Sufi saint Gesu Daraz at the Khwaja Bande Nawaz dargah in Kalaburagi, with several days of qawwali, prayer and vast pilgrim crowds.
- Saundatti Yellamma Jatre Jan – Feb (full moon) — The great full-moon fairs of the Renuka-Yellamma temple on Yellammana Gudda hill near Saundatti in Belagavi district, when hundreds of thousands of pilgrims climb the hill, especially at the Bharata Hunnime.
- Gavisiddeshwara Jatre, Koppal Jan — The huge annual fair of the Gavisiddeshwara matha in Koppal — days of rituals, a cattle fair and mass free meals that fill the town, sometimes called a "Kumbha Mela of South India".
- Itagi Bhimambika Jatra Nov – Dec — The annual jatra of the goddess Bhimambika at Itagi in Ron taluk, Gadag district — days of rituals, a fair and a free kitchen that draw crowds of Shakta pilgrims.
Where to go in Chamarajanagar
Chamarajanagar
The district town at the foot of the hills — the Wodeyar-built Chamarajeshwara temple and the gateway to the BR Hills, MM Hills and Bandipur circuits.
Featured: Bharachukki FallsKollegal
The Kollegal taluk on the Kaveri — the wide Bharachukki cascade of the Shivanasamudra falls, at its best in the monsoon.
Featured: Biligiri Rangaswamy Temple, BR HillsBR Hills
The Biligiriranga hills where the Eastern and Western Ghats meet — the hilltop Biligiri Rangaswamy temple and the BRT Tiger Reserve, home to the Soliga people and rich wildlife.
Featured: Male Mahadeshwara HillsMM Hills
The seven Male Mahadeshwara hills in Hanur taluk — the great Madappa Shaiva pilgrimage temple reached by a forest ghat road.
Featured: Bandipur National ParkGundlupet
The Gundlupet taluk on the Mysuru–Ooty highway — the Bandipur tiger reserve and the misty Himavad Gopalaswamy peak with its Venugopalaswamy temple.
Map of Chamarajanagar
Every place on this guide with a verified location. Tap a pin for its name and guide link.
Places in Chamarajanagar
Every verified place across Chamarajanagar district — filter by what you’re after.
The eastern of the two great cascades of the Shivanasamudra falls, where the Kaveri fans out over a wide rock face on the Kollegal (Chamarajanagar) side of the river; fullest and most thunderous in and just after the monsoon, with coracle rides at the base when the flow allows. This waterfall guide belongs to the Kollegal planning base in Chamarajanagar, Karnataka, with route context, best-time notes and verified inventory categories for stays, food, operators, shops, wellness and transport as they are approved. (nature option in Kochi)
The hilltop temple of Lord Ranganatha (Biligiri Ranga) that gives the Biligiriranga (BR) Hills their name, set amid the forests of the BRT Tiger Reserve where the Eastern and Western Ghats meet — a Soliga-tribal pilgrimage centre and a base for wildlife safaris. This temple guide belongs to the BR Hills planning base in Chamarajanagar, Karnataka, with route context, best-time notes and verified inventory categories for stays, food, operators, shops, wellness and transport as they are approved. (see option in Kochi)
A range of seven hills in Hanur taluk crowned by the Male Mahadeshwara (Madappa) temple, one of the most visited Shaiva pilgrimage centres in Karnataka, reached by a ghat road and famed in the sung folk epics of the region. This temple guide belongs to the MM Hills planning base in Chamarajanagar, Karnataka, with route context, best-time notes and verified inventory categories for stays, food, operators, shops, wellness and transport as they are approved. (see option in Kochi)
A famous tiger reserve and former Mysore royal hunting ground on the Mysuru–Ooty highway, part of the Nilgiri Biosphere; jeep and bus safaris in the teak-and-scrub forest offer chances of tigers, leopards, elephants, gaur and dhole. This wildlife guide belongs to the Gundlupet planning base in Chamarajanagar, Karnataka, with route context, best-time notes and verified inventory categories for stays, food, operators, shops, wellness and transport as they are approved. (nature option in Kochi)
The highest peak of the Bandipur range, about 1,450 m, topped by the Venugopalaswamy temple and often wrapped in mist (himavad = "misty"); reached by a park bus from the checkpost, with sweeping views over the forest. This viewpoint guide belongs to the Gundlupet planning base in Chamarajanagar, Karnataka, with route context, best-time notes and verified inventory categories for stays, food, operators, shops, wellness and transport as they are approved. (see option in Kochi)
The early-19th-century Shiva temple in the district town of Chamarajanagar, built by the Mysore Wodeyars and named, like the town, after Chamaraja Wodeyar; a Dravidian-style temple with a gopuram at the heart of the town. This temple guide belongs to the Chamarajanagar planning base in Chamarajanagar, Karnataka, with route context, best-time notes and verified inventory categories for stays, food, operators, shops, wellness and transport as they are approved. (see option in Kochi)
Famous tourist places and treks in Chamarajanagar
A practical tourist-guide list for the district. Full place pages, hotels, homestays, restaurants and local operators are added progressively under each town or attraction.
Chamarajeshwara Temple
The early-19th-century Shiva temple in the district town of Chamarajanagar, built by the Mysore Wodeyars and named, like the town, after Chamaraja Wodeyar; a Dravidian-style temple with a gopuram at the heart of the town. This temple guide belongs to the Chamarajanagar planning base in Chamarajanagar, Karnataka, with route context, best-time notes and verified inventory categories for stays, food, operators, shops, wellness and transport as they are approved.
waterfallBharachukki Falls
The eastern of the two great cascades of the Shivanasamudra falls, where the Kaveri fans out over a wide rock face on the Kollegal (Chamarajanagar) side of the river; fullest and most thunderous in and just after the monsoon, with coracle rides at the base when the flow allows. This waterfall guide belongs to the Kollegal planning base in Chamarajanagar, Karnataka, with route context, best-time notes and verified inventory categories for stays, food, operators, shops, wellness and transport as they are approved.
templeBiligiri Rangaswamy Temple, BR Hills
The hilltop temple of Lord Ranganatha (Biligiri Ranga) that gives the Biligiriranga (BR) Hills their name, set amid the forests of the BRT Tiger Reserve where the Eastern and Western Ghats meet — a Soliga-tribal pilgrimage centre and a base for wildlife safaris. This temple guide belongs to the BR Hills planning base in Chamarajanagar, Karnataka, with route context, best-time notes and verified inventory categories for stays, food, operators, shops, wellness and transport as they are approved.
templeMale Mahadeshwara Hills
A range of seven hills in Hanur taluk crowned by the Male Mahadeshwara (Madappa) temple, one of the most visited Shaiva pilgrimage centres in Karnataka, reached by a ghat road and famed in the sung folk epics of the region. This temple guide belongs to the MM Hills planning base in Chamarajanagar, Karnataka, with route context, best-time notes and verified inventory categories for stays, food, operators, shops, wellness and transport as they are approved.
wildlifeBandipur National Park
A famous tiger reserve and former Mysore royal hunting ground on the Mysuru–Ooty highway, part of the Nilgiri Biosphere; jeep and bus safaris in the teak-and-scrub forest offer chances of tigers, leopards, elephants, gaur and dhole. This wildlife guide belongs to the Gundlupet planning base in Chamarajanagar, Karnataka, with route context, best-time notes and verified inventory categories for stays, food, operators, shops, wellness and transport as they are approved.
viewpointHimavad Gopalaswamy Betta
The highest peak of the Bandipur range, about 1,450 m, topped by the Venugopalaswamy temple and often wrapped in mist (himavad = "misty"); reached by a park bus from the checkpost, with sweeping views over the forest. This viewpoint guide belongs to the Gundlupet planning base in Chamarajanagar, Karnataka, with route context, best-time notes and verified inventory categories for stays, food, operators, shops, wellness and transport as they are approved.
Get listed in Chamarajanagar for free
Roampedia is commission-free. Travellers find your business and contact you directly. Basic listings stay free; optional Gold and Platinum monthly packages will vary by business type, with no booking commission.
Top things to do in Chamarajanagar
Our editors' pick of the standout experiences, ordered by what we'd prioritise on a first visit — an honest judgement call, not a rated ranking.
Bandipur National Park
Book the official morning or late-afternoon forest safari; the highway through the park is closed 9 pm–6 am, so plan drives around it.
2Biligiri Rangaswamy Temple, BR Hills
Pair the hilltop Ranganatha temple with a BRT Tiger Reserve safari; dress modestly and book safaris ahead.
3Bharachukki Falls
Go August–January for full flow; the rocks are slippery and the current dangerous, so stay behind railings and use only licensed coracles.
4Male Mahadeshwara Hills
A long ghat drive to a busy Shaiva pilgrimage temple — start early, go on a weekday, and take the hairpins slowly.
5Himavad Gopalaswamy Betta
Access is by forest bus from the checkpost on set timings — go early for the mist and views, and carry a warm layer.
Entry fees & timings in Chamarajanagar
Indicative entry fees and opening hours for the ticketed and timed places in Chamarajanagar. These change — always confirm with the official operator before you go.
How to reach Chamarajanagar
Chamarajanagar is known for The BR Hills and Bandipur tiger reserves, the MM Hills and Himavad Gopalaswamy hill temples, the Chamarajeshwara temple, and the Bharachukki cascade of the Shivanasamudra falls.
By road from major cities
Approximate driving distance to Chamarajanagar. Ghat roads and traffic make real journey times vary a lot — allow extra, and confirm your route before travel.
Emergency numbers
Save these before you travel in Chamarajanagar. The national and Karnataka-wide lines work everywhere in the district.
Daily budget for Chamarajanagar
A quick estimate using typical Karnataka daily costs. Off-season (monsoon) can cut accommodation 30–60%. Excludes flights and big-ticket experiences.
Mid-range: comfortable hotels, some private transport, mix of dining.
Rough estimate for stays, food, local transport & sightseeing — excludes international flights. Off-season (monsoon) can cut accommodation 30–60%.
Chamarajanagar — frequently asked questions
How do I reach Chamarajanagar?
For Chamarajanagar, the nearest airport is Mysuru (MYQ), ~60 km; Bengaluru (BLR), ~180 km, and the rail gateway is Chamarajanagar (CMNR), the line terminus, with trains from Mysuru and Bengaluru. NH-948 and NH-766; KSRTC and private buses from Mysuru (~60 km) and Bengaluru (~180 km); a vehicle is best for the hill temples and reserves. The district headquarters is Chamarajanagar.
What is Chamarajanagar known for?
Chamarajanagar is known for The BR Hills and Bandipur tiger reserves, the MM Hills and Himavad Gopalaswamy hill temples, the Chamarajeshwara temple, and the Bharachukki cascade of the Shivanasamudra falls. Highlights include Bandipur National Park, Biligiri Rangaswamy Temple, BR Hills, Bharachukki Falls.
What are the top places to visit in Chamarajanagar?
Popular places in Chamarajanagar include Chamarajeshwara Temple, Bharachukki Falls, Biligiri Rangaswamy Temple, BR Hills, Male Mahadeshwara Hills, Bandipur National Park, and more — see the full guidebook list on this page.
When is the best time to visit Chamarajanagar?
October to February is the coolest, most comfortable season across Karnataka, including Chamarajanagar. March to May is hot on the plains, and the June–September southwest monsoon brings the main rains, heaviest along the coast and Western Ghats.
Karnataka guides
Districts, destination bases, famous places and verified listing categories.
Hotels, homestays, food, guides, operators and rentals are added after verification.
Image credits
- Bharachukki Falls:SunilVanjre, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia CommonsCC BY-SA 4.0
- Biligiri Rangaswamy Temple, BR Hills:Timothy A. Gonsalves, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia CommonsCC BY-SA 4.0
- Male Mahadeshwara Hills:Naveen R Gowda, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia CommonsCC BY-SA 4.0
- Bandipur National Park:Namisharun, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia CommonsCC BY-SA 4.0
- Himavad Gopalaswamy Betta:Naveen R Gowda, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia CommonsCC BY-SA 4.0