Bangalore -> Penukonda -> Puttaparthi -> Belum Caves -> Gandikota -> Lepakshi -> Bangalore
Itinerary
Day 0. Bangalore to Penukonda
- Leave from Bangalore to Penukonda
- Stay overnight at N Grand Hotel & Convention Hall
Day 1. Penukonda to Proddatur via Puttaparthi
Penukonda
- Breakfast at Hotel Vyshali Family Restaurant
- Penukonda sunrise view point and Fort
- Maha Mantri Timmarusu Tomb
- Sri Ajithanatha Digambar Jain Temple
- Lord Shiva Statue
- Gagan Mahal Palace Of Krishnadevaraya
- Shri Pache Parshwanatha Digamber Jain Temple
- 13 ft Anjaneya Swamy Temple
- Lunch at Kumbhakarna Theme Park & Restaurant
- Drive to Puttaparthi
Puttaparthi
- Sri Sathya Sai Space Theatre
- Chaitanya Jyoti
- Prasanthi Nilayam
- Drive to Proddatur
- Stay overnight at Paradise Inn
Day 2. Proddatur
- Belum Caves
- 40 ft Buddha statue
- Gandikota fort
- Jail
- Madhavaraya Swamy Temple
- Jumma Masjid
- Granary
- Raghunatha Swamy Temple
- Gandikota Grand Canyon
- Return to Paradise Inn
Day 3. Proddatur to Bangalore via Lepakshi
- Namalagundu Temple of Kanampalli
- Lepakshi
- Lepakshi Main temple
- Jataayu Theme Park
- Lepakshi Nandi
- Back to Bangalore
To see all the places marked in Google Maps, see this Google Maps List.
Detailed guide with photos
Day 0. Bangalore to Penukonda. ~160 km.
We took the Bangalore -> Chikkaballapur -> Penukonda route on NH 44. It is around 160 km and takes 4 hours. Roads are in good condition.
At Penukonda, N Grand Hotel & Convention Hall offers budget friendly AC rooms. A standard room for 2 people cost ₹1300/day.
Day 1. Penukonda to Proddatur via Puttaparthi. ~200 km.
Penukonda
For Google Maps directions to all the places in Penukonda see, places to visit in Penukonda.
Roads from Penukonda to Proddatur are in very poor shape, so start early. 4 km from N Grand, Hotel Vyshali Family Restaurant offers good South Indian breakfast.
A 7 km drive over a hill takes you to the Penukonda sunrise view point. The road to the top is newly made and in good condition. From the top, Penukonda fort is a short hike away.
On the way back from the fort, stop at the tomb of Mahamantri Timmarusu, a notable figure in the history of the Vijayanagar empire.
After a 3 km drive from the tomb, you’ll find the next 4 places in proximity.
Gagan Mahal Palace was closed due to Republic Day. Expand to read the full history mentioned in the board.
The historical Town Penukonda, the Mandal hedquarters is located on the Guntakal-Bangalore section of Southern Railway and GAGAN MAHAL is about 71 kms from Anantapur on Kurnool-Bangalore Highway. It once acted as Second Capital of the Glorious of Vijayanagara
Number of religious in secular structures has been added at this place during the Vijayanagara Period. In the residential fort are the temples dedicated to Rama, Siva Mukteswara, Parswanatha Narasimha, Venkateswara, Kali Mosques, Thimmarusu, Jail, Mathas, Watch Towers, Uyyala Gopuram, Water tanks and Gagan Mahal are important structures.
Gagan Mahal is only structure under the control of the Department of Archeology and Museums, Government of Andhra Pradesh.
An old Hindu palace, Gagan Mahal is located to the south of Ramaswamy and Eswara Temples. It was the summer palace of the Vijayanagara rulers. The building is facing east and composes of two stories of arcade chambers, square on plan with corner tower on Northern side.
In front of the building there are steps leading into the building. Also staircases on either side leads to first floor.
The ground floor consisting with recessed and forty five foliated arches in the pavilion reminiscent of the Lodi type of arches in the buildings of Delhi.
The middle of the ground floor and first floor made a provision of rooms. The first floor has twelve arches and eight windows.
The surface of the walls of building is coated with stucco. The pyramidal roof built-up in tiers is obviously adopted from Sikhara of the Dravidian style.
The tower has six projecting windows supported by brackets. It was built by a combination of Indo-Persian architectural style known as Indo-saracenic adopted by Vijayanagara kings.
The Palace was built without a single rafter, a unique specimen architecture.
Archaeology & Museums Dept
After visiting the 13 ft Anjaneya Swamy temple, head to Kumbhakarna Theme Park & Restaurant for lunch.
Puttaparthi
For Google Maps directions to all the places in Puttaparthi, see, places to visit in Puttaparthi.
Puttaparthi is a religious place for devotees of Sathya Sai Baba.
Things to note,
- Phones and cameras are not allowed inside any of the places. You’ll either have to deposit it at a counter inside or switch it off.
- Dress code,
- For men, no shorts, Bermudas or sleeveless tank tops. Full pants, shirts, t-shirts and dhotis/vestis are allowed.
- For women, no shorts and no skirts. Shawl or dupatta is mandatory.
Chaitanya Jyoti is a museum that depicts the life, achievements and teachings of Sathya Sai Baba. A little ahead is the massive ashram, Prasanthi Nilayam. If you’re curious, you can easily spend an entire day at Puttaparthi.
From Puttaparthi, Paradise Inn in Proddatur is 4 hours away. Deluxe AC rooms are moderately expensive and one room for 2 people cost ₹2575/night.
You can also opt to stay near Gandikota if you can find hotels or camp sites there. We stayed in Proddatur as hotels in Gandikota were all fully booked.
Day 2. Proddatur. ~175 km.
For Google Maps directions to all the places to visit on this day, see, places to visit in Proddatur.
Best time to visit Gandikota is either during sunrise or sunset. We decided to visit Belum Caves first. Breakfast options outside Proddatur is limited, so grab what you can get inside the city.
Belum is the second-largest cave system on the Indian subcontinent. Barring a few spots where you’ll need to duck, most of the cave is spacious and well lit.
After Belum, we skipped lunch and headed to Gandikota to catch the sunset.
Gandikota is a village and a historical fort on the right bank of the Penna river. The fort was the centre of power for various dynasties, such as the Kalyani Chalukyas, the Pemmasani Nayakas, and the Golconda Sultanate.
Free parking is available just outside the fort gates. From there, a short walk takes you inside the village.
We stopped for snacks outside the fort and headed back to Proddatur. We had dinner at Hyderabad Chefs, just outside Paradise Inn, and called it a day.
Day 3. Proddatur to Bangalore via Lepakshi. ~310 km.
For Google Maps directions, see, places to visit.
We left Proddatur around 10 a.m. On the way back, we found the beautiful Namalagundu Temple of Kanampalli nested in the walls of a mountain with a waterfall as its backdrop.
We reached Lepakshi (లేపాక్షి) by afternoon. Parking space for cars is limited in Lepakshi. If you don’t find space on the main road, you can park inside the Lepakshi Haritha Hotel (APTDC) or on the narrow lane to its right. We had lunch at Haritha and headed to the Lepakshi Main temple.
After witnessing the mesmerising, ancient sculptures of Lepakshi, we started our return journey towards Bangalore.
“The greatest threat to our planet is the belief that someone else will save it”
– Robert Swan
If you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to leave a comment below. We’ll get back to you as soon as possible.
Thanks for sharing 👍🏾
Thank you.
Nice write up.
Thank you.
Wow…your blog quality keeps improving! Felt like being on a whirlwind tour of the entire place in a matter of 10 mins! Keep documenting and sharing such journeys!
Thank you!