Hassan was derived from Simhasanapura, later it became Hassan. There is a temple in the heart of the city of Goddess Hasanamba, the temple will be opened for public once in a year. Hassan is popularly called as "poor man's Ooty". Hassan will be your base for visiting the famous temples of Belur and Halebid. Hassan is a picturesque town in the heart of Malnad with a pleasant climate. Hassan is adequately organized in terms of hotels, shops and transport. It is also well connected by road and rail to Bangalore, Mangalore and Mysore.

Halebid, the ancient capital of Hoysala empire was founded in early 11th century as Dvarasamundra, which was destroyed by the invading Delhi forces in 1311 and 1327 following which it remained deserted and was subsequently renamed as Halebid. The attraction of Halebid is the Hoyasalesvara temple. The construction of this temple started in 1121 AD, it was completed only after a gap of 86 years

Belur
located about 12 kms from Hassan, it was the capital of the Hoysala till it was moved to Halebid. The temples of Belur stand in a courtyard with the Chennakesava temple in the middle. This temple took close to a hundred years to complete. Built on a star shaped platform the temple, which has been dedicated to Krishna, has a statue of Winged Garuda (Carrier of Vishnu) guarding the entrance.

Koramangala
Koramangala is 10 kms from Hassan. There is a Shiva temple, which dates back to 1173 A. D. The temple is built in Hoysala style. This temple is worth watching.