Class 7 Excursion to Hassan, Belur, Halebidu and Chikmagalur

On the 16th and 17th of January 2026, the Class 7 students of Sophia High School, Palace Road, Bangalore, went on an excursion to Hassan, Belur, Halebidu, and Chikmagalur within Karnataka state. They went in 2 busloads and were accompanied by the Principal Sr. Alpana and their teachers and very helpful travel agents on an enriching, exciting and fun-filled educational trip.

The students departed school at 5 AM on 16th and enjoyed the music and dance in their buses as they headed to their destinations. After a brief stop-over for a tasty breakfast, they visited the Shettihalli Rosary Church- a Gothic structure built by French missionaries in the 1860s for British estate owners in Karnataka, that became a partially submerged floating church after the Hemavati Dam's construction in the 1960s, transforming it into a unique, picturesque ruin.

Post lunch the students explored at Halebeedu Belur - the stunning Hoysaleshwara Temple and the Chennakeshava Temple respectively. These 12th century Hoysala dynasty architectural gems impressed everyone with their fine sculptures, intricate reliefs, detailed friezes, iconography inscriptions. It lives up to its tag of a UNESCO world heritage site.

A visit to Yagachi Dam enlightened them about the purpose of dams. Later after checking into their comfortable hotel, they gathered for a lively, exciting and memorable bonfire and dance party that evening and had to be forcefully advised to move on to the dinner spread before finally retiring to their rooms for the night with their friends.

Early the next morning, the students visited Baba Budangiri region in a jeep safari, and to the picturesque Shooting Z Point along with a tiny trek trail which left the entourage enamored by the breath-taking views of rolling valleys and misty peaks. They shopped for keepsakes. Finally after a hearty lunch they bid goodbye to the place and boarded the buses back to Bangalore for the final leg of bonding and dancing on a journey filled with memories of an enriching trip. The trip got its final stamp of approval as they were treated to a pizza dinner before reaching the school campus by 9 pm.

Infinite pictures had been taken throughout the journey to seal these wonderful memories. Finally as they bid farewell to each other and their teachers the unanimous verdict by the students was that this amazing trip could have extended for another day or two!
Serah. D
7th A