Maski
The rock edict where Ashoka was first named in stone
Best time to visit Maski
- Jan, peak season
- Feb, peak season
- Mar, shoulder season
- Apr, best avoided
- May, best avoided
- Jun, best avoided
- Jul, off-season
- Aug, off-season
- Sep, shoulder season
- Oct, shoulder season
- Nov, peak season
- Dec, peak season
peak shoulder off-season avoid
- Go: November to February
- Shoulder: March and September to October, quieter, and the weather is less of a sure thing
- Skip: April to June
Maski season by season
Winter December to February Prime time
Dec-Feb is the time to climb Durgada-gudda: 29 C, clean low light on the Brahmi letters and dry granite underfoot.
Summer March to May Shoulder
Apr-Jun hits 44 C on bare rock and the edict shelter throws no shade; locals do not go up before six in the evening.
Monsoon June to September Shoulder
Jul-Sep the scrub greens up and the Maski river runs, but the granite slabs turn slick and the light goes flat.
Autumn October to November Prime time
Oct-Nov is easy walking weather, fields still green, and the Neolithic ground around the hill worth an extra hour.
What Maski is actually like
A working market town with no tourists and no hotel worth the name; ride out from Raichur or Sindhanur for the day
Getting to Maski
Raichur railhead 80 km; buses on the Kalaburagi-Bengaluru road, the edict hill is a walk from the bus stand
Practical ways in: trainroad
Trip facts
- How long to stay
- 1 day
- Budget
- Shoestring
- How busy
- Quiet at its peak
- Solo travel
- Doable solo with some planning
- Altitude
- 436 m
- State
- Karnataka
- Coordinates
- 15.9586, 76.6574
Common questions
When is the best time to visit Maski?
November to February is peak season in Maski. March and September to October is shoulder season: thinner crowds, a bit more risk in the weather. Avoid April to June. Oct-Nov is easy walking weather, fields still green, and the Neolithic ground around the hill worth an extra hour.
How many days do you need in Maski?
1 day is the usual stay. A working market town with no tourists and no hotel worth the name; ride out from Raichur or Sindhanur for the day.
How do you get to Maski?
Raichur railhead 80 km; buses on the Kalaburagi-Bengaluru road, the edict hill is a walk from the bus stand. Practical ways in: train and road.
Is Maski expensive, and does it get crowded?
Shoestring by Indian travel standards, and it runs quiet at the busiest time of year. Doable solo with some planning.
Nearby, and where to go next
-
Mudgal
Karnataka
Moated frontier fort the Bahmanis and Vijayanagara fought over
30 km from Maski, roughly under an hour by road
-
Hampi
Karnataka
Vijayanagara ruins amid giant granite boulders
100 km from Maski, roughly about 2 h by road
-
Sannati & Kanaganahalli
Karnataka
Buddhist maha stupa with a stone relief labelled Raya Asoko
130 km from Maski, roughly about 3 h by road
-
Badami-Aihole-Pattadakal
Karnataka
Chalukya cave temples and sandstone shrine cluster
140 km from Maski, roughly about 3 h by road
-
Lakkundi (Gadag)
Karnataka
Fifty Chalukyan temples and stepwells in one village
160 km from Maski, roughly about 3 h by road
-
Vijayapura (Bijapur)
Karnataka
Gol Gumbaz and the Adil Shahi capital of the Deccan
180 km from Maski, roughly about 3 h by road
-
Kalaburagi (Gulbarga)
Karnataka
Bahmani fort mosque and the Bande Nawaz dargah
200 km from Maski, roughly about 4 h by road
-
Orvakal Rock Garden
Andhra Pradesh
Wind-carved pink quartz canyons around a green pool near Kurnool
210 km from Maski, roughly about 4 h by road
More places to visit in Karnataka
- Agumbe Karnataka
- Badami-Aihole-Pattadakal Karnataka
- Bandipur National Park Karnataka
- Belur-Halebidu Karnataka
- Bidar Karnataka
- BR Hills (Biligiri Ranganatha) Karnataka
- Chikmagalur Karnataka
- Chitradurga Karnataka
- Coorg (Madikeri) Karnataka
- Dandeli Karnataka
- Gokak Falls Karnataka
- Gokarna Karnataka
- Hampi Karnataka
- Honnemaradu Karnataka
- Jog Falls Karnataka
- Kabini Karnataka
- Kalaburagi (Gulbarga) Karnataka
- Karwar (Devbagh & Kurumgad) Karnataka
- Kemmangundi Karnataka
- Kodachadri (Kollur base) Karnataka
- Kudremukh Karnataka
- Lakkundi (Gadag) Karnataka
- Maravanthe Karnataka
- Melukote Karnataka
- Mudgal Karnataka
- Murudeshwar Karnataka
- Mysuru Karnataka
- Nandi Hills Karnataka
- Ramanagara (Ramadevarabetta) Karnataka
- Sakleshpur Karnataka
- Sannati & Kanaganahalli Karnataka
- Shivanasamudra Falls Karnataka
- Sirsi & Sahasralinga Karnataka
- Sringeri Karnataka
- Udupi-Malpe & St Marys Island Karnataka
- Vijayapura (Bijapur) Karnataka
- Yana Rocks Karnataka
- Yellapur (Sathodi & Magod Falls) Karnataka