Category: TEMPLES OF KARNATAKA
PAJAKA KSHETRA – Birth Place of Sri Madhvacharya
UDUPI – A noted Vaishnava Centre
TALAKAD – PANCHALINGA DARSHANA
Once the capital of Gangas and Cholas, ancient Talakad is situated on the left bank of the river Cauvery in Mysore district. There are five famous shrines of Lord Shiva, besides several others, popularly known as ‘Pancha Linga’ and one Vaishnava temple dedicated to Kirthi Narayana, which is said to…
TIPPU SULTAN – His Devotion and Respect to Sringeri
Tippu Sultan, though called an intolerant bigot, by some historians incorrectly, had unusual respect and devotion to the Sringeri Math and its Swamiji. Twenty three letters written by Tippu Sultan addressed to Sri Sachchidananda Bharati Swamiji, the contemporary Guru of Sringeri, have come to light during the recent repairs to…
SRINGERI – Sharada and Shankara Temple
SOMANATHAPUR TEMPLE
YELLAMMA TEMPLE AT SAVADATTI
YOGANANDISHWARA TEMPLE ON NANDI HILL
THE SHIVA TEMPLE AT NANDI BHOGANANDISHWARA
CHAMUNDESHWARI TEMPLE AT MYSORE
THE TEMPLE AT MELKOTE
Melkote, the celebrated place of Sri Vaishnavites, is very near Mysore city on the road to the famous Jain shrine at Shravanabelagola. Picturesquely situated on the rocky hills of Yadugiri at a height of about 1200 metres above sea level and overlooking the Tirumalasagara and the Cauvery valley, it is…
THE TEMPLE OF MOOKAMBIKA AT KOLLUR
Kolhapura ‘Adi Maha Lakshmi’, popularly known as ‘Kollur Mookambika’, is an ancient sacred Sri Kshetra and a famous Siddhi Kshetra, whose mythological lore runs back to millenniums. It is an enchanting place in the midst of a t hick forest, encircled by mountain ranges all round, with line natural beauty….
THE TEMPLE OF MAHADEVA ITAGI
Notable among the dynasties which have left their deep impression in South India is the Chalukyan dynasty which allowed diversity of religious sects, Buddhism, Jainism, Shaivism, etc., to influence art and archaeology, with the result that this region became an active centre of treat to architectural development. The Chalukyan style…
HAMPI-The Glory of Vijayanagara Temples
Hampi, or ‘Pampa’ as it was known centuries ago, stands on the southern bank of river Tungabhadra in Hospet taluk of Bellary district of Karnataka. A World Heritage centre, Hampi, is the most beautiful and captivating of all ruins in Karnataka. It is full of delightful surprises comprising of ancient…
HALEBIDU TEMPLES
BILIGIRI RANGANATHA TEMPLE
The Biligiri Rangan Hills, popularly called as the B.R.Hills in short, are situated near Mysore of Karnataka, and the place has an ancient temple dedicated to Ranganatha. ‘Biligiri’ in Kannada means ‘white hill’ and from the plains the hill range looks greyish, enveloped by white clouds. Surrounded by thick forests…
BELUR CHENNAKESHAVA TEMPLE
Temples in South India have achieved marked excellencerecogni sed universally. The modern world, which places considerable importance on the achievements and benefits of technology, often finds it hard to comprehend the exemplary work that has gone into the making of beautiful temples and monuments by the sweat of the brow…
THE SHIVA TEMPLE AT MAHAKUTA
The period starting from the 5th century till the 8th century A.D., witnessed a brisk temple building activity around Aihole, Badami and Pattadakal – all in the Bijapur district of Karnataka. The movement initiated several significant forms of temples, which later developed into characteristic Nagara and Dravidian styles. Of the…
THE TEMPLE OF BANASHANKARI AT BADAMI
The region neighboring the southern parts of Badami in the Bijapur district of Karnataka begins from the Sitimati hills. The landscape is typically that of gnesiss and granite, with irregular rock exposures separated by black soil. Locked in-between two gorges, Badami was the flourishing capital in the Chalukyan days, as…
PATTADAKAL TEMPLES
On the left bank of Malaprabha river lies the world heritage centre of Pattadakal. Like Aihole and Badami, Pattadakal is noteworthy for its beautiful early Western Chalukyan temples. They belong to the time of Vikramaditya II (whose art loving queen Trailokyamahadevi reverently named the deity after herself). Pattadakal, or ‘Pattada…
THE CAVE TEMPLES AT BADAMI
AIHOLE TEMPLES – Peep Into The Past
Off the beaten track of modern progress, situated in Bijapur district of Karnataka, on the banks of the Malaprabha river, is a squalid little village known as Aihole, originally known as Ayyavole. The place name has a legendary origin and is associated with Parashurama, who having destroyed the whole race…
70) MEDIEVAL TEMPLES OF GADAG
Gadag, a prosperous town of importance in Dharwad district of Karnataka, was known in the ancient days by various names, as Kratuka, Kratupura, Kardugu, Galadugu and Gadagu. It was also known as ‘Maha Agrahara’. One of the inscriptions found in the region mentions that Gadag was a part of Belavola, a…