List of North Karnataka historical sites

This is a list of historically important places in North Karnataka.

Badami

Badami has a set of four elaborately carved 'cave temples' and one natural Buddhist temple. The caves are located halfway up a low hill and can be approached by stairs. Between the second and the third caves there are stairs that go up to the top of the hill, where there are some fortifications from the

Chalukya

era. The third cave contains almost 3-metre high sculptures.

The caves overlook the ancient Agatsyateerth pond, built sometime in the 5th century. Just behind the archaeological museum, there is a long stairway that leads to the fortification on the top of the hill. Most people who come to Badami do not venture this way, this is the best thing about the place. There are a couple of Chalukya temples on the top covered with intricate carvings. On the northern side of the pond is a group of Shiva temples, called the Bhoothnath temples

Aihole

There are more than a 100 temples in the village dating from the 6th to the 12th centuries. Of these around 30 temples are within an enclosed area and the others are spread all over the village.

The Aihole was the first capital of the early Chalukyas and is a veritable treasure trove of ancient temples. Actually quite similar to Hampi, only much more ancient and much less publicized.

The most famous of the temples is the photogenic Durga temple within the enclosed complex, lying in the midst of lush green lawns. The temple is apsidal in plan, topped by a curvilinear shikhara. A pillared corridor runs around the temple. The pillars are beautifully carved with sculptures depicting incidents from the Ramayana. Another notable temple is the

Lad Khan Temple

, also within the compound. The temple has beautifully carved pillars and is named after a Muslim saint who lived here sometime in the late 19th century. There are several other smaller shrines and a small museum within the same complex.

The Revalphadi Cave, dedicated to Shiva, is remarkable for its delicate details.

Not to be missed is the Konthi Temple Complex (Kwanthi Gudi), the Uma Maheswari Temple with a beautifully carved Brahma seated on a lotus, the austere Jain Meguti Temple and the two storeyed Buddhist Temple.

Mahakuta

Mahakuta, once a great center of shaiva cult, Mahakuta is a beautiful place surrounded by hills. The Mahakuteshwara temple dedicated to Shiva, is built in the Dravidian

style.

Naganath Temple, located in a forest on the way to Mahakuta, it is one of the early Chalukyan temples dedicated to Shiva.

Banashankari

The temple is dedicated to Banashankari or Shakambari (a form of Parvati) is located at Cholachagud popularly called Banashankari. A famous fair and festival is held here in January - February.

Belagavi

Belagavi earlier known as Venugrama (Bamboo Village) is one of the oldest, strong, prominent and well cultured historical place nestling high in the Western Ghats

. The old town area with cotton and silk weavers stands gloriously besides the modern, bustling, tree-lined British Cantonment.

Belgaum is the District Headquarters of Belgaum District and Divisional Headquarters Of Belgaum division, on the Bengaluru-Pune National Highway. It was the capital of the Rattas who shifted to this place from Saundatti during the close of 12th century A.D. The place has a fort inside which built by one Ratta Officer called Bichirajain 1204 A.D. exhibits the execution of a totally refined style of temple architecture. It has excellently and artistically carved Kamala Basadi having huge protruding lotus petals of stone (Kamala) in its ceiling and this beautiful structure in Chalukya style houses Neminatha Teerthankara image. The place came under the Sevunas (Yadavas) and

Seuna

(Yadava) Krishna.

Due to its proximity to the states of Maharashtra and Goa, Belgaum has acquired the cultural flavour of these states and blended it with the local Kannada culture to create a rich heritage, which is unique in its manifestation. It is also known as Malenadu or Rain Country and the vegetation here is verdant green throughout the year.

This city is famous for Belgaum Kunda.

Ballari

Marathas

, and Haider. After the fall of Tipu, the town was ceded to the British. The Durgamma (Ballaramma) temple here has the deity represented by the heap of earth. The place has two large mosques. A Government Medical College was founded here in 1961 Bellary now has grown as a great centre of apparel manufacturing.

Bidar

Bidar, the District headquarters, described as Viduranagara, a place of

Bahmani

dynasty (AD 1347), Bidar was occupied by Sultan Alla-Ud-Din Bahman Shah Bahmani. During the rule of Ahmad Shah I (1422–1486 AD), Bidar was made the capital city of Bahmani Kingdom.

The

Bahmani Shahi rulers made it their capital, in c, 1426 and fortified it. It is still intact. Inside it are the Solha Kamb mosque (1423) and palaces like Takht Mahal, Chini Mahal and Rangeen Mahal; some of them are highly decorated with mosaic and wood work etc. The fort has magnificent doorways and massive bastions. Gawan's Madrasa in the town is a gorgeous imposing building of Indo-Saracenic style. After the decline of Bahamanis, the Barid-Shahis ruled over Bidar and it was taken over by the Bijapur rulers in 1619. Astur near Bidar has tombs of Bahmani Sultans which are tall structures, and one of them has paintings. The Gurudwara at Bidar is built at Nanak Zhira, which is described as a fountain created by Guru Nanak

during his visit.

Bidar boasts of several religious centers: The famous Nanak Jheera – the largest

Lord Shiva

. The historical fort of Bidar was a stronghold of the

Bahamani

Kings in the 14th and 15th centuries. The fort is surrounded by three miles of walls with 37 bastions, most of them surmounted with cannons. The fort now lies in ruins.

Bidar is famous for Bidriware

Kalaburagi

Kalaburagi, erstwhile known as

Gulbarga, and the area around it was a part of the ancient dynasty Badami Chalukyas In the early part of the 14th century, it became the part of the Delhi Sultanate. It was captured by Ulugh Khan, one of the generals belonging to the Tughlaq dynasty of Delhi

Sultanate, and later captured by Mohammed bin Tughlaq, the Sultan of Delhi. It remained a part of the Delhi Sultanate until the death of Mohammed bin Tughlaq. Later it became a part of the

Bahamani

kingdom. The Bahamani kings made it their capital from 1347 to 1428.

Raichur

Raichur has a rich history, having been a part of various empires, such as the Bahmanis and Vijayanagara and Hyderabad. The city is famous for its imposing Raichur Fort.[1] Here, stone inscriptions have been found in Persian and Arabic which belonged to the bastion of the fort, referring to its construction in 1294.[2] Among the ruins of the immense fort are many irrigation tanks and old temples. The fort was built by Kakatiya king Rudra in 1284 CE which passed on to the Vijayanagar kingdom after the decline of the Kakatiyas. Thereafter the fort was under dispute for nearly two centuries. It was captured by the Bahmanis in 1323 CE. Saluva Narasimha Raya expressed a wish in his testament that the city of Raichur be recaptured. This had been in the mind of Krishnadevaraya since his coronation in 1509.

Vijayapura

Adil Shahi

's Dynasty.

Dharwad

Marathas

, and Haider and Tipu. The Vijayanagara rulers built a fort here which was strengthened by Bijapur rulers. Its door-frame alone remains now.

Now a part of Hubballi-Dharwad Corporation, Dharwad became the district headquarters when it came under the British from the Marathas in 1818, and grew to be a centre of learning due to the English School opened in 1848, high school opened by the Basel Mission in 1868 and the Training College was initiated in 1867 which became the centre of Kannada Movement. The Karnataka Vidyavardhaka Sangha (1890) sowed the seeds of Kannada Renaissance.

The Durgadevi temple near the fort is renovated now and the Someshwara on Kalghatgi Road has a Chalukyan temple and a tank. The Mailara Linga temple at Vidyagiri is a Kalyani Chalukyas monument converted into a mosque by Bijapur army but again changed as a temple by the

Peshwas

. The place has many temples like Venkataramana, Nandikola Basavanna, Dattatreya, Ulavi Basavanna etc. The Murugha Matha is a centre of religious activity. All Saints' Church is one of the historical places in Dharwad; it was built in 1888 by the British, and Rt. Rev. W. V. Carl was the first presbyter,

Dharwad is famous for Dharwad Peda.

Basavana Bagewadi

Basaveshwara

was born (12th Century). It was an agrahara. Basaveshwara was the son of the head of this institution. The main temple here the Basaveshwara, is of Chalukyan style, but called as Sangamanatha in records. The Samadhis of Siddharameshwara and Gurupadeshwara of the Inchageri school of spiritual pursuit are seen here. A spot here identified as Basava's ancestral house is declared as protected zone by the Trust.

Gadag-Betgeri

Trikuteshwara

temple, originally Rashtrakuta, later expanded by the Kalyani Chalukyas into a vast complex, and it has Trikuteshwara temple complex triple shrines once housing Shiva, Brahma and Surya. The Saraswati temple in its precinct has the finest shining decorative pillars, is the finest examples of Chalukya Art.

The place has the Someshwara and Rameshwara temples of the Chalukyan style, it is also known for its religious harmony. The Veeranarayana temple of Chalukya times, completely renovated in Vijayanagara times including the image of Narayana. The great Kannada poet Kumaravyasa composed his famous "Karnataka Bharatha Kathamanjari" when staying in this temple.

The Sri Lakshmi Venkateshwara temple is situated at Venkatapura Taluk near Sortur, Gadag District. Temple was renovated by Brahmananda Swami, a devotee of Gondavalekar Maharaj a sage from Gondavale, in Satara District of Maharashtra in the beginning of the 20th century. Arati is at 12 noon and prasad follows thereafter.

People believe it as Tirupati of Uttara Karnataka. The beautiful shrines and mountains around the temple makes it must watch temple of Uttara Karnataka.

Location: The temple is located 20 km from Gadag near the village of Beldhadi. The buses are available from Gadag bus stand or Shirahatti BusStand or Hubli bus stand.

There is a direct bus service in the morning around 7 am from Hubli via Gadag. A hired taxi takes one hour from Gadag. Within the village there is a temple dedicated to Lord Lakshmi Venkateshwara.[3].

Gadag has a mosque from the time of

Adil Shahi

. There is also a Church of the Basel Mission (Now C.S.I.). Betageri has many artistic herostones, some dating back to the 9th-10th centuries. Gadag-Betageri is famous for the weaving industry and, of late, Gadag has excelled in printing.

Mahadeva Temple Itagi

The Mahadeva temple at Itagi (Ittagi) is about 7 km from Kuknur in Yalburga Taluka in the Koppal District. The temple is one of the temples built by the Chalukyas and is known as the "Emperor among temples".

Shiggaon Utsav Rock Garden

Utsav Rock Garden, Shiggaon: Sculptural Garden located near NH-4 Pune-Bangalore road, Gotagodi Village, Shiggaon Taluk, Haveri District, Karnataka. Utsav Rock Garden is an sculptural garden representing contemporary art and rural culture. A typical village is created where men and women are involved in their daily household activities. A unique picnic spot which delights common people, educated and intellectuals. There are more than 1000 sculptures in the garden of different sizes. It is an anthropological museum. It represents traditional farming, crafts, folklore, cattle herding and sheep rearing.

Lakkundi

Kasivisvesvara temple, Lakkundi
.
Brahma Jinalaya (Basadi)

Hoysala

. It was the capital of Hoysala king Ballala II (Veeraballala) in 1192 A.D.

Lakkundi (Known as Lokkigundi) is situated at 12 km from Gadag, was once famous for its rich cultural heritage. Lakkundi finds mention in the inscriptions dating back to the 11th and 12th centuries. In these inscriptions Lokkigundi has been compared to Amaravati, the capital of Lord Indra in terms of wealth.

Haveri

The Siddhesvara Temple at Haveri in the

Haveri District

Siddhesvara Temple at Haveri, a staggered square plan with dravida articulation and superstructure, 11th century CE

Annigeri

The Amrtesvara Temple at Annigeri in the Dharwad District

Amrtesvara Temple in Annigeri was built in the Dharwad district in 1050 CE with dravida articulation. This was the first temple made of soapstone

Dambal

The Doddabasappa Temple at Dambal in the Gadag District

Buddhist

Centre too. The Doddabasappa and the Someshwara are the two notable Chalukya temples here and the Doddabasappa has polygonal star-shaped garbhagriha. With fine sculptural representations and a huge Nandi image. The Someshwara could have been an old basadi. In the old ruined fort, there is a huge Ganapati image in a small shrine. The town has a 400-year-old vast tank. There is the Thontada Siddhalingeswara Matha at the place.

Dodda Basappa Temple

at Dambal, a unique 24-pointed, uninterrupted stellate (star-shaped), 7-tiered dravida plan, 12th century CE.

References

^ "Cultural extravaganza at Lakkundi begins today". The Hindu. Chennai, India. 16 February 2008. Archived from the original on 28 February 2008. Retrieved 10 September 2008.

[1] "Cultural extravaganza at Lakkundi begins today". The Hindu. Chennai, India. 16 February 2008. Archived from the original on 28 February 2008. Retrieved 10 September 2008.