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Pilgrimages & Temples
Karnataka is famous for its beautiful tourist attractions and
temples. The Hindu temples in Karnataka started to expand and become
more elaborate. There were more mandapas for various purposes such
as dancing, assembly, eating etc. The temples built by the Hoysala,
Chola and Chalukya rulers marked with a profusion of intricate sculpture.
The Badami Chalukyas were the builders of rock cut caves and ancient
temple complexes. The sculptural quality in these temples is amazing.
Pilgrimage centers such as Mookambika and Udupi offer a contrast
to the ruins of the Vijayanagar edifices at Hampi.
[ Aihole Temples | Ananteshwara Temple
| Vaidyeshwara Temple | Badami Temples
| Balakrishna Temple | Chamundeswari
Temple | Chandramoulishwara Temple | Chennakesava
Temple | Gavi Gangadhareshwara Temple | Hoysaleswara
Temple | Kanakachalapathi Temple | Kesava
Temple | Markandeshwara Temple | Mookambika
Temple | Nandi Temples | Ranganatha
Temple | Gomateswara Temple | The
Bull Temple | Virupaksha Temple | Vithala
Temple | Hazara Rama Temple ]
 Aihole
Temples near Dharwar
Aihole is located to the Southern part of Bijapur District. There
are more than 100 temples at Aihole. The temples are dated back
to 6th /7th century.The Durga temple is known for its apsidal plan,
exquisite carvings and its pillared corridors.
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 Ananteshwara
Temple at Udupi near Mangalore
The Ananteshwara Temple at Udupi was built by king Rama Bhoja. A
interesting story is associated with the temple. According to a
folklore of Tulunadu, King Rama Bhoja wanted to perform the Putrakamesti
Yanga so that he would be blessed with a son. In the course of the
preparation for the yaga, when the ground was being ploughed, a
sacred Naga (cobra) got entangled in the plough and was killed.
To vindicate himself from the sin of killing the sacred Naga, the
king consecrated a Shiva Linga, which combined the divine presence
of Vishnu in the form of Lord Sheshashayee. This temple came to
be known as the Ananteshwara temple. The king also built four Durga
temples around the Ananteshwara temple. The Kadiyali Mahishamardini
temple is one among them.
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Vaidyeshwara Temple
at Tekal
Talakad houses the imposing temple to Vaidyeshwara - Shiva. The
Vaidyeshwara temple is built in the Dravidian style of granite.
Much of the structure is here is attributed to the Vijayanagar period.
The eastern doorway of the Navaranga is beautifully sculptured.
Colossal dwarapalakas adorn the entrances.
The Vaidyeshsara temple along with four others - Arkeshwara, Vasukishwara,
Saikateshwara and Mallikarjuna constitute the Panchalingams here.
These five Lingams are said to represent the five faces of Shiva.
The Vasukishwara Shivalingam is said to change colors during the
day (red in the morning, black in the afternoon and white in the
evening).
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 Badami
Temples near Dharwar
Badami, earlier known as Vatapi, was the ancient capital of the
Chalukyas. There is a hill named Bhutanatha which has 4 temples
with several beautiful bas reliefs. These cave temples date back
to the 6th century. There are two other temples Dattatreya and Mallikarjuna
temple which are thronged by visitors all the year.
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 Balakrishna
Temple at Udupi near Mangalore
The holiest pilgrimage site Balakrishna temple is associated with
Madhvacharya the religious leader and the pioneer of the Dvaita
philosophy. This is a small temple and the beautiful image of Krishna
is viewed through a grating called the Navagraha window. There is
also also Chandramowliswara and Ananteshwara Temples in Udupi.
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 Chamundeswari
Temple at Chamundi Hill near Mysore
The Chamundeshwari temple, located atop the Chamundi hill, is one
of the famous temples in Karnataka. It is at a height of 3000 ft.
A flight of 1000 stone steps from the foothills takes you to the
temple. It is a fine quadrangular structure of Dravidian style with
a splendid 40 mt high gopura at the entrance. The silver-plated
doorway has the images of the Goddess in different forms. The idol
of Mata Chamundeshwari in solid gold, is the tutelary deity of the
Mysore maharajas. The city of Mysore owes its name to the goddess
who routed the demon king Mahishasura. Special pujas and the car
festival held during Dasara attract large crowds.
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Chandramoulishwara
Temple at Udupi near Mangalore
The Chandramoulishwara temple is situated at a lower altitude, exactly
in front of the Anantheshwara Temple. According to a legend, Shiva
Linga of this shrine symbolises Lord Shiva who appeared here in
response to a penance performed by Moon- God in an adjacent grove.
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 Chennakesava
Temple at Belur near Hassan
The most remarkable monument of Hoysala times was the Chennakesava
Temple at Belur. It was commissioned by the Hoysala king himself
to celebrate his military victory in 1117 A.D. The monument is exceptionally
large and its decoration is very lavish. The wall-images of the
Cennakesava-temple are one of the large sculptural attractions of
the monument.
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 Gavi
Gangadhareshwara Temple at Bangalore
This is a cave temple dedicated to Shiva. The temple yard here contains
several monolithic sculptures.On the day of Makara Shankaranti each
year, the suns' rays pass through the horns of the Nandi and illuminates
the deity.
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 Hoysaleswara
Temple at Halebid near Hassan
The Hoysaleswara temple at Halebid is dedicated to Shiva and was
built in the 12th century. This temple is a masterpiece in design
and it attracts visitors from around the world. The Kedareswara
temple in Halebid is also a masterpiece of creation.
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Kanakachalapathi Temple
at Kanakagiri near Hospet
This temple is located near Gangawati in Raichur District. This
temple is built by the Kanakagiri Naiks and has several stone and
wooden statues and plaster models. It has a beautiful tank surrounded
by sculptured walls.
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 Kesava
Temple at Somnathapura near Mysore
Somnathapura near Mysore houses the Kesava temple built by the Hoysala
dynasty. The Kesava temple is a fantastic piece of art. It consists
of three identical shrines built on a raised platform - with a common
entrance chamber in an enclosed courtyard.The main shrine is dedicated
to Kesava. The other shrines are dedicated to Janardhana and Venugopala.These
shrines are only about 30 feet in height. Yet they are covered profusely
with ornate sculpture of the highest order.
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 Markandeshwara
Temple at Kallur near Raichur
The Markandeshwara temple is built by Krishnadevaraya of the Vijayanagar
Empire. It is dedicated to Lord Markandeshwara . The Markandeshwara
is the oldest with beautifully carved, polished pillars
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 Mookambika
Temple at Kollur near Mangalore
This temple is dedicated to the deity Mookambika (Devi). There is
a Jyotirlingam of great antiquity In front of the image of the Goddess
Mookambika. A golden line divides this lingam into two unequal parts
and is visible only in the light of reflected sunlight pointed at
the lingam. The right portion of this lingam is said to represent
Brahma, Vishnu and Shiva - and the larger left part represents the
Godess Kali, Lakshmi and Saraswathi. Adi Sankara the great religious
leader had installed the metal image of the Goddess behind the lingam.
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Nandi Temples at Nandi
Hills near Bangalore
The Nandi Temple is located on the foothills of Nandi Hills. It
dates back to the period of the Banas, Cholas, Hoysalas and the
Vijayanagar Kings. The temple is dedicated to deities Bhoganandiswara,
Yoganandiswara (Shiva). The pillars and metalwork is worthy to see.
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 Ranganatha
Temple at Srirangapattana near Mysore
This temple is dedicated to Sriranganathaswamy, who is considered
to be the incarnation of Lord Vishnu. Different parts of this temple
are built in different centuries. The carvings on the pillars of
this temple belong to the Hoysala architecture. There are idols
of all incarnations of Lord Vishnu. This temple was built during
the times of Vijayanagara emperors. The lower "mandap"
is supposed to be built during Hyder Ali's regime. The annual "jaatra"
is held in the month of January.
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 Gomateswara
Temple at Sravanabelagola near Mysore
Shravanabelagola is an important Jain pilgrim centre in Hassan district.
This is home to Asia's largest monolithic statue - Lord Gomateswara
, looming atop the picturesque Vindhyagiri Hill. Every 12 years,
Jain pilgrims gather here to participate in the colourful Maha Mastakabhisheka
of the Lord, the splendid head-anointing ceremony. From a specially
erected scaffolding, priests pour hundreds of pots containing curds,
milk, honey, vermilion, coconut water, turmeric paste and even gold
and precious jewels over the statue's head. Endowed with a rich
cultural and historical Jain legacy, Karnataka has a cluster of
Jain pilgrim centres.
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 The
Bull Temple at Bangalore
It is built in the year 1537 A.D. by Kempe Gowda. The legend associated
with this temple A Bull started grazing on the well-grown crop enraging
a farmer who hit the bull with a club. The bull sat stunned and
was suddenly transformed into a stone. The shocked farmers then
decided to build a temple for the bull to atone for what they had
done, but were shocked to see that the bull was growing taller!
The worried farmer then prayed to Lord Shiva who advised him to
retrieve a trident buried a few feet away from the bull and place
the trident on the forehead of the stone statue to stop it from
growing.
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 Virupaksha
Temple
The Virupaksha Temple is one of the earliest constructions in the
city. The main shrine is dedicated to Virupaksha, a form of Lord
Vishnu.
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 Vithala
Temple
Vittala temple is a World Heritage site. The temples beautiful
sculptures exhibits the richness of Vijayanagar Art. The outer pillars
are known as the 'Musical Pillars' as they echoes when tapped, although
this practice ssis now discouraged to avoid further damage. The
temple also displays an beautifully carved stone chariot in the
temple courtyard containing an image of Garuda.
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 Hazara
Rama Temple
This temple is dedicated to Lord Vishnu. It is located at the heart
of the royal centre. The temple dating back to early 15th century
has intricately carved basalt pillars showcasing the incarnations
of Shri Vishnu. Around the exterior walls of the hall are three
rows of sculptures imaging the main events from the Ramayana.
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Information on Pilgrimages & Temples of Karnataka - India
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