Culture and Heritage
SIDDHAGANGA
A famous centre for pilgrimage, Siddhaganga has a temple dedicated to Siddhalingeshwara on a hillrock which is held in high esteem by devotees. At the entrance of this temple six shrines can be seen. Near this temple, amidst scenic surroundings, stands a Veerashaiva Matha. The Matha feeds thousands of students and pilgrims daily. This is one of the important educational centres.
YADIYUR
Yadiyur was the home of a famous Veerashaiva spiritual teacher and author, Totada Siddhalinga. His samadhi stands today in the Siddhalingeswara temple which is built in Dravidian style. This temple has a Ratha (Procession car) with six stone wheels. A car festival takes place annually in March-April and lasts a fortnight. This is a pilgrimage centre for Lord Shiva’s devotees.
Goravanahalli MahaLakshmi Temple
About 30Km from Tumakuru in Koratagere taluk there is a famous Lakshmi Temple whose idol is said to be self originated , there will be special poojas which will be performed on fridays.
SIRA
About 50 kms from Tumakuru, Sira was founded by Rangappa Naik. Later, Sira was Conquered by Ranadullah Khan, a general in Bijapur army. After the conquest, Malik Hussain was appointed Sira’s Governor.
After the Bijapur kingdom fell to Aurangzeb, Dilawar Khan was appointed governor of Sira. He then built a fine palace here which is said to have inspired the palaces of Bangalore and Srirangapatna. He also laid out a beautiful garden that is said to have been the model for the Lalbagh Garden at Bangalore. Located in Sira is the Juma Masjid and the tomb of Malik Rihan Made from hewn stone, both these structures are fine examples of Saracenic architecture. Another monument worth seeng is the Ibrahim Rauza that contains many tombs. Built in the Hindu style of architecture, except for its minarets, this building has cornices and doorways with hindu motifs.
TURUVEKERE
About 12 Km, South of the Banasandra railway station. Turuvekere was once an ‘Agrahara’ or ‘Rent Free Village’ granted to scholarly brahmins in the 13th century A.D.
Turuvekere boasts of many fine Hoysala temples. The temple of Channakeshava is one of them. It was built by Mahadandanayaka Somanna who also built the famous Somnathpur temple. The Gangadhareshwara temple at Turuvekere has a Shivalinga with serpent hoods carved in a single piece of stone and is considered an example of fine sculpting. This temple also a bull finely carved in horne blend, which has retained its shine even today. To the east of the Gangadhareshwara temple is a large soapstone bell, the when tapped emits a metallic sound. The Moole Shankareshwara temple located in this village was built during the hoysala rule in 1260 AD.
SIBI
Situated on the Tumakuru Sira Road at distance of 30 kms from Tumakuru, this village contains a beautiful temple of Narasimha. The terrakota and frescoes of this temple are of 18th century.
KAIDALA
Originally named Kridapura, Kaidala acquired its present name because of a supernatural incident believed to have taken place here, connected with the legendary sculptor Jakanchary. A flaw was pointed out in masterpiece by this sculptor by another young sculptor called Dankana. This resulted in the senior sculptor cutting off his right hand. On building the kaidala keshava temple, Jakanchary’s lost hand was restored and hence the name Kaidala (Kai means Hand in Kannda). To his great surprise, Jakanachary later found that Dankana was his own son.
This beautiful Keshava temple in the Dravidian style contains a 5 feet 6 inches tall figure of channigaraya.
Aralaguppe
Is a place in Tumakuru districtt., 6 km from Banasandra railway station where there is a famous Kalleshwara temple in the Ganga-Nolamba style of the 9th century A.D. Its ceiling has wonderful dancing Shiva sculpture with musical accompanists and eight Dikpalas surrounding him with all their paraphernalia.