district in Karnataka is bounded by Tamilnadu and Andhra Pradesh and has been at the
center of history, with several dynasties ruling the region.
Historically The Banas
and the Gangas ruled this region until the 9th and the centuries
respectively. The Cholas took over this region around 1000 CE, and later
on the Hoysalas and the Vijayanagara rulers ruled this
area. They were followed by the Deccan rulers of Bijapur and then the Mysore
This region is home to
legends from the Ramayana and Mahabharata.
It is believed that Rama
sojourned in this region during his victorious return from Lanka to Ayodhya.
(see Ramayana legacy of Tamilnadu).
The village of Kaivara
is associated with the legend that the Pandavas spent their exile at this
site. The demon Bakasura is said to have been killed here. There are
temples to Bhimeshwara and Amaranarayana here.
On the Bangalore Hindupur
railroad is Gauribidenur where Vidura, the uncle of the
Pandavas and Kauravas is said to have lived. A tree believed to have been planted by him
is held in reverence and is surrounded by stone images of snake gods.
The ancient Kolaramma
temple was renovated during the period of the Chola monarch Rajendra Chola I and is a
center of Shakti worship.
In Kolar district are Kurudumale
and Mulbagal housing temples to Someshwara dating back to the Vijayanagar
period. Virupakshapura near Mulbagal bears the Virupaksha temple again in
the Vijayanagar style.
near Mulbagal is known as the Gaya of the south and it bears a cluster of
temples known as the Rameshwara, Lakshmaneshwara, Bharateshwara and
Shatrugneshwara, dating back to the period of the Nolamba dynasty. (Also see the Ramayana legacy of Kerala).
village at a distance of about 30 km from Kolar is home to the Vijayendra temple. It dates
back to the period of the Gangas, and has been renovated by the Hoysalas
and the Vijayanagar rulers.
Nearby is the town of Malur,
with the Shankaranarayana and the Markandeswhwara temples.
The village of Tekal
between Malur and Bangarpet is said to have been a city of temples in the past. There are
several temple ruins here.