Kotilingeshwar Temple

Getting there

• By air

  Jindal Vijaynagar Airport is 89.7 km away and the nearest; Hubli Airport is 182 km away.

• By train

  Gangavathi, Kushtagi, Karatagi and Sindhanur are the nearest railway stations.

• By road

  From Kanakagiri town it is 26.6 km, about 40 minutes via SH29. State highways SH29, SH30 and SH63 meet near Pura village.

Book and check

Official pages only. We do not sell darshan passes or tours.

• District tourist place pagekoppal.nic.in

Why devotees come here

Kotilingeshwar Temple stands in Pura village in Kushtagi taluk, Koppal district. The district government lists it as a historic and religious site. The sanctum holds a two-foot-tall Shiva Linga, and small shrines around it hold thousands of lingas.

Pura village is an archaeological site with ancient temples, inscriptions, hunting records and several sculptures. Ancient inscriptions refer to the village as Vuhilapura. The temple is known as Kotilingeshwar or Kotishankara Lingeshwar, and official records also call it the Someshwara Temple.

The government page dates the temple to the 12th century and places it in the Kalyana Chalukyan style. The complex has a sanctum, an assembly hall, a vestibule, an entrance porch and a spacious courtyard. The sanctum and vestibule have Dravidian-style towers, and lotus carvings adorn the walls.

Inside the assembly hall, four central pillars surround a well, and its water is used for daily worship. A Nandi statue stands behind the well. The entrance to the sanctum is narrow, with simple door frames. Daily rituals are performed in the temple.

Festivals

• Last Monday of the Shravana monthShravana fair

  An annual fair and grand celebration at the temple.

Tips for your visit

• Look up at the ceiling above the pillars in the assembly hall, where a downward-facing lotus is carved.
• The square, octagonal and round pillars of the assembly hall are carved with ornate designs, so give them a close look.
• An unusual stone pavilion, held up by three pillars and topped with a large slab, stands in the right corner of the temple.
• The entrance to the sanctum is narrow, with simple door frames.

Questions people ask