Mallikarjuna Temple Kuruvatti

Getting there

• By air

  Jindal Vijayanagar Airport, 38 km from Hampi, has daily flights to Bengaluru and Hyderabad.

• By train

  Hosapete is the nearest railway station, 12 km from Hampi.

• By road

  Buses run to all major Karnataka cities from Ballari, 65 km from Hampi, and from Hosapete.

Why devotees come here

Mallikarjuna Temple stands in Kuruvatti town in Vijayanagara district, Karnataka, and is one of the famous temples of the Kalyana Chalukya period. Its sanctum holds a smooth black stone Shivalinga. The Archaeological Survey of India protects it as a monument of national importance.

Mallikarjuna Temple is in Kuruvatti town, in Vijayanagara district. The sanctum holds a smooth black stone Shivalinga. The Archaeological Survey of India protects the temple as a monument of national importance. Vijayanagara is Karnataka's 31st district, carved out of Bellary district in 2020, with Hosapete as its headquarters.

The temple was built around 1087 in the Kalyana Chalukya period, though some accounts date it to the early 12th century. Some accounts also link the temple's names to Chalukya king Someshvara I, who ended his life at Kuruvatti in 1062. The sanctum has a vesara-style shikhara on top and a projecting sukhanasa in front. A relief of Gajalakshmi is carved in the sanctum doorway.

A separate Nandi shrine stands in front of the temple, built only for Nandi. Rathotsava, a chariot festival, is celebrated with great pomp during Shivratri.

Festivals

• During Shivratri, especiallyRathotsava

  A chariot festival celebrated with great pomp.

Tips for your visit

• Kuruvatti is also spelt Kuruvathi.
• The district site lists nearby places to see: Mylaralingeshwara Temple in Mylara (Huvina Hadagali taluk), and Bagali Kalleshwara Temple and Ucchhangi Durga Temple (Harapanahalli taluk).

Questions people ask