Saundatti Yellamma Temple

Getting there

• By air

  Belagavi Airport is a domestic airport serving Belagavi, the district headquarters.

• By road

  Saundatti town is 78 km from Belagavi and 41 km from Dharwad. The temple is about 5 km from the town.

Why devotees come here

Saundatti Yellamma Temple is a shrine of Devi Renuka, worshipped here as Yellamma, about 5 km from Saundatti town in Karnataka. Saundatti is a Hindu pilgrimage centre, 78 km from Belagavi and 41 km from Dharwad. She is revered as a fertility deity, and pilgrims come from Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh, Goa and Maharashtra.

The legend, told in the Brahmanda Purana, says that Renuka once went to the banks of the Narmada river to fetch water. Her son Parashurama then asked that his mother be brought back to life, and the wish was granted. The story is told here as a legend, not as settled history. Devi Renuka is honoured here as Yellamma, and pilgrims come from several states. Yellamma is revered as one of the Saptamatrika, the seven divine mothers who protected the earth and its rulers.

Archaeological evidence shows a temple here from the mid-8th to the mid-11th centuries, from either the early Rashtrakuta or late Chalukyan period. The present temple was built in 1514 by Bomappa Nayaka of Raybag. It is built in the Chalukyan and Rashtrakuta style. The Government of Karnataka has managed the temple since 1975.

The Ministry of Tourism has approved a development project for the temple under the PRASHAD scheme. The plan will add modern amenities, including a pilgrim arrival centre and a cafeteria.

Festivals

• Twice a year, October to AprilTemple festivals

  Pilgrims come from Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh, Goa and Maharashtra. The Bharat Hunnime fair draws lakhs of visitors. Around 15 lakh people witness the annual event.

Tips for your visit

• Devotees bathe and put on new clothes at the tank below the hill before they go up to worship.
• A very large number of pilgrims visit the temple during the festivals held twice a year.

Questions people ask