District: Koppal
Town: Kuknur
Temple: Navalinga Temple
Navalinga Temple
Navalinga Temple- Overview
The Navalinga Temple is constructed in Dravidian style. Since each of the nine temples has a linga, they are known as Navalinga meaning nine lingams.
Navalinga Temple – History
The temple was built under the Rashtrakuta Dynasty, under the reign of King Amoghavarsha I or under his son Krishna II. The temple town boasts of inscriptions from the Vijayanagara period and they refer to a number of Hindu Goddesses such as Ganga, Saraswati, Kalikadevi, Mahamay and Chamundi, it also mentions the name of God Mallikarjuna.
Navalinga Temple – Architecture
The Navalinga group of temples appears to be built without any particular order in an asymmetric manner. The temple is constructed with sandstone but the shrine walls have lost their sheen now. The shrines have a Shikara like any South Indian temple. The shrine has a linga and the entrance of this shrine bears the image of the Goddess Gajalakshmi. There are two ancient Kannada inscriptions in the complex of this temple.
How to Get to Navalinga Temple
Navalinga temple at Kuknur can be reached by private transport or KSRTC bus or even train, the route is Bangalore via Tumkur via Chitrdurga via Hospet to Koppal. The temple is located in Kuknur which is 6 km from Itagi in Koppal district and 40 km in Gadag in Karnataka state. You should make it a point to visit this town to admire the architectural charm around this district. A good time to visit the temple is between October and March when the temperatures remain between 20 and 29 degrees.
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