Skip to main content

Lost temples of Karnataka: Kaitabhairaveshwara temple-Kotipura, Kubatur

Lost temples of Karnataka: Kaithabhaireshwara temple-Kotipura, Kubatur

Overview: Kotipura is a small village near Anvatti in Western Karnataka. We visited this place during our visit to Banavasi. The Kaitabhairaveshwara temple complex in Kubatur, Kotipura is a marvel to watch. Kubatur has a rich historical significance having been ruled by the Kadambas of Banavasi, the Badami Chalukyas, Rashtrakutas, Kalyani Chalukyas, Hoysalas of Dorasamudra, nayaks of Keladi.
The Kaitabhairaveshwara temple was built in 1100 AD during the Hoysala period and was known as Kotishwara in inscriptions. It closely resembles the Chalukyan temples in plan, pillar order and Shikhara. The sculptors of Mahishasuramardhini, Bhairava and Ganesha adorn the superstructure. There are 5 entrances to the Mahamandapa. Lateral entrances are provided in addition to the other entrances. The pillars of Mahamandapa are Lathe turned and polished to give it a shiny look. The ceilings are ornate and the parapet has sculptures of Ugra Narasimha, varaha, Garuda, Keshava among others. An inscription in this temple refers to major temple forms of India mastered by skilled architect.
Kaitabhairaveshwara temple, Kubatur, KotipuraKaitabhairaveshwara temple, Kubatur, Kotipura Kaitabhairaveshwara temple, Kubatur, Kotipura  Kaitabhairaveshwara temple, Kubatur, KotipuraKaitabhairaveshwara temple, Kubatur, Kotipura  Kaitabhairaveshwara temple, Kubatur, Kotipura Kaitabhairaveshwara temple, Kubatur, Kotipura Kaitabhairaveshwara temple, Kubatur, Kotipura Kaitabhairaveshwara temple, Kubatur, Kotipura

How to reach: Bus: KSRTC buses and also several private buses ply regularly from Bangalore to Hangal. Buses are available from Hangal to Anvatti. From Anvatti hire local transport to reach Kotipura.
By Bike/Car: Take the NH4 to reach Tumkur, before reaching the town, turn left towards Shimoga. Travel to Shimoga via Tiptur and Arsikere. From Shimoga, take the Honnavar road to reach Anvatti. Anvatti can also be reached from NH4 to Ranebennur, from there take the state road to Anvatti via Chikkakerur.
Food/Accommodation: Plenty of options available for accommodation at Shimoga, Ranebennur and Banavasi suiting all budgets.
Map:

View Larger Map
Labels:

Comments

  1. Anunoy Samanta23 July 2013 at 20:00

    Wonderful shots Arun... and useful info!

    ReplyDelete
  2. Nasreen24 July 2013 at 11:04

    Wow amazing images of the temple.. Thanks for sharing interesting information..

    ReplyDelete
  3. R Niranjan Das24 July 2013 at 12:28

    Nice post!

    http://rajniranjandas.blogspot.in

    ReplyDelete
  4. Indrani24 July 2013 at 17:57

    Haven't been there yet! Stunning work!

    ReplyDelete
  5. Prasad Np24 July 2013 at 19:39

    A hidden treasure, I must say. Good pics.

    ReplyDelete
  6. Heritage Sites of India25 July 2013 at 17:08

    The temple looks good. It makes me wonder how much effort it would have taken back then to create such a wonderful piece of art.

    ReplyDelete
  7. SAT classes in Pimpri-Chinchwad.25 July 2013 at 17:38

    Beautiful Temple.
    The Carving Is Beautiful & Awesome Photographs.

    ReplyDelete
  8. MastHoliday29 July 2013 at 12:42

    Looks a great temple site. wonderful architecture!

    ReplyDelete
  9. Pramod29 July 2013 at 18:15

    Beautiful Images mate !
    Thanks for sharing them with us .

    -Pramod

    ReplyDelete
  10. My Unfinished Life29 January 2016 at 13:03

    So am on a road project in karnataka and one of the roads passes through (rather passes adjacent) this temple......my client graciously takes me here while we are inspecting the road...and i am mesmerised by the architecture.....dont have much time but i loved the 10-15 minutes we spent here......

    i go back and decide to write about this temple in the blog.....and one of the few pieces of information i get on google search is your blog post!!!

    that's why i love blogging ands travel bloggers in particular, it just opens u a such a wonderful exchange of information and knowledge sharing on travel.....


    this temple is beautiful!!!!

    ReplyDelete
  11. S Indranaik28 December 2016 at 15:31

    In front of Kaitebheshwara temple left side there is a small temple underground level. In this Sri SEVABHAYAS statue from KOTOPURA THANDA is installed one year back after construction of new temple in thanda.in newly constructed temple new statue is being installed. Old statue from old temple,Sri Sevabhaya sitting on his horse TOLATAM is kept in small temple in front of Kaithabheshwara temple. Sri Sevabhaya is spiritual, cultural and social leader of banjaras in the world. His statue is being installed in every Thanda of banjaras

    ReplyDelete
  12. S Indranaik28 December 2016 at 15:32

    In front of Kaitebheshwara temple left side there is a small temple underground level. In this Sri SEVABHAYAS statue from KOTOPURA THANDA is installed one year back after construction of new temple in thanda.in newly constructed temple new statue is being installed. Old statue from old temple,Sri Sevabhaya sitting on his horse TOLATAM is kept in small temple in front of Kaithabheshwara temple. Sri Sevabhaya is spiritual, cultural and social leader of banjaras in the world. His statue is being installed in every Thanda of banjaras

    ReplyDelete

Post a comment

Popular posts from this blog

The forgotten story of a migration: Nacharamma of South India

This is a story of Nacharamma (fictionised by me to some extent), which is not documented in any inscriptions or ancient texts, but has been told by the ancestors of the community, and also been researched by some historians like M Keshavaiah, Dr Pranarthiharan and a few others.

Overview: Around the early 17th century, the Pilgrims set to sail across the Atlantic to become the first settlers of America. Much before this, a small but no less interesting migration took place in the Southern India of a community called the 'Sankethis'.
It was the summer of 1420 CE, in a place called Sengottai, in Tamil Nadu, along the foothills of the Western Ghats bordering Kerala. The place was flourishing with knowledge of the Vedas where Agraharams were set up. One of the prominent communities of learned people was the Sankethi Iyer community, also known as Sangeethi, derived from the name of the place- Sengottai or Shankotta. Another theory says that they were  The group followed Adi Shankara…
6 comments
Read more

Clock Towers of Bangalore

Overview: In the middle of the 18th century, when home clocks and watches were not so common, there was the practice of having huge clocks on top of iconic buildings or religious places having visibility from all the corners. Clock towers were in fashion all across the globe in the 18th to 20th centuries, and some of them had bells as well, which used to ring at every hour. Bangalore too, has had its share of clock towers, though the city has never been known for its clock towers. The iconic Clock tower once stood at the Russell Market in Shivajinagar, which no longer stands today as it was brought down sometime during the middle of the 20th century.
A few standing clock towers can be seen at the City Market, Baldwin Boys school, Jayachamarajendra Polytechnic, Central College, Police training grounds, St John's Church, Corporation office and the newly constructed towers at South End circle and Omkar Hills. Most of these clocks have been provided by HMT.
21 comments
Read more

Know your neighbourhood-3: Madivala, Agara, Koramangala, Bellandur

Overview: Now famous for high rises, branded showrooms and startups, the villages of Madivala, Agara, Koramangala and Domlur are the villages which have seen an ancient past.

Madivala village was a flourishing agrahara under the Cholas and Hoysalas. There is an ancient Chola era temple, which was later expanded by the Hoysalas behind the road opposite to the Silk Board. This Someshwara temple is of high historical importance, with Tamil inscriptions all along the outer walls of the temple. The most important being the 1247 CE inscription which talks about the grants of some lands near the big tank of Vengalur (2nd inscription of the city name after the one in Begur). This inscription is by an official Pemmataiyar of Veppur (Begur) for the deity Sembeshwaram (Someshwara) at Tamaraikkirai (Tavarekere).

Agara is situated at the junction of the ORR and Sarjapura Road, and is in existance since the Gangas. A 870 CE Ganga inscription mentions about the fixing of sluices to 2 tanks (Agara Lake…
2 comments
Read more