Gadag

Karnataka > Gadag

Temple of Gadag

Gadag-Betgeri is a twin city Municipality on the Dharwad-Guntakal Railway line, 80 km. from Dharwad and Gadag has become the district head quarters since 1997. It is a great centre of Kalyana Chalukyan art with the large Trikuteshwara temple, originally Rashtrakuta, later expanded by the Kalyana Chalukyas into a vast complex, and it has Trikuteshwara temple complex triple shrines once housing Shiva, Brahma and Surya. The Saraswati temple in its precinct has the finest shining decorative pillars, and the Saraswati image, though now damaged, is the finest examples of Chalukyan Art. Recently a newly carved Saraswati image in the same Chalukyan style has been installed as the earlier one had broken up. The place has the Someshwara and Rameshwara temples of Chalukyan style, is also known for its religious harmony.

The Veeranarayana temple of Chalukyan times, completely renovated in Vijayanagara times including the image of Narayana too replaced. The great Kannada poet Kumaravyasa composed his famous Karnataka Bharatha Kathamanjari by staying in this temple. Gadag has a mosque of Adilshahi times, highly artistic. There is a Church too of the Basel Mission (Now C.S.I.). Betageri has many artistic herostones, some dating back to 9th-10th centuries. ('Kaldugu' is the old name of Gadag and 'Battakere', 'Round Tank' of Betgeri). Gadag-Betageri are famous for weaving industry, and of late, Gadag has excelled In printing. To reach Lakkundi, Dambal, Itgi and Kukanur, Gadag is the gateway. Itagi and Lakkundi is tourist place in Gadag

About Places of Gadag

Poets Kumaravyasa and Chamarasa have become legendary by their exceptional works Mahabharata and Prabhulingaleele respectively. In the 20th century, Gadag provided many nationalists and freedom fighters. Notable among them is Narayana Rao Huilgol who wrote the famous Kannada greedom song, "Udayavagali Namma Cheluva Kannada Nadu". Other famous literateurs from Gadag are Pandit G.B. Joshi, Pandit Pandharinathacharya Galgali, N.K. Kulkarni, Keertinath Kurtakoti and others.

The Present seer of the famous Tontadaryamath. His Holiness Jagadguru Siddhaling Swamiji has rovolutionised and transfomed the people of Gadag-Betgeri by his numerous educational,literary, cultural, agricultural and secular religious projects.

The renowned saint and seer Dr.Pandit Puttaraj Gavaigalu, blind by birth, musician, scholar and literateur has perhaps done more for the cause of blind than any other single person in the world. That is where the Rotary Club of Gadag Betgeri has built a Residential College of Music for Blind and equipping it with W.C.S. aid and matching grants.

he renowed musician Padmabhooshana Pandit Bhimasen Joshi is the gift of Gadag to this nation.

The renowned saint and seer Dr.Pandit Puttaraj Gavaigalu, blind by birth, musician, scholar and literateur has perhaps done more for the cause of blind than any other single person in the world. That is where the Rotary Club of Gadag Betgeri has built a Residential College of Music for Blind and equipping it with W.C.S. aid and matching grants.