Hangal

Karnataka > haveri > Hangal

Hangal, now in Haveri dt. is also a taluk headquarters. It was the capital of the Hangal Kadambas, feudatories of the Chalukyas of Kalyana. It is mentioned as 'Panungal' in early records and identified by tradition with Viratanagara of Mahabharatha days Eighty km. away from Dharwad, it was once the headquarters of a district called Panungal-500. The Tarakeshwara temple here is a huge structure with wonderful series of images and polished tall Chalukyan pillars spread over a vast area. The Virabhadra, Billeshwara and Ramalinga etc., are other important temples and the Ganesha temple near Tarakeshwara has a northern curvilinear (Nagara) Shikhara. The town is on the left bank of the Dharma river, and has ruins of some fortification on the river bank. There is also a famous Veerashaiva Kumaraswamy Matha here.