Kunigal
Encyclopedia
Kunigal is a town in Tumkur district
in the India
n state
of Karnataka
. It is the headquarters of Kunigal taluk. Kunigal is famous for stud farm
owned by Vijay Mallya
.
It is situated on the National Highway 48 ( NH-48 ) connecting Bangalore and Mangalooru
•Kunigal: (Tumkur dt; tq.hq) also called Kunigil or Kuningalu in inscriptions, is situated at a distance of about 35 km south of Tumkur on the Bangalore-Hassan road, and 75 km from Bangalore city.
• The derivation of the name is said to be Kuni-Gal (dancing stone), Shiva having danced here according to a legend.
• Three streams rising in Shivaganga, namely, Nalini, Nagini and Kamala are said to unite their waters here.
• It is said that the Ganga King Shivarama was the governor of this place. In 785 A.D. one Veera Kambala Raya is said to have laid the foundation for the fort here. The place which was an agrahara during the Hoysalas came into the possession of the Magadi chief who enlarged the town and the fort.
• The Narasimha temple here is a large structure of the Hoysala period altered during the Vijayanagara days. But it contains a figure of Janardana said to have been brought from Huliyurdurga.
• The large Someshvara temple has a mahadwara in the south and an udbhava linga. The Padmeshvara temple in the Hoysala style consists of a garbhagriha, a shukanasi and a navaranga.
• The three-celled Venkataramana temple has a good figure of Shrinivasa.
•The Shivarameshwara temple, a new one, has a figure of Mahishasuramardini made in the Ganga style and is said to have been brought from Kortagere.
•The place has a stud farm, continuing to exist from the days of Haidar Ali and is famous for sericulture and also beedi rolling.
• Other notable places in the taluk are as follows:
Huliyurdurga: is about 64 km south of Tumkur town and about 38 km south of Kunigal.
It is now the headquarters of the hobli of the same name was once the headquarters of the taluk of the same name till 1873. It is situated on the foot of the hill of the same name. The hill is a solid mass of rock and has the peculiar appearance of an inverted cup. The fortification of the hill commanding the place is about 845 metres above the sea level and were said to have been erected by Kempe Gowda, the Magadi chief. There are springs, ruined houses, powder magazines granaries, durbar hall and other remains.
•The Gopalakrishna temple close to this hill is said to have been built by Kempe Gowda or by Chikkadeveraya Wodeyar. It has well worked granite pillars in the navaranga.
•The temple of Mallikarjuna is situated on the summit of Hemagiri hill which is by the side of Huliyurdurga.
•A shrine of Vadiraja locally known as Hemagiriyappa is on the eastern slope of Hemagiri where the object of worship is a round stone and on the southern slope is a shrine of Bhairava. The hill is loftier than Huliyurdurga but not fortified.
•Hutridurga: also known as Doddabetta is a fortified hill in the south-west of Kuigal taluk, rising to 3708 feet above the sea level.
•The hill has eight gateways from the foot to the summit in addition to several outer gates. On the summit known as Sankarakumbhi is situated a small Shankareshvara temple with a spring called Dodda done or big spring in front of it From the summit , we get an extensive view of the surrounding landscape dotted by a large number of tanks and hills.
• Hutridurga derives its name from Hutri, a village situated about 3 km from the foot of the hill. The village immediately at the foot of the hill is known as Santhepet and that situated on the first elevation as Hutridurga. The Hutridurga village has several temples of Adinarayana, Veerabhadra and Anjaneya etc.
•Amruturu: at a distance of about 11 km south-west of Kunigal town is the headquarters of the hobli of the same name In ancient period this place was an agrahara and was popularly called Atakur and Veera-Narasimhapur.
•The Chennakeshava temple here is a representation of Dravidian style of architecture of the 16th century A.D.
•The Someshvara temple also called Chandramaulishvara near the tank at this place is of the 16th century A.D.
•The Pattalamma temple (the village goddess) has several painted stucco figures of which Pattalamma and Lakshmi are canopied by a seven-hooded serpent. The leelas (sports) of Shiva and 10 incarnations of Vishnu have been painted on the walls and beams of the temple.
• Very near to this place at Marconahalli, a dam has been built across the Shimsha River forming the biggest reservoir in the district. The dam was completed in 1939.
•Yedeyur: the headquarters of the hobli of the same name, is about 19 km south-west of Kunigal.
• The Siddalingeshvara temple here, a celebrated pilgrim centre, faces north and is a large structure of Dravidian style of architecture.
• It has the gaddige of Tontada Siddhalinga, who lived in the 16th century A.D. a highly venerated Veerashiva teacher and author of many works. He is believed to have traveled in the whole country with a huge band of followers preaching Veerashaivism and principles of love, compassion and brotherhood.
•The ceiling of the mukhamantapa of the temple and the hall in the lower level have painted on them scenes from the life of Siddhalinga and the sports of Shiva.
•There is a managing committee constituted by the State Government.
•Pilgrims are fed free here. The car festival in honour of Siddhalingeshvara is held during March-April. There is also a temple of Varadaraja here and two other Veerashaiva mathas.
(Source: Karnataka State Gazetteer 1983)
, Kunigal had a population of 30,291. Males constitute 51% of the population and females 49%. Kunigal has an average literacy rate of 69%, higher than the national average of 59.5%: male literacy is 74%, and female literacy is 64%. In Kunigal, 12% of the population is under 6 years of age.
Tumkur district
Tumkur district is an administrative district in the state of Karnataka in India. The district headquarters are located at Tumkur. The district occupies an area of 10,598 km² and had a population of 2,584,711, of which 19.62% were urban as of 2001...
in the India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
n state
States and territories of India
India is a federal union of states comprising twenty-eight states and seven union territories. The states and territories are further subdivided into districts and so on.-List of states and territories:...
of Karnataka
Karnataka
Karnataka , the land of the Kannadigas, is a state in South West India. It was created on 1 November 1956, with the passing of the States Reorganisation Act and this day is annually celebrated as Karnataka Rajyotsava...
. It is the headquarters of Kunigal taluk. Kunigal is famous for stud farm
Stud farm
A stud farm or stud in animal husbandry, is an establishment for selective breeding of livestock. The word "stud" comes from the Old English stod meaning "herd of horses, place where horses are kept for breeding" Historically, documentation of the breedings that occur on a stud farm leads to the...
owned by Vijay Mallya
Vijay Mallya
Vijay Mallya is an Indian liquor and airline baron. The son of industrialist Vittal Mallya, he is the chairman of the United Breweries Group and Kingfisher Airlines. His United Spirits is world's second largest liquor maker, by volume...
.
Geography
Kunigal is located at 13.02°N 77.03°E. It has an average elevation of 773 metres (2536 feet).It is situated on the National Highway 48 ( NH-48 ) connecting Bangalore and Mangalooru
•Kunigal: (Tumkur dt; tq.hq) also called Kunigil or Kuningalu in inscriptions, is situated at a distance of about 35 km south of Tumkur on the Bangalore-Hassan road, and 75 km from Bangalore city.
• The derivation of the name is said to be Kuni-Gal (dancing stone), Shiva having danced here according to a legend.
• Three streams rising in Shivaganga, namely, Nalini, Nagini and Kamala are said to unite their waters here.
• It is said that the Ganga King Shivarama was the governor of this place. In 785 A.D. one Veera Kambala Raya is said to have laid the foundation for the fort here. The place which was an agrahara during the Hoysalas came into the possession of the Magadi chief who enlarged the town and the fort.
• The Narasimha temple here is a large structure of the Hoysala period altered during the Vijayanagara days. But it contains a figure of Janardana said to have been brought from Huliyurdurga.
• The large Someshvara temple has a mahadwara in the south and an udbhava linga. The Padmeshvara temple in the Hoysala style consists of a garbhagriha, a shukanasi and a navaranga.
• The three-celled Venkataramana temple has a good figure of Shrinivasa.
•The Shivarameshwara temple, a new one, has a figure of Mahishasuramardini made in the Ganga style and is said to have been brought from Kortagere.
•The place has a stud farm, continuing to exist from the days of Haidar Ali and is famous for sericulture and also beedi rolling.
• Other notable places in the taluk are as follows:
Huliyurdurga: is about 64 km south of Tumkur town and about 38 km south of Kunigal.
It is now the headquarters of the hobli of the same name was once the headquarters of the taluk of the same name till 1873. It is situated on the foot of the hill of the same name. The hill is a solid mass of rock and has the peculiar appearance of an inverted cup. The fortification of the hill commanding the place is about 845 metres above the sea level and were said to have been erected by Kempe Gowda, the Magadi chief. There are springs, ruined houses, powder magazines granaries, durbar hall and other remains.
•The Gopalakrishna temple close to this hill is said to have been built by Kempe Gowda or by Chikkadeveraya Wodeyar. It has well worked granite pillars in the navaranga.
•The temple of Mallikarjuna is situated on the summit of Hemagiri hill which is by the side of Huliyurdurga.
•A shrine of Vadiraja locally known as Hemagiriyappa is on the eastern slope of Hemagiri where the object of worship is a round stone and on the southern slope is a shrine of Bhairava. The hill is loftier than Huliyurdurga but not fortified.
•Hutridurga: also known as Doddabetta is a fortified hill in the south-west of Kuigal taluk, rising to 3708 feet above the sea level.
•The hill has eight gateways from the foot to the summit in addition to several outer gates. On the summit known as Sankarakumbhi is situated a small Shankareshvara temple with a spring called Dodda done or big spring in front of it From the summit , we get an extensive view of the surrounding landscape dotted by a large number of tanks and hills.
• Hutridurga derives its name from Hutri, a village situated about 3 km from the foot of the hill. The village immediately at the foot of the hill is known as Santhepet and that situated on the first elevation as Hutridurga. The Hutridurga village has several temples of Adinarayana, Veerabhadra and Anjaneya etc.
•Amruturu: at a distance of about 11 km south-west of Kunigal town is the headquarters of the hobli of the same name In ancient period this place was an agrahara and was popularly called Atakur and Veera-Narasimhapur.
•The Chennakeshava temple here is a representation of Dravidian style of architecture of the 16th century A.D.
•The Someshvara temple also called Chandramaulishvara near the tank at this place is of the 16th century A.D.
•The Pattalamma temple (the village goddess) has several painted stucco figures of which Pattalamma and Lakshmi are canopied by a seven-hooded serpent. The leelas (sports) of Shiva and 10 incarnations of Vishnu have been painted on the walls and beams of the temple.
• Very near to this place at Marconahalli, a dam has been built across the Shimsha River forming the biggest reservoir in the district. The dam was completed in 1939.
•Yedeyur: the headquarters of the hobli of the same name, is about 19 km south-west of Kunigal.
• The Siddalingeshvara temple here, a celebrated pilgrim centre, faces north and is a large structure of Dravidian style of architecture.
• It has the gaddige of Tontada Siddhalinga, who lived in the 16th century A.D. a highly venerated Veerashiva teacher and author of many works. He is believed to have traveled in the whole country with a huge band of followers preaching Veerashaivism and principles of love, compassion and brotherhood.
•The ceiling of the mukhamantapa of the temple and the hall in the lower level have painted on them scenes from the life of Siddhalinga and the sports of Shiva.
•There is a managing committee constituted by the State Government.
•Pilgrims are fed free here. The car festival in honour of Siddhalingeshvara is held during March-April. There is also a temple of Varadaraja here and two other Veerashaiva mathas.
(Source: Karnataka State Gazetteer 1983)
Demographics
India censusCensus
A census is the procedure of systematically acquiring and recording information about the members of a given population. It is a regularly occurring and official count of a particular population. The term is used mostly in connection with national population and housing censuses; other common...
, Kunigal had a population of 30,291. Males constitute 51% of the population and females 49%. Kunigal has an average literacy rate of 69%, higher than the national average of 59.5%: male literacy is 74%, and female literacy is 64%. In Kunigal, 12% of the population is under 6 years of age.