Veeranarayana Temple – Veeranarayana temple is one of the oldest shrines in the district of Gadag. This age-old religious place dates back to 1117 AD and was built by the Hoysala King Vishnuvarshana. The main deity here is Lord Veeranarayana/Bhagwan Vishnu. The Veeranarayana temple is a preserved monument under the Karnataka state division, of the Archaeological Survey of India. As per a legend, King Vishnuvardhana, originally known as Bitti Deva was very much influenced by Saint Ramanujacharya, after he cured a Hoysala princess, from an ailment. Bitti Deva, not only changed his name to Vishnuvardhana but also converted, to the Sri Vaishnava religion, from Jainism.
He then became a staunch devotee of Saint Ramanujacharya, and constructed five Lord Vishnu temples. Amongst, the five shrines Veeranarayana temple, in Gadag is one of them. The other four Lord Vishnu shrines, which King Vishnuvardhana built, were the Nambinarayana temple at Tondanur, the Chennakesava Temple at Belur, the Keerthi Narayana temple at Talakad, and the Cheluvanarayana temple at Melkote. During the reign of the Vijayanagar empire, there was a noted Kannada poet, called Kumaravyasa.
He had termed Gadag district as his home and Lord Veeranarayana, his favorite deity. According to a legend, Kumaravyasa wrote the Kannada version of the Hindu epic Mahabharata. Lord Veeranarayana temple, was built as per the architectural styles of Chalukya, Hoysala, and Vijayanagara empire. The Garbhagruha, or a Sanctum Sanctorum, and the top tower of the temple are structures of Chalukya sculpture. Garudagamba, or the pillar of Garuda, and Rangamantap are in the manner of Hoysala sculpture. The main entrance gate of the temple followed the Vijayanagara style of architecture. Inside the Veeranarayana temple, you can find several pillars which are intricately carved. It is believed that Mahakavi Kumaravyasa wrote, “Karnataka Bharatha Katha Manjari,” sitting under one of these pillars.
Timings – 5:30 AM to 12 PM and 5 PM to 8 PM on all the days. Note – On the day of the Shivarathri festival, timings may vary.
Address – Hanuman Gardi, Agrahar, Karnataka 582101
