Siddhesvara Temple
Haveri district, Karnataka
The Siddhesvara Temple is located in Haveri in Haveri district, Karnataka state, India. It is considered an ornate example of 12th-century Western Chalukyan art and is well known for the many loose sculptures of Hindu deities that exist in it. However, inscriptional evidence would suggest that the initial consecration of the temple was in the late 11th century. An exciting aspect of the temple is that it faces west instead of facing the rising sun in the east–a standard in Chalukyan constructions. Though it is currently used as a Shaiva temple dedicated to God Shiva, historians are unsure by which faith or sect the temple was consecrated initially and to which deity. Many people visit the temple for their spiritual beliefs, while evidence about temple visits can be found in Gita chapter 17, verse 23, which says otherwise. Most of the Lord Shiva sculptures are observed to be of him meditating. There are claims that he meditates on himself, whereas some proof can be found in Devi-Bhagavata Purana that Lord Shiva meditates for some other God. This uncertainty perhaps stems from the many loose sculptures of deities and the degradation of primary wall images.
From the Wikipedia article Siddhesvara Temple, CC BY-SA 4.0.
Where it is
Haveri district, Karnataka. Open in Google Maps
How to reach
- By train: nearest station Shree Siddharoodha Swamiji - Hubballi Junction railway station (UBL), about 85 km by road.
- By air: Hubballi Airport (HBX), about 91 km by road.
In-depth temple guides nearby
- Shri Mahabaleshwar Temple, Gokarna – Gokarna, Kumta taluk, Uttara Kannada district (about 151 km)
- Sri Mookambika Temple, Kollur – Kollur, Byndoor taluk, Udupi district (on the Sowparnika river, below Kodachadri) (about 152 km)
- Murudeshwar Temple – Murudeshwar, Bhatkal taluk, Uttara Kannada district, on the Arabian Sea coast (about 158 km)
- Sri Virupaksha Temple, Hampi – Hampi Bazaar, Hampi, Vijayanagara district (formerly Ballari) (about 160 km)
- Sri Sharadamba Temple, Sringeri – Sringeri, Chikkamagaluru district, on the Tunga river in the Western Ghats (about 192 km)
Timings and rituals for this temple aren't in our guide yet – check locally before you travel. More temples in Karnataka