Banavasi is an ancient temple town located near Sirsi in

Karnataka Karnataka (; ISO 15919, ISO: , , also known as Karunāḍu) is a States and union territories of India, state in the southwestern region of India. It was Unification of Karnataka, formed on 1 November 1956, with the passage of the States Reor ...

. Banavasi was the ancient capital of the Kannada empire Kadamba that ruled all of modern-day Karnataka state. They were the first native empire to bring Kannada and Karnataka to prominence.It is away from its nearest large city Sirsi through SH 77.

History

Banavasi is the oldest town in the

state. It has grown up around the Madhukeshwara Temple built in the 5th century and dedicated to

Shiva Shiva (; sa, शिव, lit=The Auspicious One, Śiva ), also known as Mahadeva (; Help:IPA/Sanskrit, ɐɦaːd̪eːʋɐ, or Hara, is one of the Hindu deities, principal deities of Hinduism. He is the Supreme Being in Shaivism, one o ...

the supreme God in

Shaivism Shaivism (; sa, शैवसम्प्रदायः, Śaivasampradāyaḥ) is one of the major Hindu traditions, which worships Shiva as the Supreme Being. One of the largest Hindu denominations, it incorporates many sub-traditions rangi ...

, a major branch of

Hinduism Hinduism () is an Indian religion or '' dharma'', a religious and universal order or way of life by which followers abide. As a religion, it is the world's third-largest, with over 1.2–1.35 billion followers, or 15–16% of the global p ...

5th-century copper coin was discovered here with an inscription in the

Kannada script The Kannada script (IAST: ''Kannaḍa lipi''; obsolete: Kanarese or Canarese script in English) is an abugida of the Brahmic family, used to write Kannada, one of the Dravidian languages of South India especially in the state of Karnataka. K ...

, one of the oldest such coins ever discovered. Adikavi Pampa, the first poet of Kannada, wrote his epics in Banavasi. The town once was the capital of the Kadamba rulers, an ancient royal dynasty of Karnataka. They established themselves there in A.D. 345 and ruled South India for at least two centuries. Banavasi contains some of the oldest architectural monuments in southern

India India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, seventh-largest country by area, the List of countries and dependencies by population, second-most populous ...

Location

Banavasi lies in Malenadu region and is surrounded by forests and villages, with the Varada river flowing around it on three sides. Sirsi, is the nearest town about 23 km away. It is 400 km from

Bengaluru Bangalore (), officially Bengaluru (), is the capital and largest city of the Indian state of Karnataka. It has a population of more than and a metropolitan population of around , making it the third most populous city and fifth most ...

. The nearest railway stations are 70 km away in

Haveri Haveri is a city in Karnataka, India. It is the administrative headquarters of Haveri district. Haveri is famous for its cardamom garlands and Byadagi red chillies. Around 25 km away, there is a place called Bada, which is the birthplace o ...

and Talaguppa. The district Headquarters is

Karwar Karwar is a seaside city, ''taluka'', and administrative headquarters of Uttara Kannada district lying at the mouth of the Kali river on the Kanara coast of Karnataka state, India. Karwar is a popular tourist destination and with a city urba ...

Agriculture

The soil is fertile around Banavasi and paddy, wheat, sugarcane, arecanut, spices and pineapple are grown. Its specially known for pineapples, bananas and ginger. There are many pineapple farms on the edge of the village.

Attractions

The annual December cultural festival, Kadambothsava, is a huge gathering, organised by the state government, and featuring folk dancers, drama troupes, classical musicians, art exhibitions while drawing together performers, artists, and writers from throughout

south India South India, also known as Dakshina Bharata or Peninsular India, consists of the peninsular southern part of India. It encompasses the Indian states of Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Kerala, Tamil Nadu, and Telangana, as well as the union terr ...

. Banavasi has long been a cultural centre, especially the Yakshagana art form. Today local

artisans An artisan (from french: artisan, it, artigiano) is a skilled craft worker who makes or creates material objects partly or entirely by hand. These objects may be functional or strictly decorative, for example furniture, decorative art, ...

craft and sell the classical folk art Yakshagana masks here.

Gallery

Image:banavasi1.jpg, Madhukeshwara Temple at Banavasi Image:banavasi2.jpg, Nandi (bull) in ''Mahamantapa'' (hall) Image:banavasi3.jpg, Throne carved of Stone at Madhukeshwara temple Image:banavasi4.jpg, Elephant at the entrance Image:banavasi.jpg, Madhukeshwara Temple Image:Madhukeshwara_Temple_at_Banavasi.JPG, Sunset at Madhukeshwara Temple at Banavasi

References

External links

Ancient City of Banavasi

5th century copper coin discovered at Banavasi

Bouncing off to Banavasi

The Kadamba Kula: A History of Ancient and Mediaeval Karnataka

A study of regional organization at Banavasi
{{Authority control Kadambas Former capital cities in India Tourist attractions in Uttara Kannada district