Kuknoor (also known as Kuknur, Kukkanur or Kukanoor) is a town in

Kukanoor Kuknoor (also known as Kuknur, Kukkanur or Kukanoor) is a town in Kukanoor taluk in the Koppal District of the Indian state of Karnataka, which is located about 40 km northwest of Hospet and 7 km from the Mahadeva Temple in Itagi. K ...

taluk in the Koppal District of the

India India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the so ...

n state of

Karnataka Karnataka (; ISO: , , also known as Karunāḍu) is a state in the southwestern region of India. It was formed on 1 November 1956, with the passage of the States Reorganisation Act. Originally known as Mysore State , it was renamed ''Karnat ...

, which is located about 40 km northwest of

Hospet Hospet also known as Vijayanagara is the largest city and district headquarters of the Vijayanagara district in the Indian state of Karnataka. It is located on the banks of the Tungabhadra River and is 13 km from Hampi. The present day Ha ...

and 7 km from the Mahadeva Temple in Itagi. Kuknoor is known for the temples of the

Rashtrakutas Rashtrakuta ( IAST: ') (r. 753-982 CE) was a royal Indian dynasty ruling large parts of the Indian subcontinent between the sixth and 10th centuries. The earliest known Rashtrakuta inscription is a 7th-century copper plate grant detailing the ...

and

Chalukyas The Chalukya dynasty () was a Classical Indian dynasty that ruled large parts of southern and central India between the 6th and the 12th centuries. During this period, they ruled as three related yet individual dynasties. The earliest dynas ...

in the town, with the most notable being the

Navalinga Temple The Navalinga temple is a cluster of Hindu temples built in the 9th century, during the reign of King Amoghavarsha I or his son Krishna II of the Rashtrakuta Dynasty. The temple is located in the town of Kukkanur (also called Kuknur), north of ...

.Village code= 563400 Kuknoor, Koppal, Karnataka

History

Kuknoor was an important town during the Middle Ages, and features many historical ruins, including those of the

s that were completed in the later

Chalukya The Chalukya dynasty () was a Classical Indian dynasty that ruled large parts of southern and central India between the 6th and the 12th centuries. During this period, they ruled as three related yet individual dynasties. The earliest dynasty ...

style of architecture during the 8th to 13th centuries A.D. Other important sites include the Kalleshvara and Mallikarjuna temples. Old Kannada inscription in the mantapa of Navalinga temple at Kuknur

Old Kannada inscription in the mantapa of Navalinga temple at Kuknur

Demographics

As of the

2011 Census of India The 2011 Census of India or the 15th Indian Census was conducted in two phases, house listing and population enumeration. The House listing phase began on 1 April 2010 and involved the collection of information about all buildings. Information ...

, Kuknoor had a population of 18,033, constituting 9,075 males and 8,958 females.

Temples

Kuknur is home to several important temples.

Mahamaya Temple

Mahamaya Temple is located in the center of the town, and is mentioned in the Indian epic ''

Mahabharata The ''Mahābhārata'' ( ; sa, महाभारतम्, ', ) is one of the two major Sanskrit literature, Sanskrit Indian epic poetry, epics of ancient India in Hinduism, the other being the ''Ramayana, Rāmāyaṇa''. It narrates the s ...

''. The temple is dedicated to three deities of the

Garbhagriha A ''garbhagriha'' or ''sannidhanam'' is the ''sanctum sanctorum'', the innermost sanctuary of a Hindu and Jain temples where resides the '' murti'' (idol or icon) of the primary deity of the temple. In Jainism, the main deity is known as the ' ...

, and features statues of them. Two of the deities are female; Mahakali& Mahamaya, and one male; Kshetrapala. All 3 statues face south, in contrast to the regular orientation towards the north. Statues like these, which face south are often considered to be more powerful. The reference to this temple in the ''Mahabharata'' suggests it was built before the 8th century B.C. According to legend, there exists a hidden underground temple dedicated to

Kali Kali (; sa, काली, ), also referred to as Mahakali, Bhadrakali, and Kalika ( sa, कालिका), is a Hindu goddess who is considered to be the goddess of ultimate power, time, destruction and change in Shaktism. In this tra ...

below the Mahamaya Temple. This temple plays a role in the events of the epic, as it practices Narabali, a type of

human sacrifice Human sacrifice is the act of killing one or more humans as part of a ritual, which is usually intended to please or appease gods, a human ruler, an authoritative/priestly figure or spirits of dead ancestors or as a retainer sacrifice, wherein ...

. In modern history, there were plans to unearth it, however they were cancelled after villagers protested, citing the possible release of evil spirits if it were to be uncovered.

Gudneshwar Temple

Located near Kuknoor and surrounded by

Tamarind Tamarind (''Tamarindus indica'') is a leguminous tree bearing edible fruit that is probably indigenous to tropical Africa. The genus ''Tamarindus'' is monotypic, meaning that it contains only this species. It belongs to the family Fabaceae ...

trees, the Gudneshwar (Rudramunishwar) Temple is dedicated to Rudramunishwar, a figure who practiced social welfare work during the 12th century and was later known as Gudneshwar. Kuknur-Navalinga

Education

Jawahar Navodaya Vidyalaya, Kuknoor

Jawahar Navodaya Vidyalaya Jawahar Navodaya Vidyalayas (JNVs) is a system of central schools for talented students predominantly from rural areas in India. They are run by Navodaya Vidyalaya Samiti, Noida, an autonomous organization under the Department of School Educa ...

(JNV) Kuknoor is located near Gudneppanamath and is a premier educational institution. It is funded by the Government of India's

Ministry of Human Resource Development The Ministry of Education ( MoE; formerly the Ministry of Human Resource Development from 1985 to 2020) is a ministry of the Government of India, responsible for the implementation of the National Policy on Education. The Ministry is further d ...

. It was established in 1987 to provide education to rural students in

Raichur district Raichur District is an administrative district in the Indian state of Karnataka. It is located in the northeast part of the state and is bounded by Yadgir district in the north, Bijapur and Bagalkot district in the northwest, Koppal district ...

. The campus covers 35 acres in Kuknoor. The school is affiliated with India’s

Central Board of Secondary Education The Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) is a national level board of education in India for public and private schools, controlled and managed by the Government of India. Established in 1929 by a resolution of the government, the Board ...

and provides for grades 6-12.

Vidyananda Gurukul Educational trust, Kukanoor

This trust is located in Kukanoor, Yelburga Main road. It was founded by RB DESAI in 1921. This institute contains both Kannada and English Medium School 1st to 10th, Diploma, PUC and Degree. It has buildings, infrastructure, a garden and a play ground.

Kuknoor Granite

Himalayan Blue Granite is mined in quarries in and around Kuknoor.

Transport

Kuknoor is well connected by road to

Koppal ''Koppal'' is a district headquarters of Koppal district in the Indian state of Karnataka. Koppal is surrounded on three sides by hills. It was known as Kopana Nagara. The town has historical landmarks such as the Koppal Fort, Gavimath (a ...

Yelburga Yalaburga also called Yelburga is a panchayat town in Koppal district in the Indian state of Karnataka. Geography Yelburga is located at . It has an average elevation of 605 metres (1984 feet). It is around 40 km north-west of K ...

, and

Gadag-Betageri Gadag-Betageri is a city municipal council in Gadag district in the state of Karnataka, India. It is the administrative headquarters of Gadag District. The original city of Gadag and its sister city Betageri (or ''Betgeri'') have a combined cit ...

. The nearest major airport is in

Hubli Hubli, officially known as Hubballi, is a city in the Indian state of Karnataka. The twin cities Hubli–Dharwad form the second largest city in the state by area and population and the largest city in North Karnataka. Hubli is in Dharwad distr ...

Bus

The nearby city of Koppal provides bus service to major cities such as

Bangalore Bangalore (), List of renamed places in India, officially Bengaluru (), is the Capital city, capital and largest city of the Indian state of Karnataka. It has a population of more than and a metropolitan area, metropolitan population of a ...

Hyderabad Hyderabad ( ; , ) is the capital and largest city of the Indian state of Telangana and the ''de jure'' capital of Andhra Pradesh. It occupies on the Deccan Plateau along the banks of the Musi River, in the northern part of Southern India ...

, Bagalkot, and others.

Karnataka State Road Transport Corporation The Karnataka State Road Transport Corporation - (Karnataka SRTC), is a state-owned public road transport corporation in the Indian state of Karnataka. It is wholly owned by the Government of Karnataka. It serves routes to towns and cities in ...

(KSRTC) has a bus depot in Kuknoor that runs service to other cities and villages.

Rail

The closest railway station to Kuknoor is 12 km away at Bhanapur, while the railway station at Koppal is 25 km away.

References

External links

{{Settlements in Koppal district Villages in Koppal district History of Karnataka