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 (Itagi), Mahad ...

taluk in the

Koppal District Koppala district, officially known as Koppala district is an administrative district in the state of Karnataka in India. In the past Koppal was referred to as 'Kopana Nagara'. Hampi, a World heritage center, covers some areas of Koppala District ...

of the

India India, officially the Republic of India, 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 by population (United Nations), most populous country since ...

n state of

Karnataka Karnataka ( ) is a States and union territories of India, state in the southwestern region of India. It was Unification of Karnataka, formed as Mysore State on 1 November 1956, with the passage of the States Reorganisation Act, 1956, States Re ...

, which is located about 40 km northwest of

Hospet Hospet (officially Hosapete) is the largest and fastest-growing industrial city and district headquarters of the Vijayanagara district in the Indian state of Karnataka. Hospet is known as "the steel city of Karnataka". It is located on the bank ...

and 7 km from the

Mahadeva Temple Shiva is one of the principal deities in Hinduism and is considered part of the Trimurti alongside Brahma and Vishnu. Numerous temples dedicated to Shiva exist across India and beyond, often featuring lingams as representations of the deity. Hin ...

in Itagi. Kuknoor is known for the temples of the

Rashtrakutas The Rashtrakuta Empire was a royal Indian polity ruling large parts of the Indian subcontinent between the 6th and 10th centuries. The earliest known Rashtrakuta Indian inscriptions, inscription is a 7th-century copper plate grant detailing th ...

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.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 Navalinga Temples 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 dynas ...

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, 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'' ( ; , , ) is one of the two major Sanskrit Indian epic poetry, epics of ancient India revered as Smriti texts in Hinduism, the other being the ''Ramayana, Rāmāyaṇa''. It narrates the events and aftermath of the Kuru ...

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

Garbhagriha A ''garbhagriha'' () is the innermost sanctuary of Hindu and Jain temples, often referred to as the "holy of holies" or " sanctum sanctorum". The term ''garbhagriha'' (literally, "womb chamber") comes from the Sanskrit words ''garbha'' for ...

, 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. This temple was mentioned in the Mahabharata, which suggests it was constructed before the 8th century B.C. According to legend, there exists a hidden underground temple dedicated to

Kali Kali (; , ), also called Kalika, is a major goddess in Hinduism, primarily associated with time, death and destruction. Kali is also connected with transcendental knowledge and is the first of the ten Mahavidyas, a group of goddesses who p ...

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 deity, gods, a human ruler, public or jurisdictional demands for justice by capital punishment, an authoritative/prie ...

. 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 Legume, leguminous tree bearing edible fruit that is indigenous to tropical Africa and naturalized in Asia. The genus ''Tamarindus'' is monotypic taxon, monotypic, meaning that it contains only this spe ...

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. He has travelled across many places in Karnataka to spread spirituality and social awareness. Kuknur-Navalinga

Education

Jawahar Navodaya Vidyalaya, Kuknoor

Jawahar Navodaya Vidyalaya Jawahar Navodaya Vidyalaya (JNV) is a system of central schools for students predominantly from rural areas in India, targeting socially and economically backward students who lack access to accelerated learning due to financial, social and rura ...

(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 Ministry may refer to: Government * Ministry (collective executive), the complete body of government ministers under the leadership of a prime minister * Ministry (government department), a department of a government Religion * Christian mi ...

. 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 district, Karnataka, Bijapur and Bagalkot district in the n ...

. 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 or Koppala is the 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 ...

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 Gadaga-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 ci ...

. The nearest major airport is in

Hubli Hubli (officially 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 district of ...

Bus

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

Bangalore Bengaluru, also known as Bangalore (List of renamed places in India#Karnataka, its official name until 1 November 2014), is the Capital city, capital and largest city of the southern States and union territories of India, Indian state of Kar ...

Hyderabad Hyderabad is the capital and largest city of the Indian state of Telangana. It occupies on the Deccan Plateau along the banks of the Musi River (India), Musi River, in the northern part of Southern India. With an average altitude of , much ...

Bagalkot Bagalkote, is a city in the state of Karnataka, India, which is also the headquarters of Bagalkot district. It is situated on branch of River Ghataprabha, The population of the urban agglomeration was 111,933"District Census Handbook – Guntu ...

, and others.

Karnataka State Road Transport Corporation The Karnataka State Road Transport Corporation (KSRTC) is a state-owned public road transport corporation company in the Indian state of Karnataka. It is wholly owned by the Government of Karnataka. It serves routes to 31 districts and as wel ...

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

Rail

Kuknoor has a railway station (Kukanur railway station). It was inaugurated in 2025. Other nearby railway station is Koppal railway station. It is 25 km away.

References

External links

{{Settlements in Koppal district Cities and towns in Koppal district Taluks in Koppal district History of Karnataka