The sacred geography of the Indic world — every site mapped, dated, storied, and cited.
Avani, Kolar district, Karnataka · 13.1065°, 78.3266°
A walled group of Shaiva shrines at Avani in Kolar district, its four principal lingas named for Rama, Lakshmana, Bharata and Shatrughna, with further shrines to Vali, Sugriva and Parvati. An inscription of 399 CE refers to the site, later ones call it the Gaya of the south, and the ornate 10th-century Nolamba work was renovated by the Cholas before the Vijayanagara kings added the main mandapa and rajagopura.
What follows is the temple’s own traditional account, transmitted through liturgy and local memory. It is recorded here as tradition, not as attested history.
Tradition holds that Rama halted at Avani on his return from Lanka, and that his sons Lava and Kusha were born on the hill nearby that still bears their name.
coordinates: wikipedia-2026-08-28 · sources retrieved 2026-08-26 · dynasty page: Nolamba, with Chola and Vijayanagara additions
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