Kudalasangama
Kudalasangama, Karnataka · Lord Sangameshwara (Shiva) · Shiva Temple
Confluence of Krishna and Malaprabha rivers, Basavanna samadhi and Aikya Mantapa — Karnataka tourism and Kudala Sangama Development Board listings.
Kudalasangama at the Krishna–Malaprabha confluence in Bagalkot district is a Lingayat pilgrimage centre with the Sangameshwara temple and Basavanna Aikya Mantapa, listed on Karnataka tourism and the Kudala Sangama Development Board pages.
History
The site is associated with Basavanna and the twelfth-century Sharana movement; the riverside Aikya Mantapa is maintained as a memorial and worship focus.
State tourism and Bagalkot district pages document Kudalasangama as a major religious destination in northern Karnataka.
Stories
Where Basavanna is said to have become one with Shiva
Kudalasangama lies where the Krishna and Malaprabha rivers meet in Bagalkot district. Tradition says that in the 12th century Basavanna spent his boyhood here, studying under teachers, and that after returning from Kalyana he became one with God at this spot. His vachanas are addressed to the deity here, Sangamanatha. The Aikya Mantapa is regarded as his holy samadhi.
Inscriptions older than the movement
Stone records at the site show worship here before the Lingayat movement was established. An inscription of 1160 CE refers to land grants to the deities Kaleshvara and Achesvara, and one of 1213 CE records a gift to Acheshvara. Today the Kudala Sangama Development Board maintains the complex, which includes the Sangameshwara temple and a large auditorium for 6,000.
Good to know
Twin-river confluence ghats
Aikya Mantapa and Basavanna memorial precinct
Near Almatti dam and Bagalkot heritage circuit
Getting there
Nearest airport: Hubballi. Rail: Bagalkot; road: Kudalasangama village off NH50.
Best time to visit: Oct – Mar