Kudli / Koodli

Pilgrimage

Photo Credit: Flickr

Distance (From Shimoga): 17 Kms

Trip Duration (Including Travel): 2 Hours

Transportation Options: Bus / Cab

Travel Tips: None

At a distance of 17 km from Shimoga, Koodli, also spelled Kudli or Kudali, is a small historic village in the Shimoga district of Karnataka. It is one of the popular places of pilgrimage in Karnataka, and among the top places to visit during your Shimoga tour.

Kudli is one of the holiest places in South India and is the site of the confluence of two holy rivers Tunga & Bhadra. They meet here to give rise to the Tungabhadra River, a tributary of the Krishna River. Koodli has been an important place of worship, meditation, and peace since ancient times. The small village is home to some really important and old temples whose origin goes back to the beginning of the last millennium. The place is known as the 'Varanasi of the South' due to the presence of temples like Rameshvara, Narasimha, Brahmeshvara, and Rushyashrama.

The Rameshvara Temple is standing at the meeting point of the Tunga and Bhadra rivers and is a 12th-century temple with Hoysala era architecture. Dedicated to Lord, the temple is protected as a monument of national importance by the Archaeological Survey of India. Built with soapstone, the Rameshvara Temple has three entrances and a single vimana with an open mantapa. The sanctum houses a linga, the universal symbol of the god Shiva. Inside the temple and facing the sanctum is a platform on which is mounted a sculptured Nandi. There is also a popular Sri Chintamani Narasimha Swamy Temple here.

Kudli is also home to two great philosophical schools of Hindu philosophy in the form Shankaracharya Mutt and Koodli Arya Akshobhya Teertha Mutt. The 600-year-old Shankaracharya Mutt stated to have been founded by Adi Shankara himself, still stands with inscriptions of Hoysala and Ikkeri kings. Within the premises of the Mutt, there are shrines of Sharadamba and Shankaracharya.

Timings: 9 AM - 6 PM

Entry: Free