Over view

It is a historically important centre located 41 km west of the taluk headquarters Chincholi and 44 km northwest of Gulbarga. An inscription of about the 12th-13th century is on the pedestal of a pillar in the Navaranga of the Bankanath temple, which calls the god Bankeshwar, but no further details are available. The town is still famous for the Bankanath, Ramalingeshwar and Sangamnath temples, which date back to about the 12th century. Among these, the Bankeshwar temple in the middle of the town has a sanctum sanctorum on a high pedestal, an open antarala and navaranga, and there are small Shiva temples in all the four corners of the courtyard. There is a Shivalinga in the sanctum sanctorum and its door is in the form of a five-branched structure, the door of the antarala is decorated with three branches and has a Makarathorana on the beam and has jalandhars. There are two deity tables in the Navaranga, and the pillars between them are beautiful, decorated with four lotuses and Ashta Dikpalakar panels. The walls of the Navaranga are made of Vajrapati panels and have kakshasanas. Its spire is decorated with a jinodhdhara and is in the Vesara style. This temple has entrances from three sides. There are two Veeragallas in the premises of this temple. The Ramalingeshwara temple located nearby is a trikuta temple with Shivalingas and is a simple structure dating back to about the 12th century. The Sangameshwara temple is an old temple that has been renovated recently. The Hanuman temple outside the village has an ancient sculpture of Hanuman and in front are four wooden Veeragallas. There are Savalagi Siddalingara temple etc. on the nearby Gauri hill. There is a large hermit monastery in the village with three agasis. Moreover, there are also six mosques and six dargahs here.