Kudalasangama is one of the most important pilgrimage centers in Karnataka for the people who follow Lingayat religion. Kudalasangama is around 15 kilometers from Almatti Dam in the district of Bagalkot in Karnataka and the Malaprabha and Krishna streams meet at this place. Kudalasangama is associated with the Basaveshwara (Basavanna) who was a religious leader and poet from the 12th century.

Kudalasangama is popular for all the Shivaratri celebrations which happen here.

Architecture

The stone record of the year 1160 A.D. depicts the land grants that were made to the deities Achesvara and Kaleshvara. From the year 1213 A.D., the inscription indicates the gift to the God Acheshvara. In the 12th century, Jathaveda Muni Sarangamath established a center of education here where Channabasavanna, Basaveshvara and Akkanagamma were the students. One of the students, Basaveshvara spent his childhood here and once he was back from Kalyana, he was treated as God as this place. Even the vachanas which were composed by him were dedicated to the God Sangamanatha.

The Sangamanatha Temple has a magnificent structure, main shrine and navaranga. The spectacular idols of Neelamma, Ganapathi, Basaveshvara and Nandi are placed in navaranga. The garbhagriha door frame is amazingly carved with animal figures and attractive floral designs. The shrine has a linga famed as the Sangamanatha or the Sangameshvara. A stone mantapa with a wonderful Shivalinga is placed inside the stream in front of the temple. Cement concrete well has been built around the Shivalinga which is there to protect it from getting submerged in water. Across the river Krishna, on the eastern side, there is a temple of Neelamma who was a consort of the Basaveshvara.

The current structure of the temple depicts the architecture of the Jain style. The development board of the Kudala Sangama is responsible for taking care of the development and maintenance of the Sangamanatha Temple.

Entrance Fee

There is no entry fee to visit and explore this amazing creation of the ancient times.

How to Reach

By Train

The nearest railway station is the Bijapur station. The train connectivity to this station is quite good from all the major cities.

By Bus

The temple is well connected via road. From Bijapur, the distance to the Sangamanatha Temple is around 90 km. The distance between Gulbarga and Kudalasangama is around 250 km. One can also reach the temple from Hyderabad and Hubli via road as well and adequate bus services are available to and fro from all these popular cities.

By Air

The nearest airport is in Bangalore, Hubli and Hyderabad and the rest of the journey can be completed by road