One of the spots tourists never like to miss during their visit to Sirsi is a place of natural beauty set amidst lush greenery. The spot is situated amidst the quietly flowing River Shalmala, near Hulgol, where there is an open-air temple. The place is known as Sahasralinga, a tourist spot 17 km from Sirsi on Yellapur Road.
One can only see shivalingas all around. This place has made River Shalmala a sacred river to most of the tourists who visit this place.
This is one of the major Shivaratri spots in the district as you can look at thousands of shivalingas in a single place. Thousands of devotees and tourists visit this spot from all over the state as well as from nearby districts.
According to history, one of the Swadi rulers, Arasappa Nayak, who ruled here from 1678-1718 AD, carved these lingas in order to gain successors to the throne. Another legend says that sculptors practised carvings before the construction of various stone temples in this area under Swadi rulers.
Sahasralinga is also one of the top ecotourism places in the district. What makes this place a memorable one is its beautiful landscape that’s amidst lush green woods, evergreen areca nut plantations and paddy fields. A must-visit!
Published 05 April 2019, 19:30 IST