About Kolar Tourist Places in Karnataka India
About Kolar is a prosperous City situated 66km from Bangalore on the old Chennai road. There are a few popular places of tourist interest around the town which are easily reached by local private bus service or by autorickshaw.
Anthrangange Hills
An excellent place of picnic situated on a small hillock called Shatashringa Parvatha, about 4km from Kolar town Full of greenery and fresh air, there is a perennial water spring which flows out through the mouth of a stone couchant bull and falls into a pound about two meters below. This is an ideal spot for relaxing and holidaying. Above the hill are several villages engaged in agriculture.
Avani
Avani is about 12km from Mulbagal. Called by various names as Avantika Kshetra, Dakshina Gaya, it a famous Shiva pilgrim centre having a group of temples dedicated to Shiva named after the Pancha Pandavas of Mahabharata. There is an ancient Mutt belonging to the order of Shankaracharya with pontiff in charge.
Guttahalli
Popularly known as Chinna Tirupathi, it is tiny village situated about 25km from Kolar. There are two small hillocks, one having a shrine dedicated to Venkatesha and the other to Padmavathi Devi. Surrounded by a beautiful greenery and being very close to Bethamangala reservoir, it affords ample opportunity for boating, sailing and as a picnic centre. There is an excellent rest house for the use of visitors. Regular buses run from Kolar and Mulbagal.
Kolar Amman Temple
Kolar town has an ancient temple dedicated to Mahishamardini, popularly known as Kolaramma. It is an old Dravidian style temple built during the time of Rajendra Chola. There is a peculiar idol of Kapala Bhairavi mysteriously associated with the breeding of scorpions. In order to escape from the sting of the scorpions, devotees make votive offerings to this deity.
Kudamalai
Kurudamalai or Kutamalai, also called Kudamalai, this is a small village about 41km from Mulbagal. There is a huge monolith idol of Ganapathi about three metres high at this place and is considered as one o the biggest in the state. Most of the tourists passing through Mulbagal visit this shrine, which is also a fine picnic spot.
Mulbagal
Mulbagal is about 9km from Kolar. Moodala Bagilu or the eastern gate as it was called from the ancient times, it was the southern capital of the Vijayanagar Kingdom. From times immemorial it is known as the entry gate on the eastern side to the famous irupathi temple in Andhra Pradesh. There is an ancient temple on the high way dedicted to Anjaneya, which is visited by all the pilgrims procedding to Tirupathi. Mulbagal is also a seat of the famous Sripadarayar Mutt belonging to order of Sri madhva. A Brindavana of the saint is located at a nearby place called Narasimha Tirtha.
Someshwara temple at Kolar
A temple of Vijayanagar period, it is a Shiva shrine having an imposing Dravidian style Gopura. The finest structure in this temple is the kalyana Mantapa, which is a finely sculptured and pillared pavilion, constructed on a raised platform.