Hiriyur
is a town and taluk headquarters located near Chitradurga. Hiriyur is renowned
for having the oldest dam in Karnataka, built on the Vedavati river, and named
Mari Kanive.
History
Hiriyur
is is famous for the Mari Kanive (Vani Vilaasa Sagara), which is an
architectural masterpiece constructed during the rule of the Mysore Wodeyars.
Hiriyur is also famous for its 500+ years old temple of Lord Shiva. Famously
known as Terumalleshwara Temple, Hiriyur it is also called as "Dakshina
Kashi" by the devotees. It is believed that the famous devotee of Lord
Shiva, "Hema Reddy Mallamma", was a resident of this town. Every year
she travelled to Varanasi by foot. As she grew older and weaker, one day she
prayed to her lord that "O lord I have become old and weak, unable to
visit Varanasi and have your darshan, what do I do". On the night of that
day Lord Shiva appeared in her dream and told her that she need not come to
Varanasi to see him, he himself will come and reside in Hiriyur. As promised,
Lord Shiva was believed to have incarnated in the "Oralukallu" (a
stone used for grinding purpose). That stone which was worshipped by Mallamma
later became known as Terumalleshwara.
The
ancient name of Hiriyur was "Ghanapuri". The "Yeppattu Kannina
Setuve" ("the seventy eyed bridge") located near Hiriyur is
noted for its architecture. The patterns in the bridge resemble human eye, and
there are seventy eyes.
National geological monument
Mardihalli
Pillow lavas national geo-monument at Mardihalli village near Hiriyur has been
declared the National Geological Monuments of India by the Geological Survey of
India (GSI), for their protection, maintenance, promotion and enhancement of
geotourism.