“Sharanabasaveshwaraa
Temple” is a shrine situated at Kalburgi(Gulbarga), an ancient town situated to
the north-eastern part of Karnataka. The temple is dedicated to an eminent
Hindu religious teacher and philosopher, Shri Sharanabasaveshwaraa, a Lingayat
saint of 18th Century known for his Dasoha(Giving is earning) and Kayaka – an
advancement of the Karma doctrine.
The
temple houses the Samadhi of Sharanabasaveshwaraa at the center called as the
garbha gudi. It also has a lake adjacent to it which attracts many devotees and
tourists. A chariot festival (Jatra) is held every year in honor of Sharanabasaveshwaraa
which attracts huge crowds.
About Jatra (Fair):
A large
of devotees witness the annual car festival of the famed Sharanabasaveshwara
temple here to commemorate the punyathithi (death anniversary) of the 18th
century social reformer Sharanabasaveshwara.
Right from the morning, the people from different parts of the district and neighbouring districts start making a beeline for the temple to offer their obeisance to the samadhi of Sri Sharanabasaveshwara enshrined in the temple. It is a practice in the region that the devotees performing padayatras from their villages to the temple to offer their obeisance to Saint Sharanabasaveshwara during the car festival.