Mallikarjuna Temple, Yagati
A quiet Shaiva temple in the dry east, where almost no visitor from the hills ever gets to.
Yagati is a village in the far east of Kadur taluk, out where the Ghats have given up and the country is red earth and coconut. Its Mallikarjuna temple is the reason to come — a working Shaiva shrine with a steady stream of local devotees, especially through Shravana, and none of the queue management that the district's famous temples now need.
What to do here
- Attend the morning puja
- Visit during Shravana or Mahashivaratri for the local festival
- Break a plains drive here between Kadur and Arsikere
It is the anchor of eastern Kadur's religious calendar, and one of the few reasons to stop between Kadur and the district boundary.
History
The temple belongs to the string of Shaiva foundations that spread through this part of the plateau under and after the Hoysalas, and has been rebuilt and extended by local patronage over the centuries.
Travel tips
Around 100 km from Chikmagalur town — this is a Kadur-side stop, not a hill-side one. It gets very hot from March to May; go early. There is little by way of food beyond a village hotel.
Please note
Do: remove footwear and leather. Do: ask before photographing the sanctum or worshippers. Don't: expect English signage or a guide. Don't: arrive between roughly 1pm and 4pm, when the temple closes.
Combine your trip
Places near Mallikarjuna Temple, Yagati
TempleAmruteshvara Temple, Amruthapura
Hoysala stone carving on the northern plains
Sakharayapatna
An old chieftain's town at the foot of the Baba Budan range, and the seat that built Ayyanakere.
LakeAyyanakere Lake
One of Karnataka's great old tanks
TempleVeeranarayana Temple, Belavadi
A rare three-shrine Hoysala temple