Raichur

Geographically, the district is surrounded by Kalaburagi in the north, Vijayapura and Bagalkote in the west, Koppal and Ballari in the south and Andhra Pradesh State in the east. Raichur is an important commercial, industrial and education centre in North Karnataka.

Raichur lies between two important rivers, the Krishna and the Tungabhadra, in the north eastern part of Karnataka state. It has had an eventful and rich history with a recorded history being traced to as far back as the third century BC beginning from the days of the Mauryan King Ashoka. A number of inscriptions, rock edicts and other records bear testimony to this fact specially the minor rock edicts of Ashoka found at Maski; which was the first edicts which mentioned Emperor Ashoka by name.

Hutti located here is home to Hutti Gold Mines Company Limited (HGML) which is an undertaking of the Government of Karnataka and has the unique distinction of being the only active producer of primary gold in the country.

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Districts

Heritage Sites

Raichur Fort:The hill fort of Raichur, which is of great historical importance is surrounded on three sides by a double row of low circuit walls. The inner wall, which is constructed of huge blocks of well-dressed and nicely fitted stones. An interesting feature is this construction is done without the any cementing material. The inner wall has two gateways: the Sailani Darwaza on the west and the Sikandari Darwaza on the east. The outer wall is built of comparatively rough stone masonry. The outer fortifications contain five gateways: Mecca Darwaza on the west, the Naumngi Darwaza on the north, the Kati Darwaza on the east, the Khanrlak Darwaza on the south and the Doddi Darwaza on the south-west. Inside the fort-walls, there are a number of old buildings and mosques of considerable archaeological interest, several of them containing inscriptions commemorating their erection during the later Bahmani and the Adil Shahi periods.
The Ashokan Edict of Maski: Maski is one of the most important archaeological sites with respect to the Minor Rock Edicts of Mauryan Emperor Ashoka found in the state. The edict of Maski was discovered by Mr. C. Beadon, a goldmining engineer in 1915. The Mauryan Emperor Ashoka ruled over most of India more than 2200 years ago. He is considered as one of the greatest kings in the history of the world. He made non-violence, tolerance, charity and kindness the core of his public policy. And it was his patronage that Buddhism eventually ensured its spread around the world. After the Kalinga war, Ashoka issued 33 edicts all over his empire to publicize his policies and propagate the Buddhist message of non-violence and dharma. These were engraved on boulders, stone pillars, stone slabs and cave walls. A total of 9 have been found in Karnataka till now. Among the 9 edicts found in Karnataka, Maski occupies a significant place. It was the first edict wherein the Emperor was referred to by his name i.e Ashoka apart from his epithets such as Devanam Piya and Piyadasi. This edict was important to conclude that many edicts found earlier in the Indian sub-continent in the name of Devanam Piya and Piyadasi all belonged to Emperor Ashoka.
Mudgal Fort: Mudgal or Mudugal has a history dating back to the Yadava dynasty, several inscriptions of which have been discovered in and around the town. In the construction of the fort on the hillock, buildings for the royalty were built along with a wall with bastions. The outer fortifications cover an area of half a square mile and has a wide moat which is filled with water. The moat and the row of bastions together offer a scenic view. The Bala Hisar (or citadel) is built at the top of the hillock and offers a good view of fort interiors as well as the immediate surroundings. At least, 7 inscriptions belonging to the Adil Shahi dynasty of Bijapur along with 15 old Kannada inscriptions and two later inscriptions in Devanagari script are found in this fort. Another interesting monument here is an old Roman Catholic Church. It is believed that that this church stands on the foundation of an earlier church which was built by Jesuits around 1557 during the reign of Ibrahim Adil Shah.
Malliabad: Malliabad is a town 5 kms from Raichur city, known for its historically important fort, Vishnu temple, two life size elephants carved in white granite and other monuments
Kallur: The village is surrounded on all sides by granite hills except the east and derives its name from the abundance of the boulders on these hills. There are around six temples in and around the village. Out of these, the Markandeshwara Temple is the most notable and believed to be the oldest temple in this village. A number of inscriptions have been found in this village, most of them belonging to the period of the Chalukyas of Kalyana. Another interesting feature of Kallur is that there are many large well-built wells with not much information on who built them. Five of these wells are very spacious, which have been built of solid masonry and have flights of steps leading to their base. The largest well is 50 feet by 50 feet on the surface and about 120 feet deep and contains sweet water.
Jaladurga Fort: The island fort of Jaladurga is situated picturesquely in the Krishna River, about eight miles from Lingsugur taluk. It was believed to be an important fort of the Adil Shah Kings of Bijapur. Jaladurga Fort is positioned at an ideal location. The river along with the hill makes it challenging for any person to approach to the fort without being detected; which would have been the exact reason why it was built. But however, today Jaladurga Fort is in ruined shape. Nearby, the Krishna River cascades down and is known as the Jaladurga Falls.

Religious Places

Amareshvara Temple, Devarbhupur: Devarbhupur is noted for its Amareshvara Temple and jaggery trade. The temple is beautifully situated amidst hillocks which have green foliage. The temple also conducts an annual jatra (temple festival) that takes place in the month of Phalguna when a cattle fair is also held.
Sugureshwara Temple, Devarsugur: Situated on the banks of the Krishna River, is the famed Sugureshvara or Veerabhadra Temple. The annual jatra of this temple, attracts a large number of devotees.
Venkateshwara Temple, Gabbur: Gabbur is located in Deodurg taluk and has several old temples and inscriptions. In the old days, it was a centre of education and was also known as Gopuragmma. The most prominent is the Venkateshwara Temple which consists of three shrines, two of them containing the images of Lord Vishnu and the third a Shivalinga. The carving on the outer walls of this temple, representing figures of various deities and animals, are elegant, the figures of elephants being particularly striking. On the eastern side of the temple, there is a large cistern, with beautifully carved masonry steps all round, called 'Sat baoli' (meaning seven cisterns). Other notable temples are those of Male-Shankara, Ishvara, Bangara Basappa and Hanuman. In addition to these, there are several ruined temples, two or three mathas, a few cisterns and a gateway called the Chandi-gate with a temple on either side.
Panchamukhi Prana Devaru Temple, Gandhal: A hamlet in Gandhal village, 35 kms from Raichur, is popular for Panchamukhi Prana Devaru Temple (Lord Hanuman with five faces) on a hillock. Devotees doing pilgrimage to Mantralaya (now in Andhra Pradesh) also visit this temple.
Manvi: Manvi is a village in Raichur district popular for Jagannathadasa T Manvi is a popular pilgrimage centre in the region and popular for its fairs and festivals such as Yellamma fair, Maha Malleshwarappa Fair, Sanjeevaraya Fair etc. Manvi also has a ruined fort.
Ambadevi Matt: Ambadevi Matt and Ambadevi Temple are places of worship located in Somanathapura village of Sindhanur taluk in Raichur district. Ambadevi Matt’s annual 9 day festival is very popular in the region and attracts huge crowds.
Tryambakeshvara Temple, Kavital: There is an interesting mediaeval temple in the village, called Tryambakeshvara Temple, which has three shrines, two of which contain Shivalingas. There are two Kannada inscriptions in the temple and a beautiful image of Mahishasuramardini in one of the two niches in its western wall. All the three shrines and its ante-chamber are of uniform size. The exterior of the temple is plain, but the masonry work is very impressive.

Others

Hutti Gold Mines: The history of gold-mining in the Hutti area is said to have its beginning in the pre-Ashokan period. Hutti Gold Mines Company Limited (HGML) is an undertaking of the Government of Karnataka (established in 1947 as Hyderabad Gold Mines) and has the unique distinction of being the only producer of primary gold in the country. HGML has been active in the exploration, development and exploitation of gold deposits occurring in Karnataka.
Naradagudda: Naradagadde is an island off River Krishna in Raichur district and can be reached via coracle.
Ramagadde: Another serene and enchanting island in Krishna River, 20 kms north of Raichur.
Dhanish Koti Falls: A 400 feet waterfalls in River Krishna after multiple small (15-20 feet) rapids, located near Chayabhagavathi temple, in a scenic surrounding
Rajalabandha: A picnic spot 25 kms from Manvi
Shaktinagar: Location of thermal power plant, 18 kms from Raichur.

Tour Location

Raichur is well connected by rail, road and air. Raichur is 412 kms from Bengaluru.

Kalaburagi airport is 157 kms away from Raichur while Jindal Vijayanagara airport in Ballary airport is 172 kms away. These are two closest airports to Raichur.