Angadi- Birth place of Hoysala dynasty

Last part of our journey in and around Mudigere was the place Angadi. This place is about 7 kms from Janapur road junction. Road was very bad and we struggled to reach the place.

Angadi, which means a shop, is a sleepy little village in Mudigere taluka. It was originally called "Sasakapura or Sosevur" by the Hoysalas, who built a mighty kingdom that played a decisive role in the history of south India.

There is an interesting anecdote about the dynasty and how it got the name Hoysala.It is said that Sala, the progenitor of the Hoysalas, was walking through a forest with his Jain Guru, Yogendra Sudatta, to worship goddess Vasantika Devi when a tiger came their way.Taking an iron rod, the teacher handed it over to Sala saying, "Poy, Sala" (Strike, Sala). Sala killed the tiger.

This story is narrated in several records with a few differences in detail. While the Hoysala crest in many temples depicts Sala killing a tiger, the seal on copper plates and coins shows a dead tiger and a rod. Sala was perhaps the first ruler of the dynasty. Not much is known about him.

The main attraction of Angadi is Durga or Vasantha Parameshwari Temple located on a hillock. This temple has pillars of granite with cylindrical beams and hemi spherical moldings. The temple has been renovated and well maintained. 

Angadi has the ruins of five temples. Two of them, identified as Jain basadis, are said to date back to the 10th Century. One of the basadis is called "Makara Jinalaya," built by Manika Poysalachari. It has a mammoth idol of Shantinatha in the seated posture. The larger of the two basadis is called Neminatha Basadi and contains images of Neminatha, Chandranatha and Gomateswara. The three other temples are dedicated to Keshava, Patalarudreshwara and Mallikarjuna. The carvings indicate that the structures belong to the early period of the Hoysala Empire.

Vasanta Parameshwari Temple

Place where Sala killed the tiger