Banashankari Temple of Karnataka

Banashankari Temple of Karnataka is one of the finest piece of Dravidian style of architecture. Banashankari Temple at Karnataka is situated 5 kilometers away from Badami, the capital city of Chalukyas, at Cholachigud. 
At Banashankari Temple in Karnataka, Goddess Banashankari or Shakambari who is the form of Goddess Parvati is worshiped. The temple is said to be very old and it is believed that the structure of Banashankari Temple in Karnataka was originally built by the Chalukyas of Kalyan but the existing temple was built in 17th century.

The temple is named Banashankari Temple because Ban means forest and it is sited within the Tilakaaranya forest. The Chalukyas worshiped her as their Kuldevi. The Banashankari Temple at Karnataka is mainly worshiped by the weaver community.

The front area of the Banashankari Temple of Karnataka holds a large pond named Harida Tirtha and is surrounded by stone mantapas from three sides. The temple offers a serene environment where you can meditate for sometime and pray to the God peacefully.

The main attraction of the Banashankari Temple of Karnataka is the idol of the Goddess Banashankari which is made up of black stone and is seated as a lion treading down the demon with her foot. The goddess has eight hands and she is seen holding trishul-damaruga, kapaalpatra, ghanta, veda scripts and khadg-kheta.

Pushya-Maas as per the Hindu calendar or January-February as per English calendar is the best time to visit the Banashankari Temple of Karnataka as the car festival is organized there during that period.