Saundatti, Belgaum, Karnataka India

Saundatti reminds us of the beautiful and ancient temple of Goddesss Renuka (also known as the Yellamma Temple). It is at a distance of 70 Kms from Belgaum and the place can be reached from all the other places by road. At a distance of 5 Kms from the city, there is a big Mountain on which the temple is situated. The mounatain was earlier known as Siddhachal Parvat. The temple is built in the Chalukyan and Rashtrakuta Style and the Carvings reflect the Jain architecture. The temple was constructed by Bomappa Naik of Raybag in the year 1514. There are temples of Lord Ganesh, Mallikarjun, Parshuram, Eknath, Siddeshwar etc in the temple premises. Devotees from Maharastra, Goa and Andhra Pradesh also come here,apart from people from Karnataka, especially during the time of Jatras which are held twice in a year. The management of the temple has been handed over to the Government in 1975 and the government has made provisions such as Dharmashalas, Health Centres and other facilities to make the devotees feel at home.