Sahasralinga - Sirsi

Sahasralinga (literally 1000 lingas) is a pilgrimage place, located 15 km from Sirsi town. The site is on the banks of Shalmala river, where numerous Lingas (Lord Shiva’s form) have been carved on the boulders. Surrounded by forests, a part of this river hides an incredible heritage and a piece of history. The carvings were done in dark grey color, they seem to be hard granite stone. Checking its legend, these images were installed by the ruler Sadashivaraya of the Vijayanagar Kingdom, who ruled between 1678 and 1718. Most of them have the Nandi (Shiva’s vehicle) carved on them. The biggest one of them is around 6 feet high, 12 feet long and could weigh a few tons. Getting into the middle of the river, one can find carvings in every boulder almost.

Some of the large rocks on the river bed also have carvings of mythological stories and some deities. The entire place is very artistic and beautiful to watch. A surprising fact with this architecture, it shares the similar pattern in Cambodia. Almost replicating these patterns, a place was discovered in 1969, near the very popular AngkorWat temple of Cambodia. The Cambodian Sahasralinga is about 25 km from Angkor Wat and has a thousand carved lingas amidst a river. As far as history is concerned, there is no factual update on when these lingas were carved. Locals believe that these lingas are symbols of creative energy. Since the site is water dependent, tourists are advised to check the status before the visit. October to March is the usual time advised to visit, when the water level is relatively low enabling visitors to visit them. It is a must visit place when at Sirsi.