Raichur District is a district of the Karnataka. The Raichur city is the capital of the district. Raichur is situated about 415 km from Bangalore and can be reached both by bus and by train. This city has large numbers of age-old relics and artifacts. Earlier, the Kakatiyas, Bhaminis and the rulers of Vijayanagara and Bijapur ruled Raichur. Therefore, there are many ancient monuments like the Mosques and tombs built by these rulers can be seen here. Apart from these, there are also important temples like those of Lord Manikprabhu and Lord Ramalingeswara. Some of these interesting places are given here:
Raichur Fort in Raichur District
This fort is situated only about 2 km from Raichur Railway Station. The Kakatiya rulers constructed this monumental fort in 1294. The massive stone slab extending 41 ft in length is a main attraction here. It is situated near the bus stand at Raichur. A record in Telugu can be seen in this slab.
Ekminar Mosque of Raichur District
This mosque was built during the days of Mohammed Shah Bhamini. But the largest Mosque of Raichur is the Jama Masjid.
Itagi in Raichur District
It is situated about 40 km from Gadag District. The ancient temple with visibly the best of Kalyani Chalukya architecture is situated in Itagi. Mahadeva Dhandanayaka built this temple, which is renowned for its intricately carved entrance. The ethereal sculpture here makes a lasting impression. The architecture has drawn historic comparisons with that of the temples at Halebid.
Another important monument of Itagi in Raichur is the `Saraswati Mutt`, the students` residence. The famous temple complex of `Navalinga` is situated about 10 km from Raichur at Kukanur. It is dedicated to Lord Shiva.
The wonderful architectural structures of the Rashtrakuta Dynasty can also be seen here. The temples of the Kalyani Chalukyas are also found here. These are the ancient temples dedicated to Lord Mahamaya, Lord Kaleswara and Lord Mallikarjuna.
Koppal in Raichur District
Earlier, Koppal was the capital of the provincial Kingdom of Shilaharas, a feudatory to the Kalyani Chalukyas. This place has a magnificent citadel. It is also a holy place of the Jains. The Lord Shiva temple called the Male Malleswara temple is situated at Palligundu here. The inscriptions of Ashoka can also be seen at Palligundu and Govimatha. Koppal is well known for its traditional colourful lacquer ware.
Hutti in Raichur District
This place of Raichur is renowned for its gold mines. It is situated about 18 km from Lingasugar.