Historical place.. You can visit this place with two prospects, one as a temple place and second as a trekking place. I went on a weekend and it was not crowded at all.. spent very good and peaceful time in the temple premises enjoying the Chola Architecture. There are several temples at the base point and also if you want to trek up the hill there are several temple there too. It is believed the temples here have a connection with Ramayana Times as explained to us by archakaru. * No entry fee * Parking is free, Car, Bus, TT can easily go till temple basepoint. For temple on top of mountain one need to take steps * Takes about 30 mins to see the temple at base point and about 1hour to and fro to trek and see temples on top * No food joints near the temple, some snack shops available so better to carry own food. * Washrooms available Request: It's a historical place, please maintain the serenity of the place by keeping it clean when you visit.

Ancient temples dedicated to gods in Ramayana. Architecture resembles Chola dynastic designs. Great view of adjacent hill. Clean place, have sufficient parking, no tickets required. Requires some maintenance of structures by ASI.

Ancient temple and a must visit for history lovers. Serene and calm place with very few visitors. Less commercial for now and may be one of the reason being still preserved.just a note for visitors please do not throw plastic bottles and covers around premises.

Amazing location, scenic with boulders all around and the temple is really peaceful. Not much crowd. Approx 1~2 hrs drive from Bengaluru. Had been to this place twice. It's in the air, you feel all calm and peaceful once you go there. There's a lot to this place, a new temple is being built jus 100 mtrs from this, which is on the top of the hill. Do visit this amazing architecture.

The Ramalingeshwara group of temples (also spelt Ramalingeshvara or Ramalingesvara , situated in Avani town of the Kolar district, Karnataka state, India, is constructed in the dravida style. According to the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI), the temple is an ornate 10th-century Nolamba dynasty construction which was partially renovated later by the Chola dynasty.The Vijayanagara kings was built Main Mandapam and Rajagopuram. The temple is protected by the Archaeological Survey of India as a monument of national importance. Old name for this Avani is Avantikapuri

We visited one of the evenings in June around 7pm. The place is very clean and divine. Poojari here is very good and explains about the temple history, fair etc. He is very good and not looking for any money like other typical temple priests. He also said that one can go trekking here and it seems to be a good spot for the same.

Rating is not for the temple, but for the management to make it visible. The main thing is, for bangaloreans this ignored less known temple and surroundings is easy to reach. Hardly one hour travel through forest areas, without traffic. Easy to spend a day doing trekking, sitting idle, having home cooked food. This place can easily turn out to be a coveted spot.

Historical temple , ancient temple . We get Divine feel inside temple. Must visit place. Roads are good. Sitha matha must visit. Government not support much event temple declared under heritage place. Donate maximum to support temple activities. Local administration has to work for temple development. Few locals mis useing temple premises and nearby mountains. Thuvaja stambam used for street light . Very bad attitude of local leaders.

Beautiful historic temple made around 1000AD. Situated near a beautiful hill of boulders and has two stepwells adjoining it. Very well maintained. Well connected from Bangalore. Very good for a weekend trip.

The temple premises is neatly maintained by a gardener and its very serene atmosphere. Temples inside is not well lit and not handled carefully, there is no pious feeling at few of the sanctum halls. Since ASI managed the authorities can do more to get this temple its proper respect it needs.

Avani is 90 kilometers from Bangalore situated near Kolar. The drive takes about 2 hours from the city, the road is great and mornings are generally foggy. Parking space is available in front of the Ramalingeshwara Temple at the base of the hill. A beautiful cluster of small temples which were built during the Nolamba dynasty remain here today. The intricately carved pillars and the ceilings are very beautiful. There are four main temples with Shiva Lingas in the name of Rama, Lakshmana, Bharatha and Shatrugna. The best time to visit is in the morning The sunrise and the mild mist make a great combination. Carry water and some breakfast snacks to feast at the hill top. Enjoy the amazing wind and the cool surroundings up there. Hill climbing at Avani: It is an easy trek to the top of the hill, which is actually one of the many giant boulders that dot the local landscape. Visit the hermitage (Ashram) of Sage Valmiki and the cave where Sita stayed. There is a pond (Dhanushkoti) where Sita would wash her clothes. A one-kilometer trek to the top of the hill takes about 45 minutes – it’s an easy climb (with steps). The history of Avani Most people know of the Ramayana up to the rescue of Goddess Sita from Ravana (the daemon) by her husband God Rama. But there’s a whole lot more, after that joyous moment! Rama’s mind was poisoned by the citizens with rumours about the purity of Sita; he was grief stricken, and decided to banish Sita to the forest, on exile. Sage Valmiki offered Sita shelter in his hermitage atop the hill at Avani. Here, she gave birth to Rama’s twin sons, Lava and Kusha. The twins were mentored by Valmiki and they grew up as students in his Gurukul (school). Years passed by, leading up to the day when Rama performed the greatest hindu ritual, the Ashvamedha Yagna. From the ceremonial fire, a providential horse manifested itself and was left to wander at will; the land the horses wandered into were acknowledged as a part of Ram’s empire. Everyone welcomed the horse and submitted their kingdoms to God Rama’s empire. But when it reached Avani, it was captured. This news reached the capital Ayodhya from where Rama sent his brother Lakshmana to rescue the horse and annex that land. When Lakshmana came back defeated, Rama sent Bharata and Shatrugna, his younger brothers. They were also defeated and they returned to Rama.

It is a very peaceful and serene temple with good architecture. It is usually less crowded and allows the believers to worship peacefully and those with an eye for ancient architecture to appreciate the design and implementation skills of that era.

Avani Temple also known as Sita Devi Temple located ~1000 steps from ground. Take water bottles with you. Do not throw plastic bottles and covers around and on the way. Parking is available at below point. Timings 9:30 to 4pm in the weekend. Tuesday and Wednesday are Holidays. Weekdays timings 9:30 to 12pm.

Ancient temple dedicated to Ramayana. Good time to visit is evening. No ticket required. There is a hill near by aka Avni betta. You have to trek to the top to see the beauty of this place.

Devotional vibe . We visited on weekday hence it was very less crowd . There are 7 Lingas garbagudi and other gods as far i have seen . No commercialisation which gave the real feel of temple.

Nice place with multiple shiva temples named after different characters from Ramayana. Most famous is of course Ramalingeshwara and probably the only one with dedicated priest and worshiped. You can find intricate carvings on walls and ceiling.. each temple is different. It is a protected site by Archelogical survey of India. I really wish guide facility was available here.. so many stories and history! Please beware of 'friendly' people giving 'free' advise or random facts about the place to non-kannadigas. They will randomly start demanding money. Entry fee: none

Ramalingeshwara group of temples, Avani is located Avani near Kolar in Karnataka. The temple structure is under the group of protected monuments by Archeological Survey of India. Pooja and daily rituals are done in a few of the shrines while others are free. We visited in Shivaratri day and found some commercial activities in and around the temple complex.

Religious place where Mata Sita stayed.This temple has a historical significance. It lives upto the ratings that it has been given. The beautiful and large temple premises help one get closer to our history.Upon reaching there and speaking to the priest, we came to know that this is the same place called "Avantika" that features in the Sanskrit shloka "Ayodhya, Mathura, Maya...."At the base of a hill, there is a temple where worshipping happens and further down is a series of architectural temples. Atop the hill is a temple called Sita Parvati, with which a legend about childless mothers becoming future mothers is associated. On the way up the hill are a series of caves, each of with which various legends like about Sage Valmiki, Lava-Kusha are also associated.

It’s a old temple with lots of positive energy … don’t miss to visit this temple . Lots lots to explore in this place . Parking is available . Nice to trek .

Awesome place. Good drive, so calm n peaceful no good food available in surrounding. Plan your day. Good trek to top need 1 to 1.5 hrs total

Avani Betta is also known for the Sita Temple situated on the top hill of this area. This popular temple is dedicated to the Devi Sita the most alluring character of the Ramayana. It is said that Sita and her two sons, Lava and Kusha, resided in Avani Betta Kolar during her exile in the forest area. The temple around these lingas was constructed by Western Ganga followed Nolamba and a few portions by Chola dynasty.

A very beautiful place for a day trip. Lots needs to be done in terms of conservation and restoration though

The Ramalingeshwara temple in the hamlet of Avani, is of Dravidian architectural style and dates back to the 10th century. Inside the Avani compound, there are four shrines named for Rama, Lakshmana, Bharata and Shatrughna. There are separate temples to Vali and Sugriva, Parvathi the consort of Shiva, as well as their son Ganesha, in the temple complex. This is where Sita retreated to, after her trial by fire; where Luv and Kush were born, hence the name of the adjoining hill, which is also known as the Luva-Kusha betta, the Sita betta, the Avani betta. Atop the betta (hill) stands a temple dedicated to both Sita and Parvati. This is also the place where the Ashwamedha Yagna confrontation and the subsequent battle between Ram and his brothers against his sons took place.

Old Temple, being maintained. Hope they would improve a little more. Worth fir a weekend trip. The News Boards explains you of the spot. If the Authorities could change and put in new Boards it will of great use.

I liked the divine feeling there which is built 1000 years ago by Chola dynasty. The very good thing is that the temple is not commercialised and one can feel divine presence.

Historical place.. You can visit this place with two prospects, one as a temple place and second as a trekking place. I went on a weekend and it was not crowded at all.. spent very good and peaceful time in the temple premises enjoying the Chola Architecture. There are several temples at the base point and also if you want to trek up the hill there are several temple there too. It is believed the temples here have a connection with Ramayana Times as explained to us by archakaru. * No entry fee * Parking is free, Car, Bus, TT can easily go till temple basepoint. For temple on top of mountain one need to take steps * Takes about 30 mins to see the temple at base point and about 1hour to and fro to trek and see temples on top * No food joints near the temple, some snack shops available so better to carry own food. * Washrooms available Request: It's a historical place, please maintain the serenity of the place by keeping it clean when you visit. for visitors please do not throw plastic bottles and covers around premises.