Barakuru

Barakuru Latest News

A historically significant Siditale hero stone has been recently discovered at Barakuru during an epigraphical survey of the Panchalingeshwara Temple.

About Barakuru

• Barakuru, also known as Barkur, is an ancient historical port town located in Udupi district, Karnataka. 
• It is situated on the banks of the river Sita. The town is about 5 km east of the Arabian Sea Coast.    
• The place was called by several names in ancient times as Varakula, Barakanur, and Barahkanyapura.
• History:
  • The port town was a busy commercial centre almost from the 2nd century B.C. 
  • Evidence of Megalithic and Mesolithic ages has been discovered recently.
  • The maritime port enjoyed massive economic prosperity, trading extensively with foreign nations across the wide Arabian Sea. 
  • The Alupa rulers converted this commercial centre into a political centre by making it their capital during the 10th-11th centuries A.D. 
  • It led to further development of socio-economic activities. With new vigour the city became the heart and hearth of the Tuluva culture.
  • In later times, the city became the provincial headquarters of the Hoysalas and then the Vijayanagara Empire. The city was expanded with a new fort during this period. 
  • Further, Barakur witnessed the rule of Keladi Nayaks, Haider, and Tipu of Mysore and the British.
• The city had ten extensions called Keris–each being named after its professional residents. Each Keri had a tank and a number of temples. 
• The town’s main attractions are the temples with typical tiled roofs. 
  • It once housed an incredible network of exactly 365 temples. The deeply pious Alupa kings strictly visited one unique temple each day of the entire calendar year. 
  • The Panchalingeshwara Temple situated at the southern end of the town is the most famous among the temples here. 
• Barkur was also a Jain settlement in the ancient days. 
• The place abounds with history and has yielded a little over 100 stone and several copper plate inscriptions. 
  • They belong to the Alupa, the Hoysala, the Vijayanagara, and the Keladi periods. 

News: IS

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