The 3,000-Year Antiquity
From Earth Mothers to Royal Empires
When experts walk through this village, they see a continuous, unbroken chain of human life that stretches back roughly 3,000 years. During the Megalithic period (1000 BCE), ancient communities left behind distinct markers—massive stone burial sites, dolmens, and cairn circles—proving that organized communities lived and worshipped right where Gummalapura stands today.
The 2.4-Metre Granite Inscription of 1606
November 17, 1606 — Village of Malur granted to Nanjedeva to Nanjedeva, head of Gummalapura Matha.
- Dimensions: 2.40 m tall × 0.40 m broad
- Lines: 29 (4 damaged)
- Ruler: Immadi Kempegowda, ruler of Elahanka Nadu
- Matha: Gummalapura Matha — branch of Balehonnur Matha
The Sri Gowramma Temple stands as the true Bhookailasa. Originally known as Kamalapura, the village was later called Bhookailasapuri after the third pilgrimage of Sri Jaguli Veerabhadreshwara halted here. It was during the Mysore Kingdom's reign that the name Gummalapura was adopted. The village is famously recognized for its historical landscape, containing 101 temples, 101 wells, 101 lakes, 101 terraces, and the holy abode where 771 Shivasharanas once resided.
Legends of Bhookailasapuri
Bhookailasapuri — The Earthly Kailash
Gummalapura is celebrated in folklore as Kaliyuga's Bhookailasa — an earthly Kailash blessed with 101 wells, lakes, platforms, temples, and towers. It is revered as the parental home of Goddess Parvati, who visits annually as Gajagauri.
The Boy Who Wanted a Sister
According to village purana, a boy from a guru's household demanded a sister for Gauri Habba. When classmates mocked him, he wandered the hills calling "Akka... Akka!" Lord Shiva and Parvati, travelling through Kaliyuga, heard his cries. Parvati rescued the falling boy and he brought her home as his sister — establishing Gowramma as the village's own daughter.
Gowramma's Annual Homecoming
From that day, Parvati arrives in Gouri form each year and stays in her parental home for about a month, receiving worship and care before returning to Kailash. Devotees from Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, and Andhra Pradesh treat her as their own mother.
Shiva as the Eternal Son-in-Law
When Gowramma overstayed her welcome, Shiva sent Ganesha, Nandi, and Veerabhadra to fetch her. Eventually Shiva himself came to Gummalapura. Local belief holds he carried the village to Kailash twice when she refused to leave — giving rise to the unique tradition of Shiva as Alave Aliya (the eternal son-in-law).
Visarjana & the Sacred Lake
After a month, Gowramma is given a ceremonial farewell (visarjana) in the sacred lake. On the sixth day, a grand jathre is held before she departs. Devotees believe her throne, nose-ring, and bangles must reappear in the lake during Shravana — without which the festival cannot proceed.
The Maddilu Offering
Women devotees arrive with Maddilu (lap-full) offerings of rice, ragi, and their dearest wishes — a tradition unchanged for generations. When the Mother departs, rain is said to fall as a sign of sorrow — yet the village is believed to have never faced drought.
The Golden Era & The 1606 Stone Inscription
Standing firmly in the courtyard is a massive 2.4-meter granite slab. Carved on November 17, 1606, it details an official grant by Immadi Kempegowda to the great sage Nanjedeva. It transformed Gummalapura into a fortress of wisdom where brilliant Veerashaiva poets composed immortal Vachanas in both Kannada and Telugu.
- The granite slab stands in front of the local Gauri shrine in the temple courtyard.
- Nanjedeva enjoyed the status of guru to the Elahanka and Sugatur chiefs (EC X Kolar 64, dated 1614).
- Many temples in ruins surround the village; Veerashaiva folklore remains alive in the region.
- Gummalapura is approximately 45 km from Bengaluru, in the Anekal/Sarjapura region.
The Legendary 101
Gummalapura is uniquely blessed with a complete spiritual geography that has sustained devotion for millennia.
3,000 Years — A Sacred Timeline
The unbroken spiritual journey of Gummalapura through the ages.
Megalithic Origins
Ancient communities establish settlements in Gummalapura, leaving behind dolmens, cairn circles, and massive stone burial sites that archaeologists trace to the Megalithic period.
Emergence of Kamalapura
The settlement, originally known as Kamalapura, rises as a centre of spiritual life, with the Gowramma deity worshipped as the presiding mother-goddess of the village.
Bhookailasapuri — Heaven on Earth
After the third sacred pilgrimage of Sri Jaguli Veerabhadreshwara halts here, the village is renamed Bhookailasapuri — "Kailash on Earth" — marking it as divinely chosen ground.
Era of the Shivasharanas
771 Shivasharanas (Veerashaiva saint-poets) take up residence in Gummalapura. Brilliant Kannada and Telugu Vachana poets like Rudra Kavi and Nagalinga Deva compose immortal works here.
The Royal Edict of Kempegowda
On November 17, 1606, Immadi Kempegowda issues a formal land grant to sage Nanjedeva, inscribed on a 2.4-metre granite slab still standing in the temple courtyard today.
Renamed Gummalapura
Under the Mysore Kingdom's administration, the village adopts the name Gummalapura. Temple infrastructure grows, and the annual Jathre gains its legendary status across the region.
A Living Sacred Village
Today, Gummalapura stands with 101 temples, 101 wells, and 101 lakes. The Gowramma Jathre draws tens of thousands of devotees annually across the Karnataka–Tamil Nadu border.