Barakuru:
A historically significant Siditale hero stone has been recently discovered at Barakuru during an epigraphical survey of the Panchalingeshwara Temple.
- 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 place was called by several names in ancient times as Varakula, Barakanur, and Barahkanyapura.
- 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 centuriesD.
- 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.
