Hasanamba Temple

The Hasanamba Temple in Hassan is dedicated to Shakti as the smiling mother, Hasanamba, after whom the city is named. It is believed to have been built in the 12th century by a local chieftain, Sanjeeva Krishnappa Nayaka, though the date is uncertain. Legend says three of the seven Matrikas, travelling from Varanasi, chose to live in the anthills inside the temple, and an anthill here represents the presiding deity.

The doors open for only about two weeks each year, at Deepavali in October, so darshan then is considered special. When the temple closes, the goddess is left with a ghee lamp, flowers, water and rice, and devotees believe the lamp stays lit and the rice fresh until the doors open again. Among the images is an unusual figure of Ravana with nine heads playing the veena, and Siddeshwara Swamy appears not as a linga but as Shiva giving the pashupatastra to Arjuna.