Sahasralinga Travel Guide, Sirsi

Sahasralinga (thousand Lingas) is a name of a place situated at 12 Kms north of the town of Sirsi. There is a proper tar road going to Sahasralinga from Sirsi.

It takes around 20-25 minutes from Sirsi to drive there. If you happen to visit some of the famous places in the north Karnataka like Gokarna or Jog falls, you can also cover this place. This place is more ideal for a family and picnic. This place is more ideal for a family and picnic. Here is the distance of Sahasralinga from other places:

• Sahasralinga from Jog falls: 75 Km (around 2 hours)
• Sahasralinga from Gokarna: 100 Kms (Around 3 hours)

While going from Gokarna to Sahasralinga, You will cross Kumta, 15 Km south of Gokarna and then you will take Kumta-Sirsi road. So, on the way, you can also cover Yana which is a really beautiful place to see with rock caves in the middle of the forest.

Sahasralinga:

In Sanskrit, Sahasralinga means thousand (Sahasra) Lingas. These all Lingams signify lord Shiva. Sahasralinga is situated in the river Kengre which is a small river. It is said that these shiva lingams were built by Sadashivaraya, king of Sirsi.

Besides lingams, you can also see Basava or the Nandi, the Vahana of lord Shiva, in the river. According to local people, a few years ago, there used to be a lot of Lingas but people stole the lingams from this place. So, do not particularly expect a thousand of lingams but yeah there are a few hundred.

Best time to visit Sahasralinga:

You should avoid monsoon and post-monsoon season for visiting this place as most of the lingams will be submerged under the water. So, the best season to visit Sahasralinga would be summer or the winter. In a nutshell, a season when the chances of water in the river will be lesser.

During the month of February and/or March during Maha Sivaratri, a lot of devotees flock to offer their worship to the Shivalingas. Though the place will be over crowded but it’s worth witnessing grandness during that time.

Other facilities at Sahasralinga:

There is enough parking space at the Sahasralinga where you can park your vehicle. There might be some parking fee that you will have to pay. There is also a big restaurant over there but with a limited number of food choices like chips, tea, coffee and some Maharashtrian food as well since North Karnataka is influenced by a little Maharashtrian culture.

There is also a bathroom there but you might have to ask for the key from the restaurant owner. Towards right from the restaurant, there is also a hanging bridge from where you get a nice view of the river. Try not to miss that bridge as well.