Rameshvara Temple, Koodli

The Rameshvara temple at Koodli (also spelt "Rameshwara" or "Ramesvara", Koodli is also spelt "Kudli" or "Kudali" and literally means "confluence") in the Shimoga district of Karnataka state is a Hoysala construction of the non-ornate variety and is dated to the 12th century. Koodli is a town of great antiquity and is located about 9 km north-east of Shimoga city, the district headquarters. The town gets its name because it is situated at the confluence of the Tunga and Bhadra tributaries that form the Tungabhadra river. According to art historian Adam Hardy, the temple is a single vimana (shrine and superstructure) with an open mantapa (hall) built with Soap stone. The temple is protected as a monument of national importance by the Archaeological Survey of India.History of KoodliArchaeological surveys have unearthed tools and other artifacts which indicate that the region in the vicinity of Koodli had been under habitation during the Paleolithic, the Neolithic and the Megalithic periods. Written epigraphs such as the Malavalli pillar inscription is available from the period of the Chutu dynasty, a 2nd-century AD vassal of the Shatavahana empire. They were succeeded by the Kadambas of Banavasi in the 4th century, and the Chalukyas of Badami in the 6th century. The Rashtrakutas and the Kalyani Chalukyas gained power in the region in the succeeding centuries. The Hoysala empire made their presence felt in the region from about the 11th century AD. They were followed by the 14th-century Vijayanagara Empire. In the 16th century, the Keladi Nayaka, a Vijayanagara vassal gained independence after the fall of the empire.