Godachi is a pilgrim centre located near Ramdurg Taluk, Belgaum district, in the Indian State of

Karnataka Karnataka (; ISO: , , also known as Karunāḍu) is a state in the southwestern region of India. It was formed on 1 November 1956, with the passage of the States Reorganisation Act. Originally known as Mysore State , it was renamed ''Karnat ...

. Its temples include

Veerabhadra Virabhadra (), also rendered Veerabhadra, Veerabathira, and Veerabathiran, is a fierce form of the Hindu god Shiva. He is created by the wrath of Shiva, when the deity hurls a lock of his matted hair upon the ground, upon hearing of the self- ...

, Kalamma and Maruti. It lies 14 km from Ramdurg.

Etymology

The name of the place is derived from that of the plant ''kodachi'' or ''godachi'' (

Zizyphus ''Ziziphus'' is a genus of about 40 species of spiny shrubs and small trees in the buckthorn family, Rhamnaceae, distributed in the warm-temperate, subtropical and tropical regions of the world. The leaves are alternate, entire, with three promi ...

xylopyrus), which grows abundantly in the area.

Temples

The Veerabhadra Temple in Vijayanagar style has a

garbhagriha A ''garbhagriha'' or ''sannidhanam'' is the ''sanctum sanctorum'', the innermost sanctuary of a Hindu and Jain temples where resides the '' murti'' (idol or icon) of the primary deity of the temple. In Jainism, the main deity is known as the ' ...

with a chalukyan doorway and a spacious main hall. The

image is of later date. Marriages are held in the temple. People visit this place daily, and more on Amavasya or Poornima days. The Temple has choultries all around. The annual Jatra is held in honour of Veerabhadra in December, when more than 30,000 people assemble. The copper plates of Chalukya Kirti-Varman were found here. According to legend, Shivasharanas on the way to Ulvi fought a battle here. The former Jahgirdar of Torgal shinde family is the trustee of the Veerabhadra temple.

References

Hindu pilgrimage sites in India {{India-hindu-temple-stub