Sri Renuka Yellammadevi Temple, Savanadatti, Karnataka.

 

Sri Renuka Yellammadevi Temple, Savanadatti, Karnataka.
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The moolavaru  in the temple is the goddess Yellamma or Ellama or Renuka, revered as a fertility goddess. The temple is associated with the ancient Devadasi practice of dedicating girls to the temple, which the Government of Karnataka completely  eliminated. The hill, a part of the Sidhachal or Ramagiri hill range which overlooks the Malaprabha river, contains archaeological evidences of occupation dating to the mid-8th to mid-11th centuries of the early Rashtrakuta or late Chalukyan period, and includes megalithic tombs which predate these periods. 
The Yellamma Temple is built in the Chalukyan and Rashtrakuta styles.
The present temple was built in 1514 by Bomappa Nayaka of Raybag (Bommappa Nayaka of Raibog). 
According to archaeological evidence found around the temple, a temple existed here either during the early Rashtrakuta or late Chalukyan period from the mid-8th century..