History of the Temple
Sacred Legacy Since 1850
The Sri Kanaka Durgamma Temple in Ballari is regarded as the town’s Gramadevata (guardian deity) and holds deep cultural and spiritual significance. According to local belief and literary references, including poet Janna’s Yashadhara Charite, the town of Ballari itself is said to be named after the manifestation of Goddess Durgamma.
Historically, the Goddess was symbolically worshipped as a mound of earth covered with turmeric, with devotees offering silver models of hands, eyes, or other body parts as thanks for cures. The temple’s major festival, Sidi Bandi, is a unique ritual where an idol symbolising evil is carried on a cart pulled by bullocks around the temple.
While exact records about the temple’s construction or original builder are unclear, it is believed to have evolved from a small shrine into its present form over centuries, blending folk traditions, community practices, and religious devotion that continue to define Ballari’s cultural identity.
