Garuda Temple Mulbagal

In the small village of Koladevi near Mulbagal town in Kolar district stands a temple unlike any other in the world — one dedicated entirely to Garuda, the eagle-bodied vahana of Lord Vishnu. Believed to date to the Vijayanagara period, the temple centres on a striking monolith showing Garuda kneeling on one leg, carrying Vishnu in his right hand and Goddess Lakshmi in his left, her raised hand a gesture of blessing toward every devotee who visits.

The 5.5-foot idol is carved with remarkable detail: eight serpents encircle Garuda as ornamental jewellery, and eleven divine figures — Garuda, Vishnu, Lakshmi and the eight serpents — appear on the single stone. Tradition holds that the idol was installed by the philosopher-saint Ramanujacharya, and the site's mythological roots are said to reach back to the Treta Yuga and the events of the Ramayana.