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GADAG

Gadag-Betageri is a town and a city municipal council in Gadag district in the state of Karnataka, India. It is the administrative headquarters of Gadag District. Gadag and its sister city Betageri (or Betgeri) have a combined city administration. The municipality of Gadag-Betageri has a population of 154,849 and an area of 54.56 km�. The twin city muncipality is situated 80 km from Dharward. It is an important centre of Kalyana Chalukya art as seen at the large Trikuteshwara temple. It was later expanded by Kalyana Chalukyas into a vast complex. The complex has triple shrines, once housing Shiva, Brahma and Surya. The Saraswathi temple has the finest shining decorative pillars, and the Saraswathi image, and is one of the largest examples of Chalukyan art. Someshwara and Rameshwara temples, built in the Chalukyan style, are also present. It also has the Veeranarayana temple dating from the Chalukyan era. The great Kannada poet Kumara Vyasa composed his famous Mahabharatha (known as Kumaravyasa Bharata) in this temple. Gadag also has a mosque dating from the Adilshahi era and a church. Betageri has many artistic hero stones dating from the 9th and 10th centuries.

Gadag immediately brings to mind the name of Naranappa, popularly known as Kumara Vyasa, the author of Karnataka Bharata Kathamanjari. It is the classic Mahabharata in Kannada. Naranappa was born in the nearby village of Koliwada. He composed his work sitting before Lord Veera Narayana, his chosen deity. The temples of Veera Narayana and Trikuteshwara are places of religious and historic importance. The blind singer Ganayogi Panchakshari Gawayi hailed from Gadag. His music school (Veereshwara Punyashrama) is famous. The Tontadarya Matha and Shivanada Matha of the Veerashaiva sect of Hinduism is engaged in many educational and literary activities in and around Gadag.

There is a saying that if you throw a stone in Gadag it would either land at a printing press or on a handloom. Gadag also known for the cold drinks shops serving variety of fresh, pure and safe sodas (Carbonated Soft Drinks) and other cold drinks.