What to expect
Highlights
- The reservoir framed by low hills.
- The Malaprabha valley landscape.
- A quieter counterpoint to the Yellamma pilgrimage hill.
Navilutirtha and Renuka Sagara Dam
Navilutirtha is the Malaprabha valley and reservoir landscape upstream of Saundatti. The district administration places it 10 km from town between two hills.
Practical guide
Plan Navilutirtha and Renuka Sagara Dam
Who's going?Tailor Navilutirtha and Renuka Sagara Dam to your trip
Typedam
Nearest baseSaundatti
DistrictBelagavi
Best timeAfter the monsoon through February
Time needed1 to 1.5 hours including the road from…
Places to visit6→Listed businesses1→Renuka Sagara Dam is a working water structure, so the view and valley—not operational areas—define a responsible stop.
Getting there
How to visit
- Drive from Saundatti and use only public approaches and signed viewpoints.
- Check current access locally; dam-security rules can change.
Distance by road
- Hubballi100 km
- Kolhapur110 km
- Panaji (Goa)130 km
- Pune335 km
- Bengaluru500 km
Road km to Belagavi; ghat roads and traffic vary — allow extra.
Timing
Best time
After the monsoon through February; daylight.
Weather in Navilutirtha and Renuka Sagara DamSeasonal guide
Live forecast loads in your browser.
Today at Navilutirtha and Renuka Sagara Dam
Sunrise6:23 am
Sunset6:06 pm
Golden hour best light5:06 pm–6:06 pm
Blue hour after sunset6:06 pm–6:31 pm
Sun sets toward compass bearingW · 260°
Moon tonight🌔 Waxing gibbous · 63%
Retreating monsoon. October and November still see spells of rain from the retreating monsoon, though it is usually lighter than mid-year. Conditions are generally good but worth checking.
Sun and moon are calculated for this location and shown in IST. Photography windows are the hour around sunrise and sunset; the sunset bearing is degrees clockwise from true north. Moon phase is accurate to about half a day.
Visitor notes
- Stay behind barriers and out of restricted waterworks.
Stay · eat · do · rent · see · shop
Stays, food & things to do near Navilutirtha and Renuka Sagara Dam
Verified hotels, homestays, restaurants, experiences, sights, shops and rentals around Navilutirtha and Renuka Sagara Dam — commission-free, with direct contact. Filter by what you need.
1 thing to do near Navilutirtha and Renuka Sagara Dam
2 sights to see near Navilutirtha and Renuka Sagara Dam
Top pick Historic
Palace
Savadatti FortThe mapped remains of Saundatti’s hill fort, also known as Parasgad, overlooking the town and the Malaprabha country.
DirectionsView guide
Top pick
Temple
Shri Yellamma Devi TempleThe mapped Renuka–Yellamma hill temple about five kilometres outside Saundatti, a major living pilgrimage centre managed by the state.
DirectionsView details
Top pick
Do
Yallammagudda Bus StandThe mapped bus stand serving the Yellammana Gudda pilgrimage precinct, useful for checking current return transport before joining the temple queue.
Book with the place itself. India’s cyber-crime coordination centre warned in April 2025 that convincing copies of hotel and pilgrimage booking sites are being pushed through sponsored search and social ads, taking payment for rooms the property never hears about. Every listing here links to the business’s own contact details and its own Google or Bing profile — we take no commission and sit in nobody’s payment path. If a booking page reached you through an ad, check the address bar against the property’s own site before you pay. Fraud can be reported on cybercrime.gov.in or on 1930.
Ranked guides
Top experiences around Saundatti
5 more places around Saundatti. Open a guide to plan the visit and onward journey.
templeSaundatti Yellamma Temple
9.7 km · ~16 min by cab
The Renuka–Yellamma temple on Yellammana Gudda, about 5 km from Saundatti. Belagavi district dates the present temple to 1514; its jatres require current crowd and transport planning.
fortSavadatti Fort
6.2 km · ~15 min by auto
The walled fort in Saundatti town, a compact historic stop close to the market streets. It is distinct from Parasgad Fort south of town.
fortParasgad Fort
9.7 km · ~16 min by cab
A hill fort south of Saundatti linked to the Desai chiefs and later the Marathas, its broken walls occupying an exposed ridge above the Malaprabha country.
templeHooli Panchalingeshwara Temples
10.6 km · ~18 min by cab
A cluster of 11th–12th-century Kalyani-Chalukya and Ratta temples at Huli (Hooli) in Saundatti taluk, the Panchalingeshwara temple among them — richly carved, protected shrines of the region’s temple-building golden age.
M
Munavalli Fort
Place
fortMunavalli Fort
4.7 km · ~12 min by auto
A small historic fort at Munavalli north of Saundatti, mapped around a surviving walled enclosure. Treat it as an unstaffed local heritage stop rather than a serviced monument.
Roampedia is commission-free — own or know a stay, eatery, guide or shop near Navilutirtha and Renuka Sagara Dam? List it and it appears here once verified.
Add a nearby businessNearby
What’s near Navilutirtha and Renuka Sagara Dam
M
Munavalli Fort
Place
fortMunavalli Fort
A small historic fort at Munavalli north of Saundatti, mapped around a surviving walled enclosure. Treat it as an unstaffed local heritage stop rather than a serviced monument.
4.7 km · ~12 min by auto · straight linefortSavadatti Fort
The walled fort in Saundatti town, a compact historic stop close to the market streets. It is distinct from Parasgad Fort south of town.
6.2 km · ~15 min by auto · straight linetempleSaundatti Yellamma Temple
The Renuka–Yellamma temple on Yellammana Gudda, about 5 km from Saundatti. Belagavi district dates the present temple to 1514; its jatres require current crowd and transport planning.
9.7 km · ~16 min by cab · straight linefortParasgad Fort
A hill fort south of Saundatti linked to the Desai chiefs and later the Marathas, its broken walls occupying an exposed ridge above the Malaprabha country.
9.7 km · ~16 min by cab · straight linetempleHooli Panchalingeshwara Temples
A cluster of 11th–12th-century Kalyani-Chalukya and Ratta temples at Huli (Hooli) in Saundatti taluk, the Panchalingeshwara temple among them — richly carved, protected shrines of the region’s temple-building golden age.
10.6 km · ~18 min by cab · straight lineT
Torgal Fort
Place
fortTorgal Fort
A historic fortified enclosure at Torgal in Ramdurg taluk, a village associated with Vijayanagara and Adil Shahi layers and an old Bhutanatha temple complex.
19.0 km · ~32 min by cab · straight line
templeGodachi Veerabhadreshwara Temple
A living Veerabhadra and Bhadrakali pilgrimage temple at Godachi in Ramdurg taluk, known for its annual jatre. Confirm the current festival dates, worship hours and traffic arrangements locally.
23.3 km · ~39 min by cab · straight lineR
Ramdurg Fort
Place
fortRamdurg Fort
The hill fort above Ramdurg town, with ruined walls and a broad view over the Malaprabha country. It is an unstaffed climb: go in daylight and do not assume maintained paths or barriers.
25.1 km · ~42 min by cab · straight lineM
Mudakavi Fort
Place
fortMudakavi Fort
A small fort at Mudakavi east of Ramdurg, surviving as a local, unstaffed heritage site. Combine it only with a daylight road circuit and expect no visitor facilities.
34.6 km · ~58 min by cab · straight line
fortKittur Fort
The fort and palace ruins of the Desai chiefs of Kittur, where in 1824 Rani Chennamma led one of the earliest armed revolts against the British East India Company; the on-site museum holds arms, coins and sculptures from the fort.
40.8 km · ~68 min by cab · straight line
waterfallGodachinamalki Falls
A two-tier waterfall where the Markandeya river drops through a forested valley near Gokak, also called Markandeya Falls; reached by a short trek and fullest after the monsoon.
52.2 km · ~87 min by cab · straight line
waterfallGokak Falls
A 52 m horseshoe fall where the Ghataprabha plunges over a sandstone gorge in Gokak taluk — the 'Niagara of Karnataka' — spanned by a colonial hanging footbridge and site of one of India's earliest hydro-electric works (1887).
53.5 km · ~89 min by cab · straight lineOn the map
Where Navilutirtha and Renuka Sagara Dam is
Good to know
Navilutirtha and Renuka Sagara Dam — frequently asked
When is the best time to visit Navilutirtha and Renuka Sagara Dam?
After the monsoon through February; daylight.
How do I reach Navilutirtha and Renuka Sagara Dam?
Drive from Saundatti and use only public approaches and signed viewpoints. Check current access locally; dam-security rules can change.
How much time do I need for Navilutirtha and Renuka Sagara Dam?
1 to 1.5 hours including the road from Saundatti.
What else is near Navilutirtha and Renuka Sagara Dam?
Nearby you can pair Munavalli Fort (4.7 km), Savadatti Fort (6.2 km), Saundatti Yellamma Temple (9.7 km), Parasgad Fort (9.7 km).
Read before you go
Navilutirtha and Renuka Sagara Dam guides, stories & itineraries
We have not published a story about Navilutirtha and Renuka Sagara Dam itself yet. These cover Saundatti and the wider district, with separate journeys between stops.
Around Saundatti
These guides explore Saundatti and the surrounding area. Choose a visit that fits your interests, allowing separately for travel between stops.
Sacred story
Renuka, Yellamma and the hill at Saundatti
6 min read · Read →
Pilgrimage plan
Planning a respectful Yellamma pilgrimage visit
7 min read · Read →
Day route
Yellamma, Saundatti forts and Navilutirtha
7 min read · Read →
Karnataka-wide guides & itineraries
Route-level itineraries and practical guides for the rest of Karnataka.
Image credits
Photographs: Manjunath Doddamani Gajendragad, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons (Public domain). Wikimedia Commons.