The Kolar district in Karnataka is bounded by Tamilnadu and Andhra Pradesh and has been at the center of history, with several dynasties ruling the region.

Historically The Banas and the Gangas ruled this region until the 9th and the centuries respectively. The Cholas took over this region around 1000 CE, and later on the Hoysalas and the Vijayanagara rulers ruled this area. They were followed by the Deccan rulers of Bijapur and then the Mysore Wodeyars.

This region is home to legends from the Ramayana and Mahabharata.

It is believed that Rama sojourned in this region during his victorious return from Lanka to Ayodhya. (see Ramayana legacy of Tamilnadu).

The village of Kaivara is associated with the legend that the Pandavas spent their exile at this site. The demon Bakasura is said to have been killed here. There are temples to Bhimeshwara and Amaranarayana here.

On the Bangalore Hindupur railroad is Gauribidenur where Vidura, the uncle of the Pandavas and Kauravas is said to have lived. A tree believed to have been planted by him is held in reverence and is surrounded by stone images of snake gods.

The ancient Kolaramma temple was renovated during the period of the Chola monarch Rajendra Chola I and is a center of Shakti worship.

In Kolar district are Kurudumale and Mulbagal housing temples to Someshwara dating back to the Vijayanagar period. Virupakshapura near Mulbagal bears the Virupaksha temple again in the Vijayanagar style.

Avani near Mulbagal is known as the Gaya of the south and it bears a cluster of temples known as the Rameshwara, Lakshmaneshwara, Bharateshwara and Shatrugneshwara, dating back to the period of the Nolamba dynasty. (Also see the Ramayana legacy of Kerala).

The Bethamangala village at a distance of about 30 km from Kolar is home to the Vijayendra temple. It dates back to the period of the Gangas, and has been renovated by the Hoysalas and the Vijayanagar rulers.

Nearby is the town of Malur, with the Shankaranarayana and the Markandeswhwara temples.

The village of Tekal between Malur and Bangarpet is said to have been a city of temples in the past. There are several temple ruins here.