The shrines that gave the village its name and still set its calendar of festivals.
The founding shrine
The stone Shiva temple at the heart of Gudikal, believed to predate the Vijayanagara period. Its granite garbhagriha, brass-clad dwajasthambham and 16-pillared mandapam anchor every major village festival.
Guardian of the tank bund
A vermilion-coated Hanuman icon facing the village tank, worshipped by farmers before sowing and by travellers before journeys. Tuesday evenings draw the biggest crowds after the weekly fair.
The village goddess
The grama devata shrine where Gudikal's biggest festival — the Gangamma Jatara — erupts each summer with drum troupes, decorated bullock carts and a night-long procession of the goddess around the village bounds.