The Ramalingeshwara temple in Avani, Kolar (Karnataka) is a dravida style set of shrines of Rama, Lakshmana, Bharata and Shatrughna. Built in the 10th-century by the Nolamba dynasty, the temple was partially renovated and restored in the Chola dynasty. It is also known as the “Gaya of the south”. Legend has it that Avani was the abode of the Hindu saint Valmiki (author of the epic Ramayana) and that the Hindu god Rama visited Avani during his return to Ayodhya from Lanka. Rama’s sons Lava and Kusha were born here on an existing hill (called “Lava-Kusha betta” in native Kannada) a short distance from the temple complex.