consecrated this idol here and established a new Matha and installed one of his shisyas as the head of the new Matha. This matha is now known as Avani Sringeri Jagadguru Shankaracharya Sharada Peetham. There is a branch of this matha in Basaveshwaranagar in Bangalore. Avani Hills also has many attractions, such as Urulu Bande, A big bolder of rock with a little gap. It is believed that a person suffering from stomach pain or back pain can roll under this rock to get cured of the pain There is also a Valmiki cave, where the mud inside the cave is considered to be sacred and having medical properties. You also find lock on carvings on the rocks which are considered as utensils used by Goddess sita to cook food. You can also find a spot which is believed to be the place where lava -kusha tied the horse of Ashwamedha Yajna Source : Mysore State Gazetteer 1968 But from the actual literature history (mysore state gazetteer 1968), The Mahavalis or Brihadbanas who ruled the present Kolar and Chikkaballapur districts of Karnataka are the descendents of King Banasura or King Bana, son of Asura King Mahabali. King Brihadbana was the grandson of Mahabali. Last known ruling king of this generation was King Sambayya under Nolamba Lordship.They were in constant conflicts with Nolambas and Western Gangas of the Kolar region. They had Vaidumbas as their allies. They had the present day Avani region (a small village in Kolar District) as their capital. They had a black flag and a bull crest as their emblem. An inscription of the period 339 AD found in Mulbagal Taluk describes all in Sanskrit and begins with the praise of Shiva whose throne is said to be on the lofty peak of the mountain called Nandi, obviously the present Nandidurga, a hill considered to be the personification of Nandi, the bull of Shiva. The inscription records the grant of the village Mudiyanur (also called Chudagrama, a Sanskritised forw of Mudiyanur) to 25 Brahmins by Vadhuvallabha-Malladeva- Nandivarma, son of Vijayaditya Deva and grandson of Nandivarma,a promoter of Mahabali's dynasty. The king, who was in the town of Avanya (Avani), is said to have made the Bana dynasty prosperous and has been compared with Bodhisatva. Etymology The name Avani means "earth". Hindu goddess Sita was also called Avanisuthe meaning 'Daughter of Earth'. The legend goes that she was