The Yellamma Temple is built in the Chalukyan and Rashtrakuta styles, as evidenced in the carvings created in Jain architecture. According to the government gazetteer, the goddess worshiped in the temple is associated with Parasurama's (an incarnation of Vishnu) mother Renuka, the wife of the sage Jamadagni. She is revered as one of the Saptamatrika or seven divine mothers, who protected the earth and its rulers. The goddess is also known as Yelumakkaltai, meaning the mother of seven children in Kannada language. She is a cult figure worshiped by the pastoral community of the Dhangar and Kurumbas of southern Maharashtra and North Karnataka.