Kolar District
KOLAR DISTRICT CHAPTER I GENERAL OLAR, which is the headquarters town of the district and by Origin o'f K which name the district is also called, was known as D,ame ' Kolahala ', ' Kuvalala ' and 'Kolala' in the former times. There are varying accounts as to how the t:.wn got its name and three _of them are narrated below. According to a legend, Arjuna, son of Kritavirya, also called Kartaviryarjuna to distinguish him from Arjuna of Mahabharata fame, was ruling over a kingdom which included the Kolar a:.rea. This king had a boon conferred on him by sage Dl'.hltatraya, which gave him a thous~md arms and other mighty powers with which he oppressed both human beings and Devatas. Kartaviryarjuna is said to have humbled even Ravana, the mighty king of Lanka, by seizing and tying him up. About this time lived sage Jamadagni (nephew of Vishwamitra), who had married Renuka, daughter of the king Prasenajit. The couple had five sons, the last of whom was Parashurama or Rama with the axe. Sage Jamadagni had in his care Surabhi, the celestial cow of plenty given to him by Indra, which had the miraculous power to ,give all tltat was asked for. Karttwiryarjuna in one of his hunting expeditions chanced to visit the ashrama of Jamadagni and the sage regaled him in such a magnificent manner that his curiosity was roused and he was not satisfied till he learnt the secret about the heavenly animal and its powers. Avarice took l10ld of king Kartavir~ yarjuna and he demanded the cow for himsel:t.
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