Kotturu, Karnataka

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Kottur
Town
Kottur Rathotsav festival
Kottur Location in Karnataka, India
Coordinates: 14°49′01″N 76°13′01″E / 14.817°N 76.217°E / 14.817; 76.217
Country	India
State	Karnataka
District	Vijayanagara
Government
• Body	Town Panchayath
Area
• Total	35.26 km2 (13.61 sq mi)
Elevation	586 m (1,923 ft)
Population  (2011)
• Total	26,289
• Density	750/km2 (1,900/sq mi)
Languages
• Official	Kannada
Time zone	UTC+5:30 (IST)
PIN	583 134
Telephone code	08391

Kotturu is a town and taluk in the Vijayanagara district of the Indian state of Karnataka. It was the home of Guru Kottureshwara, a 15th-century Shaivite saint. Every year, over 200,000 people congregate during the car festival (rathotsava) held in February.

Kotturu is legendary for a dish called mandakki-menasinakayi, a mixture of puffed rice with savories, accompanied by chili pepper fritters. The chilli peppers are slit along their lengths, stuffed with a condiment of salt and crushed cumin, dipped in lentil batter, and deep-fried.

Historically, Kotturu was well-known for its cotton gin industry and as the terminus of a train route from Hospet. In 2019, that railway line was extended to Harihara and upgraded to the meter gauge.