Chelur is situated 15 km from
Tumkur. This village houses a 400-year-old unusual structure of Basava, a 12th century social reformer of
Karnataka. Housed in a small room of a temple, this statue is made of sand. According to legends, a saint once poured 101 glasses of water over a heap of sand, which slowly molded itself into the shape of Basava. It is often addressed by the name, Maralu Basavanna. Another astonishing fact about this statue is that it is believed to be gradually increasing in size.
Tumkur Railway Station is the nearest railhead.