Legend says that Gudekote was ruled by a king called Banasura, who was an ardent devotee of Lord Shiva and Goddess Parvati.
British geologist and archaeologist Bruce Foote claimed that the boulders here are so huge, that he hadn't seen any of this size, in all of South India.
Stone age weapons and delicate ruins have been found in caves and by the sides of boulders, in Appayaganahalli, Panchalingeshwara, Doregudda and other places.
Satavahana edicts have also been found in nearby Kottur, Kudligi, Shivapura, Choranur, Molakalmuru, Ashoka Siddapura and other places.
It is believed that one of Karnataka's brave woman warriors, Onake Obavva, daughter of Chalavadi Chinnapa, was born in Gudekote.