Krauncha Giri is a small settlement in Karnataka, India, about 10 km from Sandur in Bellary District.

The more famous in religious terms is the Kumaraswami Temple (8th-10th century), believed to be the first abode in south India of Murugan or Karthikeya, the Hindu god of war, son of Parvati and Shiva, and brother of Ganesha.

After learning of this on his visit to Sandur in 1934, Mahatma Gandhi said, "a small state in south India has opened the temple to the Harijans, the heavens have not fallen."

It apparently belongs to the "middle phase" of Badami Chalukya architecture, also called the Vesara style by some, and "Karnataka Dravida" by Adam Hardy, who sees this Deccan style as a part of the Dravidian architecture of the south, distinct from the version that developed in Tamil Nadu.

The vimana tower over the shrine is "a very unusual composition, strangely advanced-looking in the compression of horizontal layers, and in the sense of outsurge".

This legend is held in high esteem in Hindu mythologies including Mahabharata (salya parva.

Many plant species such as Strobilanthes kunthiana (neela kurunji) is found in the shola type grasslands of mountains, many birds such as orange-headed thrush, tickell's blue flycatcher, Indian pitta, verditer flycatcher, spot-brested fantail, yellow throated bulbul, spotted dove, red whiskered bulbul, oriental white eye, brown-headed barbet, puff-throated babbler, blue-capped rockthrush, red breasted flycatcher etc.

The place is filled with dense green forests which normally resemble the rainforests of western ghat.

Though the place is in a hot region, because of high mountains it is always cool, many cool atmosphere-loving species of plants and fungi such as mosses, ferns, lichens, mushrooms, toad stools tinder fungus, puff ball fungus, thrive here, giving boost to many shade loving insects reptiles.

This centuries old temple complex is located inside Swamimalai forest range and is said to be infested with venomous snakes like russell viper and spectacled cobras.