Temples of Banglore

This bustling and delightful city, situated at an altitude of about 1000 metres, was founded by Vijayanagar chieftain Kempe Gowda (1513-1569). He established four towers around the outer limits. These are still seen on Bellary Road, at Lalbagh, Ulsoor and Gavi Gangadhareswara temple at Gavipuram. The people of modern Bangalore still retain their traditions and values. Temples continue to be major centres of religious, social and cultural activities. Gavi Gangadhareswara temple: Sage Gautama had worshipped Lord Siva in this cave temple. The sanctum facing south, which is a rare feature, is flanked by the shrines of Devi Parvati and Durga. The images of Shanmukha and Ayyappa and those of Chandra, Surya and Bhairava are exquisitely carved. In the front yard; there are stone monoliths of sun and moon discs. On Makara Sankranti evening, the sun's rays pass through the horns of the Nandi briefly to fall on the Lingam. Veeranjaneya temple is situated at a gradient about a km from this shrine. Atop, there is a huge statue of Rama embracing Hanuman. The temple offers a panoramic view of the suburbs below. Bull temple: In Kannada, Basava means bull, which gives the name Basavanagudi to the locality. The temple has a giant bull (4.6 metres tall), carved out of a single boulder. It is a sculptural masterpiece. The annual Groundnut Fair is held here during Nov-Dec. Dodda Ganapati, a magnificent image of the Lord, is enshrined adjacent to the Bull temple. Karanji Anjaneya temple is situated near the Bull temple. Prasanna Veeranjaneya temple is on a hillock at Raagi Gudda in Jayanagar IX Block. Enshrined here are Lord Siva and Rama. At the foot of the hill, there are shrines for Vinayaka, Navagrahas and Rajarajeshwari. Hanumat Jayanti and Ramanavami are important festivals. Devagiri Varaprada Sri Venkateshwara temple:Suburban Banashankari II Stage is identified with this famous Balaji temple. An attractive gopuram beckons the visitor. The image of Lord Balaji appears to be a replica of the idol at Tirumala. Vinayaka and Alamelumanga Thayar are enshrined on either side of the sanctum. Navagrahas and Hanuman have separate shrines. Vaikunta Ekadasi and Saturdays attract a large number of devotees. Thirukalyana Seva is an important offering. Banashankari temple: The Devi shrine at the southern limits of Bangalore is much sought after by devotees. The Goddess is seated on a Lion. Hundreds of people congregate here for the Raahukaala puja on Sundays, Tuesdays and Fridays. Srinivasa Prasanna Venkataramanaswamy temple: The Wodeyar rulers built this Vishnu temple nearly 300 years ago. It is situated near Tipu Sultan's Summer Palace. Sri Dharmarayaswamy temple: It is a Dravidian-style shrine situated at Nagarathpet. There are three towers. In the sanctum, Dharmaraya, Krishna, Arjuna, Draupadi and Bhima are worshipped. Karaga festival is celebrated during March-April. Karaga, an earthen pot symbolising Shakti, is taken out in a spectacular procession to the Sampangi Tank on the night of Chaitra Poornima. Other shrines: Sri. Subramanya and Devi Kanyaka Parameswari temples at Sajjan Rao Circle, Kaadu Mallikarjunaswamy and Venugopala Krishnaswamy shrines at Malleswaram; Someshwara and Subramanya temples at Ulsoor; Chinmaya Mission's Sri Krishna temple at Indirangar, ISKCON's Sri Radha Krishnachandra temple at Magadi Road and Sri Anjaneya temples at Mahalakshmi Layout and Banaswadi. Around Bangalore Kolar (65 km): The Kolaramma temple was built during the pre-Chola period and renovated subsequently. A holy stream called Antaragange flows nearby. Sri Neelakanteshwara temple is situated at the foothills. Other shrines: Temples of Ganesha and Someshwara at Kurudumale (12 km); Anjaneya temple at Mulbagal (29 km); Virupaksha temple (5 km from Mulbagal); Rameshwara temple at Avani (13 km from Mulbagal); Shankaranarayana temple at Malur (32 km) and Markandeshwara temple on Vokkalery hill; ; Anjaneya temple at Tekal; Venkataramanaswamy temple at Guttahalli on the banks of river Palar; Chandeshwari temple at Srinivaspur (24 km from Kolar) known for the figures of Saptamatrika; Chandramouleeswara temple at Chintamani (32 km from Kolar); Veerabhadra and Channakeshava temples at Chikballapur (76 km from Kolar). Sivaganga (60 km): This holy hill (altitude 5000 feet) near Tumkur has been a popular pilgrim spot.The hill appears to a viewer as a huge Nandi, Ganesha or Lingam in different angles. Sri Gangadheeswar'a temple is situated inside a cave-like structure. When ghee is offered during abhisheka, it turns butter. This is a rare phenomenon. This butter is considered to possess medicinal properties.   Goddess Honnadevi, standing on Rakta Beejasura, is in another shrine. Adi Sankara had installed a Sri Chakram in front of the Devi. Sapta Mathas, Chandikeswara, Dikbalakas and Navagrahas have separate shrines. On top of the hill, there is a shrine for Sri Virupaksheswara inside a cave with a perennial spring, known as Patala Ganga or Olakkal T'heertham. On Makara Sankranti day, Ganga is believed to worship Siva in the form of rain. In Hebbur (Tumkur taluk), there is a shrine dedicated to Goddess Kamakshi Sharadambal. Devarayanadurga (79 km): This hill temple near Tumkur is dedicated to Narasimha, installed by Dhurvasa. There are separate shrines for Lakshmi Devi, Dhurvasa and Sri Ramanuja. Opposite to this hill there is another shrine of Narasimhaswamy, whose image was installed byBrahma. Ghati Subramanya (52 km): The temple of Lord Subramanya (17 km from Dodaballapur) is visited by thousands of pilgrims round the year. Nandi Hills (60 km): This is a popular hill resort situated at an altitude of 1,478 metres. Rivers Pennar, Palar and Arkavati originate here. There is a temple of Yoga Nandiswara. At the Nandi town at the foot of the hill, there is a shrine of Bhoganandiswara. Yediyur (52 km from Tumkur): Sri Siddhaligeswara temple. The annual car festival during March-April is largely attended by devotees.