Sri Dodda Basavanna Temple (Bull Temple)
| Area | : | Basavanagudi | |
| Address | : | Bull Temple Road, Basavanagudi, Bangalore | |
| Pincode | : | 560019 |
A temple built in the Dravidian style by Kempe Gowda, founder of Bangalore, it has a monolithic bull, made of gray granite which is 4.5 mts high and 6.5 mts long. The Nandi bull is revered as the ‘vahana’ (vehicle) of Lord Shiva. The temple was supposedly built to appease a bull that devoured all the groundnuts/peanuts grown in the area. The bull stopped inflicting damage and the thankful farmers held a Groundnut Fair (Kadalekai Parase) near the temple premises which continues even to this day! The monolithic Nandi bull is . One can also visit one of Kempe Gowda’s four towers situated near the temple.
January 28th, 2015 at 10:23 am
its nice temple to visit
January 29th, 2015 at 3:50 pm
Dodda Basavanna Temple, also known as Basavanagudi Temple, is dedicated to Nandi (the Vahana of Lord Shiva) is located in the Basavanagudi area in Bangalore in Karnataka. Nandi or Vrishaba is known as Basava in Kannada. It is believed that the temple was built by Kempe Gowda, the founder of Bengaluru.
January 29th, 2015 at 3:54 pm
How to reach Basavanagudi Temple:
The temple is located in southern Bangalore at a distance of about 10 kms from city central Railway Station and KSRTC Main Bus stand. Nearest Bus Stops: ‘Ramakrishna Ashrama Bus stop’ and ‘Ganesh Bhavana Bus Stop’ are the nearest BMTC bus stops to the temple.
January 29th, 2015 at 4:00 pm
This is a part of a series on Indian/ Hindu temples all over India. This highly stylistic videography and editing is supposed to make the viewer feel snippets of emotions the filmmaker felt. It is not a recording of History in a linear fashion, but is a journey into the spiritual vibrations felt by the maker who was recording this one fixed point in Time.
It is to impart the viewer with an interpretative feel of entering and absorbing the energies of the surroundings. So just feel what I feel, with the shots, with the music and with the editing I have created to take you back with me in Time to that day.
January 30th, 2015 at 1:14 pm
The Bull temple of Bangalore is dedicated to Nandi Bull, the vahana (vehicle) of Lord Shiva. Situated in Basavanagudi, this temple has been built in the Dravidian style of architecture. Kempe Gowda, the founder of Bangalore, got the Bull temple built during his time. This temple counts amongst the oldest temples of the city and draws devotees from all over the country. Read on to know more about the Bull Temple of Bangalore, India.
There is huge idol of Nandi Bull inside the temple, measuring 4.5 m in height and 6.5 m in length. This idol is said to have been carved out of a single rock. The bull also has a small iron plate on its head. As per the tradition, this plate prevents the bull from growing. Providing a great backdrop to the statue are the idols of God Surya and Goddess Chandra, on their chariots. It is believed that the Vishva Bharti River originates at the feet of this statue.
The legend goes that the Bull Temple was built to appease a bull that used to consume and destroy all the groundnuts and peanuts cultivated in this area. It is also said that after the temple was built, the bull stopped damaging the crop. As a celebration of this incident, the farmers of Basavanagudi organized a Groundnut Fair (Kadalekai Parase), near the temple. This fair continues till date and is attended by the people of Bangalore in large numbers.
January 30th, 2015 at 1:16 pm
Bull Temple is a religious shrine that is unique in itself. Located in Basavangudi, the Temple is positioned at the southern end of Bull Temple Road in Bangalore. The term ‘Basavangudi’ is derived from the word ‘Basava’, which means ‘Bull’. The special attraction of the temple is a colossal image of bull. The temple is said to have been built by Kempe Gowda in 1537 A.D. Perched at the top of Bungle Hill, Bull Temple is easily accessible from the city of Bangalore through local buses, auto-rickshaws and taxis.
Nandi – the Bull
The temple boasts of a huge image of Nandi (bull) that commemorates the mount of Lord Shiva. The giant image extends to 5 meters in height and 6 meters in its length. The monolithic bull is believed to be much older than the temple itself. The image of ‘Nandi’ has been made out of a single granite stone. Initially, the color of the bull was grey and gradually, it turned black as devotees apply coconut oil to it. As per the sayings, the river Vishwa Bharathi originates from the feet of ‘Nandi, the bull.
Behind this enormous image, there is a Shiva lingam. Like most of the other temples of India, Bull Temple also has a story behind its establishment. It is believed that the temple was constructed to pacify a bull, who tried to gnaw away the entire groundnut grown in the fields nearby. It is also thought that the statue keeps on growing in size further and further. One can see a trident on the forehead of the bull. It is said that the trident was placed here as per the advise of Lord Shiva, to prevent the bull from growing further.
The architectural style of the temple rejuvenates the notion of Dravidian architecture. In the vicinity of this temple, there is a shrine of Lord Ganesha by the name of Dodda Ganesha Temple. The unique feature about this shrine is that the huge image of the Lord is made out of 110 kilograms of butter after every four years. It is amazing to know that the butter never melts. After every four years, the butter deity is broken and distributed amongst the devotees.
Festival
Bull Temple observes a Kadalekaye Parishe (Groundnut Fair) every year. It is held in the month of November or December. In the ceremony, the farmers offer their first harvest of groundnut to Nandi. It is kind of farmer’s appreciation and gratitude towards the Bull, Nandi. The sheer size of the Bull attracts people from far and near to this shrine of religious significance.