![]() Nandi Bull Temple The bull temple, dedicated to Nandi bull, the vahana of Lord Shiva, was constructed to appease a bull that was wreaking havoc by consuming crops that are cultivated locally. Apparently, the bull gradually stopped damaging the crops, and the Kadalekai Parase or the Groundnut Fair started in the vicinity of the temple. The temple is located in Basavanagudi. Kolaramma Temple This 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. Sivaganga This holy hill with an altitude 5000 feet is to be found near Tumkur. It has been a popular pilgrim spot for ages. The hill appears as a huge Nandi, while resembling Ganesha or Lingam from other angles. Sri Gangadheeswara temple is situated inside a cave-like structure. It is said that when ghee is offered during 'Abhisheka' or coronation, it turns to butter. This is a rare phenomenon. This butter is considered to possess medicinal properties. Goddess Honnadevi, standing on Rakta Beejasura, is in another temple. 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 dedicated to Sri Virupaksheswara inside a cave with a perennial spring, known as Patala Ganga or Olakkal Theertham. In Hebbur (Tumkur taluk), there is another shrine that is dedicated to Goddess Kamakshi Sharadambal. ![]() According to legends, it is considered as one of the oldest temples in Bengaluru, built by the step brother of Chatrapati Shivaji, who built the temple after he stumbled upon a Shiva lingam. It is believed that the temple was set up in 1669, in Malleswaram one of the few oldest regions in bengaluru. Devarayanadurga 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 by Brahma. Ghati Subramanya The temple of Lord Subramanya (17 km from Dodaballapur) is visited by thousands of pilgrims throughout the year. Nandi Hills 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, which dates back to the period of the Kings of Vijayanagara, Cholas, Banas etc. Arunachaleswara and Umamaheswara are also located here. Yediyur Sri Siddhaligeswara temple is situated in Yediyur, 52 km from Tumkur. The annual festival during March-April is largely attended by devotees. Dodda Ganesha Temple The Ganesh temple, situated at Basavanagudi, boasts a huge 18 feet long Ganesh idol. The idol is decorated in various fashions through out the week. The most famous being the process of coating the idol with butter, which requires around 100 kgs of purified butter. Shiva Temple The Shiva statue on the Airport Road is almost 65 feet in height and portrays Lord Shiva in the Lotus position, sitting atop Mount Kailash. This temple was constructed in 1995. The temple is very popular among the locals and tourists because of its opulence and beauty. Several other temples around Bangalore are as follows:- Temples of Ganesha and Someshwara at Kurudumale (12 km) ![]() Virupaksha Temple Rameshwara Temple, Avani Shankaranarayana Temple, Malur (32 km) Markandeshwara Temple, Vokkalery hill Anjaneya Temple, Tekal Venkataramanaswamy Temple, Guttahalli Chandeshwari Temple at Srinivaspur Chandramouleeswara Temple, Chintamani Veerabhadra and Channakeshava Temples, Chikballapur |
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