Location: In Basavangudi, at Bull Temple Road in Bangalore, Karnataka
Built in :1537AD
Built By :Kempe Gowda Attraction: 5 meter tall bull
Entry: Free
Photography: Allow
Significance:Dedicated to Nandi, the mount of Lord Shiva
Temple timing: 6:00AM to 9:00 PM
Visiting Time: 20 Min
Best time to Visit:Oct to March
Nearest Railway Station:Bangalore
Nearest Airport: Bangalore
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.
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.
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.
Architecture of Bull-Nandi Temple
The temple built by Kempe Gowda, a typical example of the Dravidian-style temple, is situated in Basavanagudi. The temple has a huge monolithic bull 4.5m tall and 6m long. It is believed that the source of the river Vishwa Bharathi originates from the feet of the Nandi. The bull has a small iron plate on its head to prevent it, as tradition says, from growing. Also there is a Ganesh temple, with a large deity made of 110 kilos of butter. The deity of butter is broken up and distributed every four years. In Kannada, Basava means bull, which gives the name Basavanagudi to the locality. This is one of the oldest temples in Bangalore situated in basavanagudi dedicated to Nandi, the mount of Lord Shiva. Kempe Gowda built this temple in the 16th century. The magnificent Nandi, 15 feet tall and over 20 feet long has been carved out of single granite rock. Farmers offer the first groundnuts to the sacred bull. It has a grey granite sacred bull, Nandi, after which the temple has been named. The sacred bull has been carved out of a single granite block. It measures 4.57 mt in height and 6.10 mt in length.
The Bhoganandiswara temple at the foothills of Nandi Hills goes back to the period of the Banas, Cholas, Hoysalas and the Vijayanagar Kings.. Bhoganandiswara, Umamaheswara and Arunachaleswara are enshrined here. The kalyanamandapa is of great beauty here.The Yoganandiswara temple atop the hill goes back to the Chola period. It received extensive patronage from the Vijayanagar Kings. The pillars and metalwork deserve special mention. The image has been carved out of single granite rock. The original colour of Nandi bull was grey which has now turned black due to the application of coconut oil by the devotees. The statue of the bull has been carved out of a single rock.
The temple built by Kempe Gowda, a typical example of the Dravidian-style temple, is situated in Basavanagudi. The temple has a huge monolithic bull 4.5m tall and 6m long. It is believed that the source of the river Vishwa Bharathi originates from the feet of the Nandi. The bull has a small iron plate on its head to prevent it, as tradition says, from growing. Also there is a Ganesh temple, with a large deity made of 110 kilos of butter. The deity of butter is broken up and distributed every four years. In Kannada, Basava means bull, which gives the name Basavanagudi to the locality. This is one of the oldest temples in Bangalore situated in basavanagudi dedicated to Nandi, the mount of Lord Shiva. Kempe Gowda built this temple in the 16th century. The magnificent Nandi, 15 feet tall and over 20 feet long has been carved out of single granite rock. Farmers offer the first groundnuts to the sacred bull. It has a grey granite sacred bull, Nandi, after which the temple has been named. The sacred bull has been carved out of a single granite block. It measures 4.57 mt in height and 6.10 mt in length.
The Bhoganandiswara temple at the foothills of Nandi Hills goes back to the period of the Banas, Cholas, Hoysalas and the Vijayanagar Kings.. Bhoganandiswara, Umamaheswara and Arunachaleswara are enshrined here. The kalyanamandapa is of great beauty here.The Yoganandiswara temple atop the hill goes back to the Chola period. It received extensive patronage from the Vijayanagar Kings. The pillars and metalwork deserve special mention. The image has been carved out of single granite rock. The original colour of Nandi bull was grey which has now turned black due to the application of coconut oil by the devotees. The statue of the bull has been carved out of a single rock.
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.
How to Rich Bull Temple in Bangalore
By Road : The temple is easily accessible from Bangalore through local buses, auto-rickshaws and taxis. There are two routes; one is from Subhash Nagar-Majestic bus stand, through Goodshed Road, Chamrajpet, Viswesvarapuram and Basavangudi and the other is through Corporation, Lalbagh, Basavanagudi. Bangalore Metropolitan Transport Corporation (BMTC) runs bus number 36 and all 45 series (45, 45j, 45k etc) to Basavanagudi from Platform numbers 9 and 10 in Majestic Bus stand (Kempe Gowda Bus Station), Subhash Nagar.
By Rail : Bangalore is an important railway station on the southern railway network.
The two major railway stations 'The Bangalore city railway station' and
'Bangalore cantonment railway station' is connected to the rest
of the country both by broad gauge and metre gauge rail services. On the
broad gauge rail service, it is connected to all major cities like New
Delhi, Chennai, Calcutta, Mumbai, Hyderabad etc. The Cantonment station
is convenient for passengers in and around the M.G. Road area.
By Air : Bangalore International Airport, known as HAL Airport, situated on Airport Road about 6kms from MG Road is one of the major civil airports in India. It functions as a domestic airport as well as an international airport. Terminal I and Terminal II serves as the departure and arrival lounge for the domestic flights. Indian Airlines, Air India and private carriers operate regular flights to major cities like Kolkata, Mumbai, Delhi, Chennai, Hyderabad, Trivandrum, Panaji, Kochi etc.
Picture Gellery of Bull Temple in Bangalore
Google Map of Bull-Nandi Temple
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