Bangalore City Guide
Explore the famous Bull temple of Bangalore dedicated to Nandi, this Bull temple is built in 16 th century. As an ancient monument, this Bull temple is one famous monument that must be explored during your Bangalore tour.
Location : Located in Bungle hill at the southern end of Bull Temple Rd
About Bull Temple
The Bull Temple situated in Bangalore. One of the oldest temples in Bangalore situated in Basavanagudi and dedicated to Nandi, the mount of lord Shiva. This 4.5 meters tall and six meters long monolithic bull is supposed to be older than the temple housing it. It is believed that the source of the river Vishva Bharti originates at the feet of the statue. The Bull Temple is famous for the myth it carries and an awesome monolithic deity of Nandi, the celestial bull, carved out in the typical Dravidian style of architecture.
The temple was built by Kempe Gowda in the 16th century. 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 The single rock statue attracts devotees from far and near. Non Hindus are not allowed in the temple. The temple is busy always with some ceremony that is on all the time at the temple premises. On weekends, musicians present their concerts at the temple. The awesome monolithic deity in this temple, Nandi, draws devotees from all over the country.
Architecture
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.
Ceremony
In Nov/Dec every year, when the groundnuts have been harvested, Kadalekayi Parishe (The Groundnut fair)is held near the temple. The first groundnuts are offered by the farmers to the sacred bull. Dodda Ganapati, a manificent image of the Lord, is enshrined adjacent to the Bull temple. It is believed that the source of the river Vishva Bharti originates at the feet of the statue.
