The Bull Temple constructed in the year 1537 by Kempe Gowda, the founder of the Bangalore city in the Dravidian style is one of the six temples in India which worships the monolithic bull, Nandi, the vehicle of Lord Shiva.
A legend says that this Bull temple was built to appease a bull that used to destroy the groundnut (Kadalekayi) fields in the area. It is also believed that the bull statue is growing in height and to stop the growth of the statue a trident has been placed on its forehead to prevent it from growing!
Architecture of Bull Temple Bangalore
This temple was build by the Kempe Gowda, the ruler of Bengaluru. The temple is built in the Vijayanagar style during the rule of Vijayanagar Empire, but the Vimana (towers) over the shrine was building during the earlier 20th century.
Nandi (The Bull)
Nandi is the sacred bull of Lord Shiva and is the main deity of this temple. It is carved out of a monolithic granite (single stone) structure which is 4.57 meters in height and 6.10 meters in length and is one of the biggest in India. The statue of Nandi is carved out of a single granite stone and features a Shiva Lingam behind it. Behind the bull, there are sculptures of God Surya and God Chandra. It is believed river Vrishabhavathi to have originated from the feet of the Nandi in this bull temple, according the inscription at the temple.
Groundnut Fair, Bangalore (Kadalekayi Parishe)
Every year around November-December a Kadalekayi Parishe (Groundnut Fair) is conducted with a lot of fanfare. It is believed the farmers around this area had a practice of placing a portion of their first groundnut crop as an offering to the sacred bull every year, finally which turned into a year fair called – Kadalekayi Parishe (Groundnut Fair) .
This annually conducted Kadalekayi Parishe (Groundnut Festival) is very popularly and the festival is conducted when the first yield of the groundnut crop are harvest by the farmers. Each year the farmer’s congregate at the Bull Temple to seek the blessings for their good harvest. When you visit this Kadalekayi Parishe (Groundnut Fair) you will heaps of different varieties and qualities of groundnuts sold by the vendors on the streets. The Bull Temple and its surroundings wears a festival look when the Kadalekayi Parishe (Groundnut Fair) is conducted with special poojas and prayers at the temples. And the streets are lit up with lights with various shops, food outlets opened up for shopping for the locals.
Dodda Ganesha Temple
Adjacent to the Bull Temple is a temple with huge Lord Ganesha carved out on a big boulder which is 18 feet high, called famous as Dodda Ganesha Temple in Bangalore. The Lord Ganesha is decorated with 100 kg of butter every Monday and Friday which does not melt. The temple priests distributed the butter to the devotees on this days! This is one of the most popular temples of Bangalore and it attracts a huge crowd of devotees daily!
Bugle Rock Garden
Adjacent to Bull Temple and Dodda Ganesha temple there is a garden named Bugle Rock spread over an area of 16 acres. It is believed the soldiers used to make bugle call by standing on top of the very large rock formation to alert the nearby dwellers from danger! The rock formation in this garden is assessed as 3,000 million years old by the scientific community.
Temple Details
- Nandi Statue: Height: 4.6 metres x 6.1 Length
- Opening Time: 6:00 AM to 8:00 PM.
- Best Time to Visit: June to February
- Address: Bull Temple Rd, NR Colony, Basavanagudi, Bengaluru – 560004
- Phone: +91 80 2667 8777
- Annual Festival: Kadalekayi Parishe in the month of November every year
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