Gangadhareshwara Temple

Getting there

• By air

  Kempegowda International Airport in Bengaluru is 55 km away.

• By train

  Bangalore City and Yesvantpur railway stations are about 40 km away.

• By road

  KSRTC buses run to the hill, and taxis can be hired. The hill is 7 km from the Bengaluru to Tumakuru highway, NH 48, and 50 km from Kempegowda bus station in Bengaluru.

On the way

• The trek from the foothills to the summit is 6 km on a pre-defined path.
• The trail is well marked, and carved or built steps make it suitable for beginners.
• Near the summit the trail becomes steep and narrow, and safety rails are provided there.

Why devotees come here

Gangadhareshwara Temple is one of the shrines on Shivagange hill, a peak of 1,368 metres near Dobbaspet. The hill is seen as a Shivalinga, and it is also known as Dakshina Kashi, the Kashi of the South.

Shivagange is a hill of 1,368 metres and a Hindu pilgrimage centre. Legend says the hill is shaped like a Shivalinga: from the east it looks like a bull, from the west like Ganesha, from the north like a serpent and from the south like a linga. Legend also says the number of steps to the top equals the number of yojanas, old units of distance, to Varanasi. This is why the hill is called Dakshina Kashi.

The hill is named Kakudgiri in the Puranas. Its present name appears in the 12th century, among the centres of the Lingayat faith that Basava, minister to King Bijjala of Kalyana, set up. Before the 12th century, the site was an important Jain centre, with Jain monks recorded in inscriptions and local traditions.

In the 16th century, Shivappa Nayaka fortified the hill. Those fortifications now lie in ruins. The temple shrine is a protected monument under the Karnataka Ancient and Historical Monuments act of 1962.

Festivals

• January, on Sankranthi dayGangadhareshwara and Honnammadevi wedding

  The marriage of Gangadhareshwara and Honnammadevi, also called Parvathi, is performed on this day. It is claimed that holy water from the rock at the top of the hill is used in the dhare ritual.

Tips for your visit

• Nearby shrines on the hill include Sri Honnammadevi Temple, Olakal Teertha, a Nandi statue and Patalagang Sharadambe temple.
• Monkeys are the main wildlife on the hill.

Questions people ask