Gavi Gangadhareshwara Temple

Getting there

• By road

  Get off at the bus stop overlooking Kempambudhi Lake. Walk south up the road for a short distance to reach the temple.

Why devotees come here

Gavi Gangadhareshwara Temple is a Shiva shrine cut into a natural cave in Gavipuram, Bengaluru. It is famous for stone discs in its forecourt and for sunlight that reaches the linga at certain times of the year.

Gavi Gangadhareshwara Temple is a Shiva shrine in Gavipuram, Bengaluru. The shrine is cut into a natural cave, and the temple is famous for its stone discs in the forecourt. The exact planning of the temple lets the sun shine on the shrine at certain times of the year. Under a Karnataka law of 1961 on ancient monuments and archaeological sites, the shrine is a protected monument.

Legend says the sages Gautama Maharishi and Bharadwaja Muni built the temple in the Vedic period. People also believe there is a tunnel inside the temple that may lead to Kashi. In the 16th century, Kempe Gowda, the founder of Bengaluru, renovated it. It was one of the earliest temples he built outside the fort's perimeter. The locality of Gavipuram takes its name from the cave temple.

Inside, the presiding idol is a Shiva linga, surrounded by smaller deities and sages. Two granite pillars support a giant disc for the sun and moon. Two other pillars have carvings of Nandi at the top. The cave also has two pradakshine paths, the walks around the shrine for circumambulation. In the forecourt stand two monolithic structures, Suryapana and Chandrapana. Each is a massive disc atop a supporting pillar. Unlike most South Indian temples, the complex does not face a cardinal direction. It faces south-west.

Festivals

• Evening of Makar SankrantiMakar Sankranti

  Sunlight passes between the horns of Nandi and falls on the linga for about an hour. The event is called Surya Majjana, or Sun Bath, and draws a huge crowd.

Tips for your visit

• A small flight of stairs leads down to the cave, which is hardly 6 ft high.
• The samadhi of yogi Bjt Narayan Maharaj is located just behind the temple.

Questions people ask