Looks like many people are not aware of this beautiful and historical ancient temple at the base of Nandi Hills in Nandi village. This seem to be the oldest temple and dating back to 9th century. This is been protected by Archaeological Survey of India - ASI and built on Dravidian style. You might see the sculpture of Rajendra Chola. The temple tower is very similar to the ones in South India, particularly of Darasuram. Check my blog and photos of Darasuram here(click this link).
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Trip Details
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Distance From Bangalore
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55 Kms from Bangalore and 15 Kms from Nandi Hills
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Type
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Historical monument, Carvings and sculptures, Dravidian Architecture,
Good Picnic spot
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Time needed
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Just 30 to 45 minutes to visit the temple.
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Best time to visit
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Anytime
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Local guides
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No guides
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Stay options
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Bangalore
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Food
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On International Airport Road you will find many options including Nandi
Upachar and just at the base of Nandi hills few good options
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Nearby places
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Nandi Hills, Lepakshi, Rangasthala, Veerapuram:
All other places near Bangalore:http://myjourneysinindia.blogspot.com/2014/07/weekend-breaks-or-day-trips-from.html
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Other tips
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· If you start very early in
morning, it might be possible to cover all the places. But you might get very
tired driving, so take two days.
· First visit Nandi Hills and
this temple in a day and on another day you may be able to cover Lepakshi,
Rangasthala and Veerapuram
· Just in front of this temple,
you will find a huge Pipal tree and you shall rest/relax under this tree for
a while. Very good picnic spot for your family to have good time.
· Carry enough snacks and water
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Look at the perforated decorative windows, amazing sculptures can be found here. Look at the temple tower, so many sculptures can be found here. The spout is beautifully carved out. Don't forget to see the Pushkarani or Kalyani pond. Every temple those days were constructed along with a pond. You can also see the big wooden chariot in front of temple.
Look at the details on each of the pillars, see the big Nandi. It reminds me of Darasuram and Gangai Konda Cholapuram temples of south.
You will see the following inside the temple
- Girijamba Temple
- Apita Kuchamba Temple
- Vasantha Mantapa
- Pushkarani or Kalyani Temple Tank
- Arunachaleshwara shrine
- Bhoga Nandeeshwara shrine
- Mahishasura Mardini sculpture
- Ornate pillars
Lets move onto photos........
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| Wonderful isn't it? Check below for few close shots of sculptures on the tower |
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| Kalyani or Pushkarani Temple Tank, Every temple was constructed with a tank like this, wonderful rain water harvesting technique |
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| Perforated decorative window with sculpture, How wonderful ! |
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| Yali Pillars |
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| Another view of the Temple Tower |
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| Nandi in front of the big Shivling (Sivalingam) |
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| Snake God or Adi Sesha |
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| Narasimha killing Hiranyakasipu on the Temple Tower |
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| Lord Shiva with Nandi on the Temple Tower |
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| Decorative spout at the Temple, what a creativity ! |
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| Another decorative and creative spout at the temple complex ! |
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| Mahishasura Mardini sculpture on the temple wall ! |
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| Another beautifully carved window |
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| Yes, this is what is been used to pull the huge wooden chariot you see below ! |
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| Look at the beautiful carvings in this big wooden chariot |
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| Inscriptions on a stone |
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| Inscriptions on stone |
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| Kailasa Vahana |
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| Nandi Vahana |
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| Sesha Vahana |
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| Big Pipal tree for you to relax and have good time in front of the temple |
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| Surrounded by the Mandap, the beautiful lawn and a big Pipal tree to relax |
