Dodda Basavana Gudi (Bull Temple)

About Dodda Basavana Gudi (Bull Temple)

Dodda Basavana Gudi, better known as the Bull Temple, stands on Bull Temple Road in Basavanagudi, South Bengaluru, inside the park around Bugle Rock. It is dedicated to Nandi, the sacred bull who is Lord Shiva's devoted attendant and vehicle — the name Nandi means 'joyful' in Sanskrit.

The temple is small, but its Nandi is an impressive monolith about 15 feet tall and 20 feet long, carved from a single rock. Over the centuries devotees have covered the idol with layers of butter, and rubbing with charcoal and oil has darkened the stone to a deep black. A small shrine fronted by a porch houses the idol, and the tower above is decorated with Shaiva figures and motifs. Next to it is a shrine to Ganesha.

The temple is the setting of Bengaluru's much-loved Kadalekai Parishe, the groundnut fair, held on the last Monday and Tuesday of the Hindu month of Kartika (usually November or December). Farmers from the surrounding villages traditionally offered the first harvest of groundnuts to Nandi, and the fair now fills the streets of Basavanagudi with stalls of freshly roasted peanuts, toys and snacks.

The Bull Temple is on almost every Bengaluru heritage itinerary, including tours run by Karnataka State Tourism, and pairs well with a visit to the nearby Gavi Gangadhareshwara cave temple and Bugle Rock park.

History

The temple was built in 1537 by Kempe Gowda I, the founder of Bengaluru, during the time of the Vijayanagara Empire, and it follows the Vijayanagara style. The present tower (vimana) over the shrine is a later addition from the early 20th century. Local tradition links the temple to a bull that grazed on the groundnut fields of the area; the groundnut fair began as a thanksgiving to Nandi for protecting the crop.