About
It was built by Kempe Gowda the founder of Bangalore in the 16th century. Gavi Gangadhareshwara temple is also known as Gavipuram cave temple. As the word “gavi” suggests, Gavi Gangadhareshwara temple is inside a cave. The temple is dedicated to Lord Shiva. This temple is a wonderful instance of Indian architecture of rock cutting. The temple’s inner shrine has a large Shivalinga and it has another attraction in the temple which is the existence of idol Angimurthy (The God of fire) with two heads, seven hands, and three legs. It is believed that the temple has a Suranga marga to reach river Ganga and Kashi from one side of the temple. It is also said that every year on the Makara Sankranthi day the sacred rays of the sun directly fall on the Shivalinga for few hours and it passes between the horns of Nandi.
It is in itself an ancient work of art and was carved out of a real monolith rock. The temple’s internal sanctum is located inside a cave cut out of the rock. The main characteristic or attraction of the temple is the granite pillars positioned in the temple’s forecourt. Two of the pillars support extremely large disks that represent the sun and the moon. The other two pillars have Trishul and a two-headed Damaru indicating Lord Shiva’s important belongings. But the main attraction of the temple is the creation of a cave that is positioning the rock disks in such a way to allow the sun rays to fall on the Shivalinga.
It is associated with a miraculous phenomenon. On the festive day of Makar Sankranti, the interior of the shrine is illuminated with the sun rays during sunset; this light stays for one hour.
The Shiva Linga represents the monolithic style of architecture. The sculpture of Lord Agni is also unique and also there are numerous sculptures within the cave temple. The temple yard houses the Damaruka, that is, a drum, the large sun and moon discs, and the idol of Nandi, vahana of Lord Shiva.
The long passage of the temple is adorned with sculptures of Saptamatrika, Sri Devi and Bhudevi. There are also small shrines of Lord Ganapati, Goddess Parvati and Ma Durga. These deities come with twelve hands.
Timings to Visit
06:00 AM – 12:30 PM | 05:00 PM – 08:00.
Festivals celebrated at Gavi Gangadhareshwara Temple
Makara Sankranthi, Shivaratri
Best time to visit
November – March
How to reach Gavi Gangadhareshwara Temple
By Air: Bangalore International Airport – 38 km
By Train: The Bangalore Railway Station – 5 km
By Road: Kempegowda Bus station – 13 km.
Address
Gavi Gangadhareshwara Temple, Gavipura, Kempegowda Nagar, Bengaluru, Karnataka 560019
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