About
Gavi Gangadhareshwara temple, also known as the Gavipuram cave temple, is a rock-cut shrine in Gavipuram, Bengaluru. “Gavi” means cave, and the sanctum is inside a cave cut into a monolithic rock. The temple is dedicated to Lord Shiva. It is dated to the 16th century and is attributed to Kempe Gowda I, the founder of Bangalore. The inner shrine has a large Shivalinga.
The main feature of the forecourt is a set of granite pillars. Two support large stone discs representing the sun and the moon. The other two carry a trishul and a two-headed damaru, both associated with Shiva. The temple yard also has a Nandi, the vahana of Lord Shiva.
The long passage of the temple has sculptures of Saptamatrika, Sri Devi and Bhudevi. There are also small shrines of Lord Ganapati, Goddess Parvati and Durga.
Sunlight on the Shivalinga
The temple is best known for a sunset alignment. Deccan Herald (3 November 2026) reports that on 14 January, the Makara Sankranti period, rays from the south-western part of the temple pass through an arch and a pair of windows set at right angles to each other, go through the horns of the Nandi, and light the idol inside the cave for about 15 minutes. Dr B S Shylaja of the Jawaharlal Nehru Planetarium is quoted in the same report saying that the event recurs at the summer solstice on 21 June, but has received less attention than the winter event tied to the festival.
Because the alignment depends on the setting sun, visitors who want to see it should expect crowds on the day and should confirm arrangements locally. The older text on this page gave the duration as one hour; the figure above is the one published by Deccan Herald.
Timings to Visit
06:00 AM – 12:30 PM | 05:00 PM – 08:00.
Timings are not confirmed on an official website; check with the temple before travelling.
Festivals celebrated at Gavi Gangadhareshwara Temple
- Makara Sankranthi
- Maha Shivaratri
Best time to visit
November – March
The sunlight event described above falls on 14 January, within this window.
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.
Distances are not confirmed on an official website; check before travelling.
Address
Gavi Gangadhareshwara Temple, Gavipura, Kempegowda Nagar, Bengaluru, Karnataka 560019
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Gavi Gangadhareshwara Temple Map
