Halasuru Someshwara Temple, Bangalore
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Halasuru Someshwara Temple is located in the neighborhood of Halasuru in
Bangalore Bangalore (), officially Bengaluru (), is the capital and largest city of the Indian state of Karnataka. It has a population of more than and a metropolitan population of around , making it the third most populous city and fifth most ...
,
Karnataka Karnataka (; ISO: , , also known as Karunāḍu) is a state in the southwestern region of India. It was formed on 1 November 1956, with the passage of the States Reorganisation Act. Originally known as Mysore State , it was renamed ''Karnat ...
,
India India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the so ...
. It is one of the old temples in the city dating back to the
Chola The Chola dynasty was a Tamils, Tamil thalassocratic Tamil Dynasties, empire of southern India and one of the longest-ruling dynasties in the history of the world. The earliest datable references to the Chola are from inscriptions dated ...
period, it is dedicated to the Hindu god
Shiva Shiva (; sa, शिव, lit=The Auspicious One, Śiva ), also known as Mahadeva (; ɐɦaːd̪eːʋɐ, or Hara, is one of the principal deities of Hinduism. He is the Supreme Being in Shaivism, one of the major traditions within Hindu ...
. Major additions or modifications were made during the late
Vijayanagara Empire The Vijayanagara Empire, also called the Karnata Kingdom, was a Hinduism, Hindu empire based in the region of South India, which consisted the modern states of Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Goa and some parts of Telangana an ...
period under the rule of Hiriya
Kempe Gowda Kempe Gowda I, locally venerated as Nadaprabhu Kempe Gowda, or commonly known as Kempe Gowda, was a chieftain under the Vijayanagara Empire in early-modern India. He is famous for founding the present-day southern Indian city of Bangalore. E ...
II.Michell (1995), p. 69 Someshwara temples were built by the Chalukyas of Kalyani in Karnataka. During that period we see Tamil inscriptions as a few Mudaliars (Tuluva Vellala) were settled. These Mudaliars, originally Tulu speaking, had settled in parts of TN especially Arcot.


Legend

In the "Gazetter of Mysore" (1887), Benjamin Lewis Rice describes a legend behind the consecration of the temple.
Kempe Gowda Kempe Gowda I, locally venerated as Nadaprabhu Kempe Gowda, or commonly known as Kempe Gowda, was a chieftain under the Vijayanagara Empire in early-modern India. He is famous for founding the present-day southern Indian city of Bangalore. E ...
, while on a hunt, rode far away from his capital
Yalahanka Yelahanka is now a suburb of Bangalore in the state of Karnataka and one of the zones of BBMP. It is the oldest part of present Municipal Bengaluru (Bangalore) city and is in the north of the city. It is Nadaprabhu Kempegowda I, of the Yelahan ...
. Being tired, he rested under a tree and fell asleep. The local deity Someshwara appeared to him in a dream and instructed him to build a temple in his honor using buried treasure. In return the chieftain would receive divine favor. Kempe Gowda found the treasure and dutifully completed the temple.B.L.Rice, p72 "Halasur"
/ref> According to another version of the legend, King Jayappa Gowda (1420-1450 CE) from a minor dynasty of the Yelahanka Nada Prabhus was hunting in a forest near the present Halasuru area, when he felt tired and relaxed under a tree. In a dream, a man appeared before him and told him that a ''
linga A lingam ( sa, लिङ्ग , lit. "sign, symbol or mark"), sometimes referred to as linga or Shiva linga, is an abstract or aniconic representation of the Hindu god Shiva in Shaivism. It is typically the primary ''murti'' or devotional im ...
'' (universal symbol of the god Shiva) was buried under the spot where he was sleeping. He was instructed to retrieve it and build a temple. Jayappa found the treasure and initially built the temple out of wood. Another account attributes the temple to the
Chola Dynasty The Chola dynasty was a Tamils, Tamil thalassocratic Tamil Dynasties, empire of southern India and one of the longest-ruling dynasties in the history of the world. The earliest datable references to the Chola are from inscriptions dated ...
with later renovations made by the Yelahanka Nada Prabhus.


Temple plan

According to Michell, the temple plan follows many of the basic elements of
Vijayanagara architecture Vijayanagara architecture of 1336–1565 CE was a notable building idiom that developed during the rule of the imperial Hindu Vijayanagara Empire. The empire ruled South India, from their regal capital at Vijayanagara, on the banks of the Tung ...
though at a lower scale. The temple has a square sanctum (''
garbhagriha A ''garbhagriha'' or ''sannidhanam'' is the ''sanctum sanctorum'', the innermost sanctuary of a Hindu and Jain temples where resides the ''murti'' (idol or icon) of the primary deity of the temple. In Jainism, the main deity is known as the ''M ...
'') which is surrounded by a narrow passageway. The sanctum is connected to a closed ''
mantapa A mandapa or mantapa () is a pillared hall or pavilion for public rituals in Indian architecture, especially featured in Hindu temple architecture. Mandapas are described as "open" or "closed" depending on whether they have walls. In temples, ...
'' (hall) whose walls are decorated with pilasters and sculptures in frieze. The closed ''mantapa'' is connected to a spacious open ''mantapa'' consisting of four large projecting "bays" (area between four pillars). The piers leading to the sanctum and those facing outward from the open ''mantapa'' are the standard '' Yali'' (mythical beast) pillars. The eastern ''
gopuram A ''gopuram'' or ''gopura'' ( Tamil: கோபுரம், Malayalam: ഗോപുരം, Kannada: ಗೋಪುರ, Telugu: గోపురం) is a monumental entrance tower, usually ornate, at the entrance of a Hindu temple, in the South I ...
'' is a well executed, typical 16th century structure. •The brahma samba is lactated in the east direction of the temple which is about 18 feet in height and has the base radius of 2 feet. There are several notable sculptures and decorative features in the complex. An impressive pillar (''kambha'' or
nandi Nandi may refer to: People * Nandy (surname), Indian surname * Nandi (mother of Shaka) (1760–1827), daughter of Bhebe of the Langeni tribe * Onandi Lowe (born 1974), Jamaican footballer nicknamed Nandi * Nandi Bushell (born 2010), South Afri ...
) pillar) stands near the tall tower over the entrance gate (''
gopura A ''gopuram'' or ''gopura'' ( Tamil: கோபுரம், Malayalam: ഗോപുരം, Kannada: ಗೋಪುರ, Telugu: గోపురం) is a monumental entrance tower, usually ornate, at the entrance of a Hindu temple, in the South I ...
''). The tower itself exhibits well sculptured images of gods and goddesses from
Hindu Hindus (; ) are people who religiously adhere to Hinduism.Jeffery D. Long (2007), A Vision for Hinduism, IB Tauris, , pages 35–37 Historically, the term has also been used as a geographical, cultural, and later religious identifier for ...
mythology. The open ''mantapa'' consists of forty eight pillars with carvings of divinities in frieze. To the north is the ''navagraha'' temple (shrine for the nine planets) with twelve pillars, each pillar representing a saint (''rishi''). The entrance to the sanctum exhibits sculptures of two "door keepers" (''
dvarapala A Dvarapala or Dvarapalaka (Sanskrit, "door guard"; IAST: ' ) is a door or gate guardian often portrayed as a warrior or fearsome giant, usually armed with a weapon - the most common being the ''gada'' (mace). The dvarapala statue is a widespre ...
kas''). Other notable works of art include sculptures that depict King
Ravana Ravana (; , , ) is a rakshasa king of the island of Lanka, and the chief antagonist of the Hindu epic ''Ramayana'' and its adaptations. In the ''Ramayana'', Ravana is described to be the eldest son of sage Vishrava and rakshasi Kaikesi. He a ...
lifting
Mount Kailash Mount Kailash (also Kailasa; ''Kangrinboqê'' or ''Gang Rinpoche''; Standard Tibetan, Tibetan: གངས་རིན་པོ་ཆེ; ; sa, कैलास, ), is a mountain in the Ngari Prefecture, Tibet Autonomous Region of China. It h ...
in a bid to appease the god Shiva,
Durga Durga ( sa, दुर्गा, ) is a major Hindu goddess, worshipped as a principal aspect of the mother goddess Mahadevi. She is associated with protection, strength, motherhood, destruction, and wars. Durga's legend centres around co ...
slaying
Mahishasura Mahishasura is a bovine asura in Hinduism. He is depicted in literature to be a deceitful demon who pursued his evil ways by shape-shifting. Mahishasura was the son of Mahisi (Buffalo) and the great-grandson of Brahmarshi Kashyapa. He was ultim ...
(a demon), images of the
Nayanmar The Nayanars (or Nayanmars; ta, நாயன்மார், translit=Nāyaṉmār, translit-std=ISO, lit=hounds of Siva, and later 'teachers of Shiva ) were a group of 63 Tamil Hindu saints living during the 6th to 8th centuries CE who were de ...
saints (
Tamil Tamil may refer to: * Tamils, an ethnic group native to India and some other parts of Asia **Sri Lankan Tamils, Tamil people native to Sri Lanka also called ilankai tamils **Tamil Malaysians, Tamil people native to Malaysia * Tamil language, nativ ...
Shaivaite saints), depictions of the ''Girija Kalyana'' (marriage of
Parvati Parvati ( sa, पार्वती, ), Uma ( sa, उमा, ) or Gauri ( sa, गौरी, ) is the Hindu goddess of power, energy, nourishment, harmony, love, beauty, devotion, and motherhood. She is a physical representation of Mahadevi i ...
to the god
Shiva Shiva (; sa, शिव, lit=The Auspicious One, Śiva ), also known as Mahadeva (; ɐɦaːd̪eːʋɐ, or Hara, is one of the principal deities of Hinduism. He is the Supreme Being in Shaivism, one of the major traditions within Hindu ...
), the
saptarishi The Saptarishi () are the seven rishis of ancient India who are extolled in the Vedas, and other Hindu literature. The Vedic Samhitas never enumerate these rishis by name, although later Vedic texts such as the Brahmanas and Upanisads do so. ...
s (seven sages of Hindu lore). Recent excavations at the temple site has revealed the existence of a temple tank ('' kalyani'') which could be 1200 years old.


Gallery

File:Entrance gopura or gateway of the Ulsur temple in Bangalore (c.1868), by Henry Dixon, from the Archaeological Survey of India Collections.jpg, Entrance gopura or gateway of the Ulsur temple in Bangalore (c.1868), by Henry Dixon, from the Archaeological Survey of India Collections File:Halasuru Someshwara Temple.jpg, Someshwara temple in 1890 File:Mantapa (hall) in Someshwara temple (16th century) in Bengaluru.JPG, Ornate open ''
mantapa A mandapa or mantapa () is a pillared hall or pavilion for public rituals in Indian architecture, especially featured in Hindu temple architecture. Mandapas are described as "open" or "closed" depending on whether they have walls. In temples, ...
'' (hall) at the Someshwara temple in Halasuru File:Depictions of the Girija Kalyana (marriage of Parvati to the god Shiva.jpg, Depiction of the Girija Kalyana (marriage of Parvati to the god Shiva File:Durga slaying Mahishasura (a demon).jpg, Durga slaying Mahishasura (a demon) File:Ornate pillars in Someshwara temple at Bengaluru.JPG, ''Mantapa'' pillars at Someshwara temple in Halasuru


Inscriptions

File:Ulsoor Someshwara Tamil Inscription BN-15.jpg, Ulsoor Someshwara Temple, Tamil Inscription BN-15 File:Vijaynagar Tamil Inscription, Someshwara Temple, Ulsoor.jpg, Tamil Inscription, Someshwara Temple, Ulsoor


References

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Notes

{{Bangalore topics Hindu temples in Bangalore