Domlur chola stone art 10th century,bangalore

The

Chola dynasty The Chola dynasty was a Tamil thalassocratic 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 to the 3rd century BC ...

was one of the longest-ruling dynasties in the history of

southern India South India, also known as Dakshina Bharata or Peninsular India, consists of the peninsular southern part of India. It encompasses the Indian states of Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Kerala, Tamil Nadu, and Telangana, as well as the union territ ...

. In Bangalore the Cholas ruled nearly a century. The heartland of the Cholas was the fertile valley of the

Kaveri River The Kaveri (also known as Cauvery, the anglicized name) is one of the major Indian rivers flowing through the states of Karnataka and Tamil Nadu. The Kaveri river rises at Talakaveri in the Brahmagiri range in the Western Ghats, Kodagu d ...

, but they ruled a significantly larger area at the height of their power, including the present-day

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 ...

. During the reign of

Rajaraja Chola I Rajaraja I (947 CE – 1014 CE), born Arunmozhi Varman or Arulmozhi Varman and often described as Raja Raja the Great or Raja Raja Chozhan was a Chola emperor who reigned from 985 CE to 1014 CE. He was the most powerful Tamil king in South ...

—around 1004 AD—the cholas captured Bangalore after defeating the Gangas. During their rule, they built many temples in and around Bangalore with the Chokkanathaswamy temple,

Mukthi Natheshwara Temple Mukthi Natheshwara Temple located in Binnamangala, Nelamangala, Karnataka, India, is dedicated to the deity Mukthi Natheshwara (the Hindu god Shiva). It dates back to the Rajaraja Chola Rajaraja I (947 CE – 1014 CE), born Arunmozhi Var ...

, Choleswara temple and the

Someshwara Temple Someshwara Somanatha Temple is situated on the banks of Arabian Sea at the Western Ghats of South India away from Mangalore. The temple is known as Rudrapada Kshetra, and is also a pilgrimage centre for performing Pitrakrayas (last rituals of ...

being prominent ones. The Chokkanathaswamy temple at

Domlur Domlur is a small township located in the eastern part of Bangalore city in India. Domlur was included in the erstwhile Bangalore Civil and Military Station under the British Madras Presidency till it was transferred to the Mysore State in 19 ...

, whose earliest inscriptions date back to the 10th century AD, is the oldest temple in the city. Originally built by

Raja Raja Chola I Rajaraja I (947 CE – 1014 CE), born Arunmozhi Varman or Arulmozhi Varman and often described as Raja Raja the Great or Raja Raja Chozhan was a Chola emperor who reigned from 985 CE to 1014 CE. He was the most powerful Tamil king in South ...

, the temple was later renovated by the

Hoysalas The Hoysala Empire was a Kannadiga power originating from the Indian subcontinent that ruled most of what is now Karnataka between the 10th and the 14th centuries. The capital of the Hoysalas was initially located at Belur, but was later moved ...

and Vijayanagara rulers. The temple's deity was

Lord Shiva Shiva (; sa, शिव, lit=The Auspicious One, Śiva ), also known as Mahadeva (; Help:IPA/Sanskrit, ɐɦaːd̪eːʋɐ, or Hara, is one of the Hindu deities, principal deities of Hinduism. He is the Supreme Being in Shaivism, one o ...

, but later a

Vishnu Vishnu ( ; , ), also known as Narayana and Hari, is one of the principal deities of Hinduism. He is the supreme being within Vaishnavism, one of the major traditions within contemporary Hinduism. Vishnu is known as "The Preserver" withi ...

temple was built for the local residents who were mainly

Vaishnava Vaishnavism ( sa, वैष्णवसम्प्रदायः, Vaiṣṇavasampradāyaḥ) is one of the major Hindu denominations along with Shaivism, Shaktism, and Smartism. It is also called Vishnuism since it considers Vishnu as the ...

s. The Chola Rule in Karnataka was curtailed with loss of Western Gangavadi in 1117 AD by the Hoysalas, but Eastern Gangavadi (part of Mysore district) was recovered by 1125 AD under

Vikrama Chola Vikrama Chola, known as Kō Parakēsari Varman, was a 12th-century ruler (''r. c''. 1118–1135 CE''The Cōḷas.'' 62-63.) of the Chola Empire in southern India. He succeeded his father Kulothunga I (''r. c.'' 1070–1120 CE) to the throne.''T ...

and Chola territories in Kannada country existed till the rule of Emperor

Kulothunga Chola III Kulothunga III was a Chola emperor who ruled from 1178 to 1218 CE, after succeeding his elder brother Rajadhiraja II. Kulothunga Chola III gained success in war against his traditional foes. He gained victories in war against the Hoysalas, ...

. However Tamil habitation in Karnataka, especially in Mysore district, precedes the Chola period and continued afterwards as well. Hoysala Kings built Someshwara temples throughout their kingdom. The typical Someshwara temple has a lotus pond or a taverekere included. The Someshwara temple at

Madiwala Madiwala is a locality in Bangalore, India. It is close to Koramangala, Bommanahalli, BTM Layout, HSR Layout, Arekere Mico Layout, Bannerghatta Road, Jayanagar, and J. P. Nagar, among other localities. The Bangalore City railway station i ...

was built around 1247 AD. The Someshwara Temple at Halasuru, one of the oldest in the city. While the main deity is

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 Afric ...

, other gods like

Brahma Brahma ( sa, ब्रह्मा, Brahmā) is a Hindu god, referred to as "the Creator" within the Trimurti, the trinity of supreme divinity that includes Vishnu, and Shiva.Jan Gonda (1969)The Hindu Trinity Anthropos, Bd 63/64, H 1/2, pp ...

and Vishnu are also worshiped here. It was later renovated by

Kempegowda 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. ...

who built the ''Rajagopuram'' and constructed walls around the temple. The 800 year-old

Kaalikaamba Kamatheshwara Temple Kaalikaamba Kamatheshwara Temple is located in Nagarathpet in Bangalore city, Karnataka, India. The city is dedicated to the deities Kaalikaamba and Kamatheshwara (the Hindu god Shiva, and goddess Shakthi or parvathi). The temple is nearly 80 ...

Basavangudi Basavanagudi is a residential and commercial locality in the Indian city of Bangalore. It is located in South Bangalore, along the borders of Jayanagar. The name "Basavanagudi" refers to the Bull Temple, which contains a monolith statue of the ...

is the second largest temple in the city. Apart from religious practices, the temples were utilized for scholarly activities thus providing employment for the people.

List of temples

References

Bibliography

* * * {{Bangalore topics , state=collapsed Hindu temples in Bangalore Tourist attractions in Bangalore Chola architecture Chola temples, Karnataka Chola temples, Karnataka Chola temples Chola temples in Bangalore