This Temple was built for 700 Years | Bhoga nandeeshwara Temple | Nandi Hills | Ancient Temple

Namaste!
Presenting you a unique architectural gem from 9th Century, The Bhoga Nandeeshwara Temple, only 60 kms from Bangalore!
The most extraordinary history, which differentiates it from any other Indian temples is, it was built and extended by five different dynasties from the 9th to 13th Century that ruled here: the Nolambas, Gangas, Cholas, Hoysalas and The Vijayanagaras.
The extension by each dynasty is so seamless, If you don’t know the history as which dynasty built which part, it’ll not be easy for you to make out the differences. Although the temple is made by five different dynasties, none of them imposed their personal architectural styles over the other.
This thought, while exploring the temple, gave us goosebumps!

Please Note: The inscriptions on walls shown in the video are in old Tamil language which was used by Cholas as those walls were built by Cholas.

HISTORY:
1. Temple was originally constructed by the Bana Queen Ratnavali in 9th Century when Banas were feudatory under the Nolamba Dynasty.
2. In 10th century (974 AD), Ganga dynasty ruler king Marasimha overpowered the Nolambas and extended the temple under his rule.
3. The Chola dynasty defeated the Gangas in 11th Century. They added the roof to the temple, built the pavilion around the Nandi that faces the shrine.
4. The Hoysala Dynasty in 12th century added the marriage hall and intricate soap stone carvings in Uma Maheshwara temple.
5. In late 13th century the Vijayanagara kings added the outer walls, buildings and a water tank named as Pushkarni.
After Tipu Sultan came to power, the temple was closed for worship until the Britishers defeated Tipu Sultan in October 1791 when it was re-opened for the public.

Architecture:
The temple, dedicated to Lord Shiva and Goddess Parvati, is one of the oldest temples in Karnataka. The Bhoga Nandeeshwara temple consists of three temples, the Arunachaleshwara, the Uma Maheshwara and the Bhoga Nandeeshwara.
You can spot the Nandi hill ranges visible from all around the temple complex. These are five hills which are the sources of five different rivers, namely Palar, Pinakini, Akravathy, Papagni and Swarnamukhi.

Public toilets are available in outer complex with minimal fee (Rs 5/-).

How to Reach Bhoga Nandeeshwara Temple:
The Bhoga Nandeeshwara Temple is located at Nandi village, (which is at the base of Nandi Hills), around 60 km from Bangalore.
Frequent bus services will be available from the city of Bangalore.You can reach here from Nandi Hills by auto rickshaw. The best time to visit the Bhoga Nandeeshwara temple is during Shivaratri.

The Bhoga Nandeeshwara temple is now an Archaeological Survey of India (ASI)-protected monument.

P.S.:
“Bhoga Nandeeshwara is an excellent example of confluence of architecture across different dynasties. Modern-day conservationists should take note of how seamlessly the different architectural elements blend into one seamless structure,” ~ heritage enthusiast Swaminathan Natarajan.

Temple timings: 6:00 am - 7:00 pm
Entry Fee: N/A
Guide Services: N/A
Best Season to visit: Any season


Bhoga nandeeshwara temple wedding