On My Visit to Dodda Ganapthi Temple, Bull Temple Road, Bangalore

Entrance Arch

Main Tower

 
                 

Big Ganesha Idol in the sanctum

Dodda Ganapathi coated with butter and decked with ornaments

 People will not miss visiting this temple which is quite near to Dodda Basavanna Temple. It is just behind the Bull Temple and is 5kms from the city station. Other tourist attractions like Lal Bagh gardens and Gavi Gangadhareswara temple are quite nearby. The special significance of this temple is the huge monolithic idol of Ganapathi measuring about 18 feet in height and 16 feet in width. Very rarely do we find such a gigantic stone idol in sitting position with four hands holding a noose (pasha) and goad (Ankush) in upper hands and a broken tusk and a modak in lower pair of hands. The idol decked in golden ornaments looks quite majestic and evokes devotion in minds of onlookers.  On the entrance arch one can see the idol of Ganesh in sitting position. On the tower of inner sanctum one can see the various gods and goddesses of Shiva Parivara flanked by guards.

Kempe Gowda, the founder of Bangalore, happened to see a huge granite rock in the shape of Ganesha . He called sculptors and asked them to carve a monolithic idol of Ganapathi . In 1537 he constructed a temple in Dravidian style for this huge idol of Ganapathi who was called “Satya Ganapathi” and “Shakti Ganapathi”. During Ganesh Chathurdhi a week-long celebrations are held in this temple and the idol of Ganapathi is decorated in many ways. The famous decoration of Ganapathi with coating of one hundred kilos of butter all over the idol with shining jewels (benne alankara) looks very beautiful and impressive.  In Kartika Month and during Kadakai Parishe (Groundnut Fair) many devotees come here to perform poojas.

 The temple timings are from 6.30 to 12.30p.m. and from 5.30 p.m. to 8.30 p.m. Every day many poojas are done at this temple. The Big Bull Temple and the adjoining Bugle Rock garden are other nearby worth seeing tourist attractions. The sculptural beauty and grandeur of Dodda Ganapathi and Dodda Basavanna surely stand as the outstanding examples of rock sculpture in the whole world. Don’t miss visiting these two temples if you visit Bangalore.

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     11th march, 2018                                      Somaseshu Gutala

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