Winding Roads & Never Ending Tales

Do you know just few hundred kilometer away from Bangalore is Asia's largest and the tallest shivalinga. The place is called kotilingeshwara temple and is situated within the sleepy town of kammasandra in Kolar district, the same place which is famous for Gold mines. So you can very well combine both of these places in a single day trip. This place was built by Swami Sambha Shiva Murthy in the year 1980, mythology says he had a vision in his dreams in which he was asked to take up the task for establishment of one crore shivalingas hence the name Kotilingeshwara and currently believe it or not there are about a hundred lakh shivalingas in various shapes and sizes installed all over the place. Anyone can come and pay respect here and could get a new shivalinga installed here if he wishes so.


As expected Maha Shivaratri is a special occasion and a large number of devotees make it a point to be there on this auspicious day, the tentative footfall across year here is around 2 lakh. Once you enter the place there is a huge area for parking and refreshments. Once you pay the camera fees which I am assuming you will as every nook and corner is allowed to be photgraphed. The entry is through maze of small temples of various deities. The first of them includes the temple of Lord Vishnu, Lord Brahma, and Lord Maheshwara temples. This is followed by a temple of Lord Kotilingeshwara. After them they have arranged ropes to direct the pilgrims through the temples of Goddess Annapoorneshwari Temple, Goddess Karumaari Amma Temple, Lord Venkataramani Swamy Temple, Lord Panduranga Swamy Temple, Lord Rama, Sita and Lakshmana Temple, Lord Panchamukha Ganapathy Temple, Lord Anjaneya Temple, and finally Goddess Kannika Parameshwari Temple.





























This place is believed to be very famous among unmarried women for praying to have a happy and blessed married life. As soon as you exit from the last temple you will find yourself immersed in the sea of shivlings. It was an overwhelming sight for all fo us and which was multiplied many folds when we reached the central shivalinga which is standing real tall at 33 meters and standing guard next to him is 11 meter high Nandi/ basava statue.


It is as if lord Shiva and basava are showering their love and blessings to all that come and bow their head in his majestic presence. The drive is also a pleasant one from Bangalore with good roads almost everywhere and it takes around 4 hours to reach via car. But be aware the place has very basic facilities in terms of food and water so if you are travelling with Kid bring everything required like milk, diaper from home itself. If you arrive at this place during lunch time a very tasty and sumptuous lunch-prasad is provided to everyone visiting the place.


Management committe also performs community marriage here every year and by paying a basic fees of 400 INR the temple committee will take care of priests with drums, music and chants. A heavenly place to tie the nuptials. There are few limited rest houses also available in temple for people who want to spend some time here. Overall a great place and must see for all residing near Bangalore.


Travel Tips:

The best time to visit: between July and January.
Address: Kodilingam Temple Road, Ghattakamadenahalli, Kolar-563121
Timings: 6:00 AM- 9:00PM
Entry Fee: INR 20 per person
Camera Fee: INR 100 per camera
Parking Charges: INR 30
Linga Installation Fee: Starts from INR 6,000

Bangalore and Nandi Hills have been each other companion for very long, for those who are not familiar with the name, this is a small hillock situated around 50 KM from Bangalore with an awesome view from the top and an ideal day for an excursion away from the hustle bustle of the city life. This place has been well maintained and you can see it being famous in all age groups because of multiple options it provides to all. temple for elderly, parks for kids, a stone cliff for youth. All in all a very famous and wonderful destination for your one day break or picnic. But tell me how many of you are aware of a very famous Shiva temple just at the foothills of this place. If you aren't the fault is not yours, this is intentional I suppose on behalf of the temple administration as it is a real place of solitude and bliss and it helps if it is not crowded like its counterpart. The place which I am talking about is called Bhoga nandeeshwara, a wonderful example of the great craftsmanship of South India.

Finding the place is really simple you go straight to the point from where the left turn will start the ascension to Nandi Hills but instead of turning left you need to turn right and just after 1.5 km drive throw narrow lanes of Nandi village you will start seeing the stone walls of a very old temple. As with most of the temples in this region, it has been carved out of stone and houses the deity of Lord Shiva and goddess parvati. The main temple complex itself is a large open area with stone corridors running alongside the boundary and lush green landscape in between. before you ask yes it's a photographers delight. In fact saw some pre-wedding shoots happening here as well with locals looking with mild amusement of a newly wedded posing for the camera.Once you move towards the main entrance to the temple you will be awed by the articulate designs carved in the gateway itself.

As it is a worship place the shoes are not allowed at this point and you could keep yours near the gate for a minimal charge of 2 INR. As you will enter the premises you will find an uncanny resemblance to Hampi and lepakshi temples. Don't be surprised as you have an eye for detail as the history of this temple is as diverse as it gets. The original temple in the complex, identified as one of the oldest temples of Karnataka, dates back to the early 9th century.


The earliest inscriptions referring to the construction of the temple for Shiva, according to the Archaeological Survey of India, are from Nolamba dynasty ruler Nolambadiraja and the Rashtrakuta emperor Govinda III dated c.806, and copper plates of the Bana rulers Jayateja and Dattiya of about c.810. The temple was later under the patronage of successive notable South Indian dynasties: the Ganga Dynasty, the Chola dynasty, the Hoysala Empire and the Vijayanagara Empire. In the post-medieval era, the local chiefs of Chikaballapura and the rulers of the Mysore Kingdom (Hyder Ali and Tipu Sultan) controlled the region before it eventually came under British rule after the death of Tipu Sultan

The main enclosure has three shrines dedicated to Lord Shiva known as Bhoga Nandeeshwara, Arunachaleswara and Ardhanareewara (also known as Uma Maheshwara) along with several other shrines on the rear side of the temple. As per ASI booklets being sold at the gate The "Arunachaleswara" and the "Bhoga Nandeeshwara" forms of Shiva represent, according to Hindu legend, two stages in the life of the god Shiva: childhood and youth. The "Uma-Maheshwara" shrine has reliefs depicting the third stage, Shiva's marriage to the goddess Parvati. Hence this shrine is popular with newlyweds who come to seek blessing. Interesting is the link to Yoga Nandeeshwara temple on top of Nandi hills which represents the final "renunciation" stage in the life of Shiva and hence this temple is devoid of any festivities (I had wondered on same during my multiple visits to Nandi Hills).

The large mandapa in front of the main shrines has great artwork with each pillar possessing beautifully carved images of gods, animals, puranic characters, sages and scenes depicted from Hindu mythology. The sculptures are carved with great detail and lot of caring towards every minute part of the sculptures using black granite in trademark Hoysala's style. The outer walls of the shrine are also filled with nice carvings.

The beautiful temple tank situated on the northern side of the main shrine is a must visit. The tank has large corridors built all around the tank. The temple is currently maintained by Archeology department. Free lunch is offered to visitors of the temple. But unfortunately, we were not aware of it and did miss it in our visit. After seeing the pictures taken by fellow travelers was really cursing myself for missing it completely. A mental note was taken to cover and visit it next time I come to Nandi Hills and so should everyone that comes to this area. Bow to the gods and the bounty they have created for us, I was thinking as the sunset changed the hue of the entire place in a heavenly Orange Glow.

Travel Tips:

1. Plan your trip to hit this temple at either sunrise or sunset.
2. No food stall near the temple so make sure you have your stomach full near Nandi hill junction itself.

Inspired from Hampi temple

Inspired from Vijaynagara style