by swimsanna

Early 9th century temple ! Bhoga Nandishwara.

Today our rickshaw is heading for Chikkaballapura, just say that out loud a couple of times, makes you giggle doesn’t it? Chikkaballapura is about 60 km north of Bangalore and in the village of Nandi in the foothills we will find the Bhoga Nandishwara temple that dates back to the early 9th century. A hindu temple dedicated to Lord Shiva and a twin temple. The twin is up in the hills and is even older. Let’s start with this one and see what we think.

I walked inside the gates and saw this beautiful flame of the forest tree against the mountain in the back. Also spotted the first monkeys for the day. ( makaks)
An old wooden chariot with amazing carvings was the first thing that caught my eye. All signs around where in Kannada so no information on how old and what the purpose was.
Me in profile…
Before entering temples in India you must remove your shoes and here there’s a stall outside where you pay 2 rupees to leave them. Don’t try with a rs 10 coin because they will not accept it since it’s bad luck ! apparently.
Outside the entrance we found these enormous unused stone wheels for a temple chariot.
Maha mantapa, the main hall . The original construction for the temple was commissioned by Bana King Vidyadhara in 810 A.D
Yali pillars…the carvings at the temple is truly amazing.
the drain with a “yawning” sculpture ? hmmmm…..
Parvati shrine
amazingly carved windows
Pillars with intricate details. Also to the right you can see the temple chariot in a glass box.
Sculptures in soap stone and probably from the 13th century. Amazing work.
different carvings on all the pillars …..
An old pillar outside the entrance that looks more like a ladder…..

So I missed the part that I really wanted to see and that was the water tank. Kind of like a baoli- step well but not. Never found the entrance to it and since no signs and no information. Well, well, next time I will. This old temple in this small village and not a lot of people is really worth the trip out here. And once you are out here and you have seen this you might as well travel on really winding roads to the top of the hills and have a look at the twin – the Yoga Nandishwara temple. (and Tipu’s drop)

Hope you enjoyed the little ride and noticed all the grapes growing and the cows with their sharp horns. You didn’t ? Then you have to have a peek now and then. Hope to see you.

Oh!, don’t forget to wash your feet ! It was a pretty long stroll in the temple .

4 thoughts on “Early 9th century temple ! Bhoga Nandishwara.”

  1. Älskar att få lära mig något nytt och det får jag genom dina fotoberättelser. Fantastiskt Sanna!

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  2. Amazing🙏 Beatiful pics. I like the way you put the stories to your photos✌Thanks for the guided tour🤗 My feet are clean and ready for the twin temple. Namaste🙏

    Reply

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