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| Nandeswara temple, Malleswaram, bangluru, vedicfeed.com |
Sri Dakshinamukha Nandi Tirtha Kalyani Kshetra or simply Malleswaram Nandi gudi in the heart of Bengaluru across Kadu Malleshwara temple dedicated to God Shiva is a unique temple. In this temple both Shivalinga and his vahana Nandi (bull) are made of black stone and unlike, other Shiva temple, Shiva linga is placed just below Nandi. It is indeed a rare temple tradition. Malleswaram 15th cross is called Temple Road and this temple is shrouded in mystery. - the way it was rediscovered and the way water is spoting out of Nandi's mouth on to the Linga underneath. Till 1997, the site was an empty plot in this residential area.
Steeped in mystery as to its origin according to the ASI the age of the temple is not more than 400 years. Accidently discovered while excavation of this place was on for a housing project in 1997, this temple lay buried underground for a long period. The ASI chipped in and took control of the temple after protests from the public. Fairly preserved, no major restoration work was carried out in the temple to retain the heritage value of this temple. It is a pillared structure with covered corridor around a central stepped Temple tank or Kalyani.
It is said to have been built near Sankey tank in 1882 CE by one late Rao Bahadur Yele Mallappa Shetty this temple is quite popular in this area because water is spouting from the mouth of stone Nandi and the holy water falls on the linga, Sri Shetty observed the flow of ground water from near by tank toward the temple. Apparently, he would have made this observation by studying various water wells in this area between the temple and tank. He came up with the idea of letting water exit through the mouth of Nandi. So he had a conduit pipe set from the tank connected to a stepped tank (Kalyani in the center of the courtyard) which in tern is connected to the storm-water drain and the excess will reach anther tank outside the temple and finally to the mouth of the Nandi.
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| Temple tank, Malleswaram, Bangaluru. commons.wikimedia.org |
Water from Nandi' flows gently from its mouth and falls on Shiva Linga that is set gently below. To achieve gradient, Sri Shetty set the stone Nandi at a lower level. Water flows throughout the year onto a Shiva-linga idol (Nandikeshwara). From Shiva Linga waer reaches Kalyani in the center of the temple. The water then collects in the Kalyani and the over flow is emptied into the open well outside the temple. So, the source of water is excess from the nearby Sankey tank and the gradient facilitates water flow toward the temple tank. An ingenious way to circulate the water. Any way, it needs scientific investigation by the hydrologists.
Including Nandi many of the sculptures in this temple face the southern direction; hence the name Dakshinamukha Nandi Tirtha Kalyana Kshetra. The temple also goes by the name of Basava teertha temple. It is said the architecture of this temple shows traces of Maratha style.
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