Gavi Gangadhareshwara Temple Why in News?
• Recently, the overclouded sky impacted the annual phenomenon called Surya Majjana in Gavi Gangadhareshwara Temple (Karnataka). Highlights:
• It is located in Bengaluru, Karnataka
• The temple derives its name from the combination of topographical features and mythology: gavi (cave), and Gangadhareswara (shiva) means the Lord who adorns the Ganga.
• It is believed to have been built by Kempe Gowda I in its present form.
• It is built in Vijaynagar style, it has unique celestial oriented rock cut architecture due to which Surya majjana occurs on Sankranti every year.
Iconography of Shiva: •
The compound of the temple is adorned with monolith structures associated with the iconography of Shiva - the trishula (trident) and the damaru (an hourglass-shaped, two-headed drum).
• In between the two discs there is a brass dhwajasthambha (flagstaff), and a small cubicle housing a statue of Nandi, Shiva’s bull carrier. About Kempe Gowda I:
• He was a feudatory king under Vijayanagar empire. • He founded the city of Bengaluru in 1537 and named it after their family deity’s consort, Kempamma.
• He is also credited with the construction of several lakes or keres for the purposes of drinking water and irrigation eg. the Dharmambudhi lake.
• The Other Sites in Karnataka are Basavakalyan, Hampi (World Heritage Site), Badami and Aihole.
