Gavi Gangadhareshwara Temple – UPSC Prelims

Location: This temple is located in Bengaluru, Karnataka.
Meaning of the Name:
- 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.
Establishment:
- It is believed to have been built by Kempe Gowda I in its present form.
Architecture Features:
- Celestial Oriented Architecture: Built in Vijaynagar style, it has unique celestial oriented rock cut architecture due to which Surya majjana occurs on Sankranti every year.
- Surya Majjana: Every year on the Makar Sankranti, the sun rays fall on the Shiv linga located in the cave (gavi) making it shine for ten minutes.
- Two Monolithic Structures:
  - In the forecourt stand two monolithic structures, named Suryapana and Chandrapana – each consisting of a massive disc atop a supporting pillar.
  - They have engravings of sitting bulls on the discs face each other.
- 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.