Chokkanatha Swamy Temple , Domlur - Bangalore ancient temples

In this article we share our visit experience of one of ancient temples of Bangalore , the Chokkanatha Swamy Temple at Domlur which is around 10-12 kms from Bangalore center.

Sri Chokkanatha Swamy temple and Dwaja Stambha View

 It was a bright sunny morning when our team reached here , they took the old airport road route. Although very near to the main road , the cross roads were narrow and our team managed to get their vehicle parked in front of the temple. We recommend as this temple is now submerged by residential houses all around and roads are little narrow , better to park 4 wheelers at a distant place to avoid traffic jams.

The entrance pillars carvings gave a clear glimpse that its an ancient temple . Surrounding the main shrine were Idols of Ganapathi , Hanuman and Navagraha. There were few remains of temple's old stone carvings.

Old stone carvings at the entrance 

Temple History as indicated here

According to inscriptions carved on the walls of this temple in Dravidian (Tamil) script , it is noted that the name of the deity as Chokkaperumal, along with the consorts Sridevi and Bhoo devi of Saligrama Shila. The location of the temple is written as Tommalur pertaining to Desimanikka Pattanam of Iipakka nadu (present Yelahanka) in Raja Raja Cholavalandu. The earliest available inscriptions pertain to 1200 AD of Raja chola period. Accordingly, Irvi Tripuranthaka Chettiar and his wife parvathi chetticti for the betterment of shoulder and sword of Tribhuvana Mallar Vempi Devar probably chieften of Dommalur , donated wet and dry lands at Jalapalli village and the lake of Vinnimangalam.They have also granted garden land to Iron piran Allala Nambiyar who has land rights of this temple as donation and that his descendants for doing archanas in the temple and the right to carry out prathishts ceremony and some more lands for the maintenance of the temple. In order to preserve this ancient shrine, Sri M.krishna reddy and devotees of Dommalur under took renovation during 1975 - 83 preserving ancient structures restored in present form.

Carvings , Inscriptions on Pillars

Inscriptions pertaining to Hoysala king Ramanandadeva in 1300 AD indicates sanctioning money for festivals. Thus construction of the temple might be during or prior to that period. According to Karnataka gazetteer, the original structure seems to be garbhagriha and the Ardha mantapa belongs to chola period. The front navaranga is built in typical Vijayanagar style. The cellar is found in the arda mantapa of the temple for storing valuables which is now covered. The vidyaganapathi temple was constructed in 1985.

Temple shrine Entrance

Sthala Purana / Significance of the Spot as indicated here 

Sri AkhilandaKoti Bramhanda Nayaka ,SriVaikuntavaasi , Sri Bhoo sametha , Sri paravasudeva bhagavan avyahatha divya agnyaih saptha rishi mandala Prasanna Uttara malika states that a great sage did intense penance at this place to get the blessings of Lord vishnu for the benefits of locals here. Lord Vishnu was pleased and informed to install his Divya vigraham so that the local may regularly worship. It was also mentioned that all should not forget the "Anthima Smruthi" at the time of death to acheive "Paramapada Mooksham". Accordingly the moola vigraham was installed at a high place so that it can receive the radiance of cosmic energy and radiate in all eight directions at all times. The temple is built in such a way at a high place facing east . the sun rays fall on the on the main deity at sunrise , specially one may see it during the end of February to first week of March and also during Sep to Oct of every year during Uttarayana and Dakshinayana respectively . People who worship the lord and carryout pradakshinam are blessed with the grace to fulfill their wishes. This is the only temple in Bangalore possessing pranic energy.

Inscriptions all over the temple

On entering the main shrine , we observed it followed a typical Cholas construction model with stone pillars and carvings. There was total silence inside the temple when the poojas are performed. The main Idol of Chokkanatha Swamy accompanied by Bhoo devi and Sridevi were pleasing to the eyes. One must really appreciate the priest here , who was working here single handed , was very professional - promptly used to perform the Archane pooja , attend to devotees and arrange prasadams.

Painting showing 15Aug1947 temple status

We observed an unique way of Pradakshinam here which resembles the sthala purana above - where there were specific squares painted at different points of the temple where it was instructed to pray for a minute , then proceed to the next square and repeat the same procedure till all squares are covered . So if you happen to visit on a weekend you may notice many devotees waiting in queue to perform this.

Devotees praying at square blocks 

Temple also houses its own well which may be constructed in late 90s and a small Brindavan garden.

Devotees praying at square blocks near the well and Brindavan

Temple is open between 6 AM to 11 AM in morning and between 5.45 PM to 8.30 PM at evening. Overall a very nice and unique spot to visit with friends and family. Do visit this place and share your experience.

Annamma temple, Bangalore tourist attractions

In our Karnakata , one may notice - communities in each and every Village or Grama - worship one god or goddess . They name it as the Grama devathe or the Goddess of the Village. Belief is that this god does not allow evil to enter inside their village , hence protecting their Grama safe. Also it is worshiped to clear them off their pains , hurdles .

Annamma temple , Bangalore - Pallaki Idol

Annamma temple , Bengaluru - Front view

One such temple is our Annamma temple situated in the busiest part of the city , Gandhinagar subedhar road. This temple is very adjacent to the city's center the gateway to Bengaluru - Majestic which connects the city to other parts of the state through buses, railway transport network and hence is always crowded throughout the day.

Annamma temple - inside Gopura

Annamma temple , Bengaluru - Sculptures showing forms of Parvathi

Annamma is considered as the Grama devathe or the goddess of Bengaluru . It is believed , she brings in safe to the city avoiding all evils , she brings in harmony avoiding any disease to reach Bangalore. Core Bengalurians visit at-least once to this temple and submit their thanks giving in the form of performing poojas honestly, distributing Prasada.  This temple may be existing since the period of Kempegowda the founder of Bangalore. The idol of Annamma believed to be  found during the formation of Dharmambhudhi lake.

The beautiful part of this temple is people from all castes visit and submit their prayers.Although there is a tradition followed of giving 'Bali' - an oblation to the god by offering meat of animals / birds in such Grama devathe temples , this temple does not have such requirements. Devotees who suffer from chicken pox, believed to visit here and after having the holy neem leaves water sprinkled over them , the disease gets cured - exhibiting the power of the goddess.

Annamma temple - Sanctum

Annamma temple View from outside

Annamma temple - Devotees offering curd pooja 

Annamma - the other form of Shakthi is worshiped all over Bangalore by holding processions , programs. There are specific idols in this temple which is used in such processions and are taken from this temple , once the programs are completed , its returned back to the temple. No one can escape from dancing to the rhythmic beats of famous tapanguchi 'Annamma Dance music'  in such processions !!  This temple also participates in the Bangalore cultural event Karaga every year.

Temple is open from morning 06.30 AM till 07 PM. Usually crowded at all times , devotees inflow is more on Fridays , Sundays which is considered auspicious.  There is lot of entertainment around - movie theatres , malls to make ones visit more fulfilling. Do visit this temple with your family and friends and share your visit experience.Check out our touring spots guide for more details on other spots

Sankey Tank - Bangalore tourist attractions

Significance of Sankey Tank

Sankey Tank is a man made lake or tank which is near western part of Bangalore in the middle of suburbs of Malleshwaram , Vyalikaval and Sadashivanagara. This lake covers an area of about 37 acres. It has a maximum depth of upto 30 feet and surface elevation of upto 3050 feet.

Sankey tank - Bird Island in the middle of the lake

Sankey Tank is named after its constructor Col. Richard Hieram Sankey of the Madras Sappers Regiment in 1882 to meet the water supply demands of Bangalore. The tank was also known as GandhadhaKotikere , as the sandalwood depot used to be located near the lake. It was linked to the Miller's tank and Dharmambhudhi tank and was built as safeguard against water shortages , such as that experienced in the great famine of 1875-77.

Our team had visited this spot on a sunny evening when the sun was hitting hot 35 degree ! There is no entry fees to enter inside . There is a park which houses a small pond , some gym equipment for exercise in an open space ,  awesome duck house in the lake and ducks and lot of pigeons which are fed regularly.

Sankey tank - Duck house and ducks

Sankey Tank - lush green park

Sankey Tank - Musical fountain setup

Sankey Tank - open Gym 

We noticed there were many fountains and at evening may be musical fountain is also organised. The surroundings are well maintained by BBMP staff. Park and lake is open for visitors between morning 6 to 1 PM and again in evening between 4.30 PM to 7.30 PM.

Sankey Tank - pigeons

Sankey Tank - Panoramic View

There was earlier boating arranged in this lake , but got shifted to Ulsoor lake.  There is joggers path round the lake . The park usually attracts many visitors - community including lovers , friends and family.  There are many chat points nearby savoring churmuri bhel , masala puri , ice cream stalls , maize etc to make the visit more fun and complete.

Do visit this spot and share your visit experience.Check out our touring spots guide for more details on other spots

Sri Tirumalagiri Lakshmi Venkateshwara temple , Bangalore

One of our team associates informed about a temple where the Idol of Lord Sri Venkateshwara very closely resembles to the famous deity Tirupathi Balaji temple. We too were surprised at first instance and wanted to eagerly visit it , only after reaching here , we came to know its really of its kind. 
 

In this post , we cover Sri Tirumalagiri Lakshmi Venkateshwara temple which is located in JP nagar 2nd phase , Bangalore.  Reach-ability to this temple is very smooth , as its very near & about 1 km from the 100 feet ring road near Jayanagar 9th Block , connecting Mysore road to Silk Board junction. Parking facilities may not be that good and you may have to park your vehicles at a long distance if the temple is crowded, road being quite busy. 

From the outset , temple seemed around 12-15 years old. The Gopuram structure has very good carvings on it. As we entered In , we were first greeted with a large space where hundreds of small clay lamps / deepa were kept , may be during the evening it will be pleasure sight to watch.  There were at-least two marriage functions and one Kalyanothsava function in the temple which kept it very busy.

Soon on the left , we noticed a temple where idols of Lord Hanuman , Lord Ganesha and Lord Subramanya were present. The Idol structure of lord Ganesha was quite unique we noticed here with a very big head carving. After submitting our prayers , we moved on to the adjacent temple which was referred as Vaikuntam ( In Hindu mythology , A place where Lord Venkateshwara resides )

On entering this temple , first we observed Idol of Lord UgraNarasimha which was about 4 to 5 feet . Submitting our prayers we immediately noticed the main Idol of Sri Venkateshwara. It is about 8 to 10 feet height. What a sight it was ! We were really mesmerized seeing the Idol and the Alankara in this temple . Our associate was very right, this almost resembled the Idol at Tirupathi - with one hand index pointing towards the sky and the other towards the earth in a blessing gesture.  Idol was fully adorned with ornaments , flowers and was a real pleasure to the eyes. We stood almost for 5-10 minutes watching the Idol and the decorations. After submitting our prayers , towards right we noticed Idol of Goddess Lakshmi - had the prasada and moved to another adjacent temple where Lord Vishnu Idol of about 10-12 feet in horizontal position was present in sleeping gesture which resembles the famous SriRangapattana Ranganathwamy temple.


Overall a very nice place to visit with your friends and family on a weekend. Temple timings - we prefer to visit in the morning before 11 AM and in the evening between 05 PM to 7.30 PM. Tourists visiting here may also plan to visit the famous Meenakshi Sundareshwara temple and Bannerghatta National Park around 10 kms from this spot.

RamaDevara Betta , Ramgiri , Ramanagar - awesome hill spot one day trip from Bangalore

We bring in this post one of the awesome hill trekking spot our team visited . The Rama Devara Betta (Lord Rama Hill rock)  , Ramagiri kshetra in Ramanagar - which is about 49 kms from Bangalore city central and around 3 kms from Bangalore-Ramanagar-Mysore Highway.

RamaDevara Betta - on the way narrow roads

We reached the spot just before noon and it was quite hot sunny day. The 3kms route from Highway to this spot was very interesting  and felt adventurous while be passed by narrow roads surrounded by rocky hills. Moment we reached the temple arch located at round 3000ft below the temple hill , the security greeted us and showed way to the ample parking space with a minimal charge of Rs.10. For two wheelers its Rs.5.  They informed , there were 400 stairs to reach the temple. 

RamaDevara Betta - Entrace Arch

RamaDevara Betta - Stairs to climb Hill top

RamaDevara Betta - Awesome scenic spot

The entrance had a small Ganesha idol, we took his blessings and started our mission climbing the RamaDevara Betta. 

We got a feel we are entering into some rocky jungle while we climbed the stairs, surrounded by age old rocks , bushes and trees. 

RamaDevara Betta - Awesome view while climbing stairs

People here say that this place is known for Vultures and Bears, however they are known to be active during nights. We found few clues when we saw some small caves in the rocks. 

RamaDevara Betta - Hanuman and Shiva Temples rock face

While we passed half of the stairs , we were greeted by Lord Shiva and Hanuman temples and felt relaxed taking the Darshan and the satisfaction of completing half of the adventurous journey. We very soon climbed through the rest of the stairs and reached our final destination , The Hill top Rama temple. There were around 380 stone stair steps to reach here and we made it in around 30-40 minutes. 

RamaDevara Betta - Rama temple outside view

RamaDevara Betta Rama Temple close view

This temple is of Historic Importance dating to Ramayana 1000s of years ago - the temple priest informed during Ramayana  , King of Vanaras , Sugreeva established this idol when Lord Rama helped him in killing Asura Sukasura. This was later identified and renovated by Kempegowda, the founder of Bangalore.

RamaDevera Betta - Temples view from Tower on Hill top

RamaDevara Betta Gopuram on Hill  top

RamaDevara Betta - Sita pond

There is a small pond , which they refer as "Sita pond" . The priest said there is a mystery behind this pond and nobody knows how deep it is . Once some foreigners visited here and tried to measure the pond depth using some instruments , they went till 2000-3000ft with no end and returned back with no clue. This place is restricted for use and any kind of access to the pond as its dangerous too.

Also next to Rama temple is , Lord Rameshwara and Nandi temples . The priest informed , these idols were Udbhava idols ( created by itself ) , there is a view tower infront of this temple where people visit to get a good view of the surroundings.

RamaDevara Betta - Lord Rama Idol

RamaDevara Betta - Lord Rameshwara & Nandi Idols

RamaDevara Betta - Lord Hanuman Idol

We were allowed to take snaps of Idols. We have posted in our blog to draw in more tourists.

We traveled around the hill top at various points and filled our eyes with some awesome scenic hill beauties , one can get a view of Ramanagar and the hills it is surrounded by . There were easy access to walk around the hill top.

RamaDevara Betta - Hill top scenic

RamaDevara Betta - Hill top sight view

RamaDevara Betta - Hill top Couples spot

We also noticed many couples from nearby locations visited here ;) which makes it a lovers picnic spot too !!

RamaDevara Betta - Hill top sight view

RamaDevara Betta - Hill top awesome tree

After all these we descended back to ground . This place is one of the must visit tourist destinations and is an awesome one day trip from Bangalore. One can plan this with friends or family groups. It is always better to visit here in groups. We found a petty shop selling some cool drinks and snacks - rest there were no shops. So we recommend you to carry ample food supplies when you visit here.

RamaDevara Betta - Hill top sight view

RamaDevara Betta - Hill top sight view

 The priest informed they do not open this temple between morning 08 AM to evening 05 to 06 PM on Saturday,Sunday,Monday and Wednesdays as there is no people inflow on other days. So better plan it on a weekend. Aged people may find it little hard to climb the steps , but enthusiasts still make it to the top!  

RamaDevara Betta - Hill top sight view

RamaDevara Betta - Hill top tree view

Best time to visit this place is in the early morning hours on a weekend. We wish this article should help get you rolling a visit plan a visit to this awesome destination. If worth , please share and discuss this link with your facebook, twitter, google friends in just a click and invite more friends to the trip. Visit & Share your experiences.