Someshwara Temple , Ulsoor - Bangalore

On our search for old temples in Bengaluru , our team explored Sri Someshwara Temple at Ulsoor , one of the ancient and finest temple architectures in Bengaluru city. In this post we present what our team captured at this must visit spot.

Sri Someshwara Temple Inside View

Gopuram Pigeons

It was a bright sunny day , our team took off from their expedition car and reached this spot by 10.30 AM. This temple is at Ulsoor ( which was also known as Halasuru meaning the place famous for Halasu in Kannada means Jack fruit ) which is around 5-6 kms from Bangalore center and has easy reach over Bengaluru Metro also. We took the bazaar street road behind the MG One mall opposite to Taj Hotel , connecting to Indira Nagar double road. All shops were just open and the bazaar business was just starting up. Although there is no sufficient parking area here , we managed to get our car parked besides the temple compound wall. When we reached temple entrance we noticed the beautiful Gopuram which had 7 kalasa on it , accompanied by the Gopuram pillar - on which a majestic art work was carved - which clearly gave a glimpse how ancient this temple could be . Our curiosity was high at this point !!

Temple Inside Front View

After entering the temple , we entered the first sanctum where we noticed another pillar , Nandi and Deepam Stand where lights were lit. Interestingly we noticed , deepam was lit using Bitterguard shell with oil filled in it. There was no much crowd , thank god we could explore in detail !! Once we entered the main sanctum , we were mesmerized with the art work on the pillars inside the open mantapa which looked like a typical Vijayanagar Art style. We were greeted by another big Nandi Idol of about 3 feet hight enclosed with brass. The diety Someshwara Idol was little visible from this spot already. We entered the main sanctum where Priest was performing the pooja and distributing the theerta prasada. There were separate queues for Gents and Ladies to take darshan. Once we entered, a feel of satisfaction & peace occupied our minds looking at the idol of Someshwara Linga. Place was totally silent , peaceful with sun rays passing through the stone holes with a gentle air breeze. After submitting our prayers , we roamed around the temple campus - visited Parvathi , Hanuman , Naga temple besides Someshwara main sanctum.

Wall carvings

History says this temple was constructed during the period of Cholas which was later renovated during the Vijayanagar rulers and later by Yelahanka Nada Prabhus including Kempegowda. Surrounded by this temple are trees of Shiv Ling flower , Sampige , Bilpatre which are considered to be favorite for Lord Shiva pooja. On the walls and gopuram of the mail sanctum , carvings depicting Hindu mythology were seen. This temple also participates in the Bengaluru Karaga festival.

Temple is open for darshan and pooja between 6 AM to 12 PM in the morning and at evening between 5.30 PM to 09 PM. This is one of the must visit spots in Bengaluru and definitely one will enjoy visiting here - which may be a planned trip along with friends and family. Surrounded by this temple is MG road , Lido Mall , Gurudwara , IndiraNagar which are best places for shopping and Entertainment to make your visit still memorable. Do visit this spot and share your visit experiences.