In this post , we share our visit experience of one of the infamous ancient temples of Bengaluru , Sri Dharmaraaya Swamy temple which is at Thigalarpete , in the heart of the city.
This is one of the unique temple which is dedicated to Pandavas namely - Dharmaraaya , Bheema , Arjuna , Nakula and Sahadeva with their wife Panchaali Draupadi.
History of this temple - collected from different sources and temple priest
It is believed that this temple was constructed by Ganga Arasu people, also known as Vanhi Kula Kshatriyas or "Thigalas" The Archeology survey department which has undertaken a study of the stone and masonry has concluded that this temple is about 800 years old. It is also learnt that when Bangalore city was built by Kempe Gowda in the 16th century, the Kempegowda Gopuras (towers) were built in the four corners of the city keeping the Sri Dharmarayaswamy Temple vimanagopura kalasa as a centre point. The four towers are the Ulsoor tower in the North-East, The Bellary Road Tower in the North-West, The Lalbagh Tower in the South-East, The Gavipura Tower in the South-West.
The Pandavas are worshiped here which is considered to be the only one in whole India - to bring in Dharma (Justice / Righteousness ). Bangalore Karaga is a famous festival celebrated in honor of Mother Goddess Draupadi. It celebrates the triumph of good over evil, which is also symbolic of the power of women. More details about the way this is celebrated is well explained on the temple website www.bengalurukaraga.com/history.html
Sri DharmaraayaSwamy temple , Bangalore - Outside View
It was a monsoon evening when we visited this temple. We reached the spot by 5.30 PM - temple was not yet open and priest opened by 6 PM. First poojas were conducted at the Adhi shakthi Idol and then the pandavas temple was opened. Surrounded by the busiest commercial area - The electronics heart of the city - SP road - this locality is always crowded with long waiting traffic jams. So best time to visit this temple is during off peak hours i.e, before 9 AM or after 7 PM. Temple is open from morning 7 to 11 and at evening between 6 to 8 PM. The street is full of narrow roads and you should be lucky sometimes to find a parking space on a weekday.
Sri DharmaraayaSwamy temple , Bangalore - Gopuram & Dwaja stambha view
On entering the temple , we could enter into the inner sanctum which stood on stone pillars. The priest said this was renovated few years back while the main sanctum is very old. On entering the main sanctum , we got the darshan of Pandavas idols along with Sri Krishna and Draupadi. The garbhagruha is in Ganga style, the vimanagopura is in Pallava style and the mukhamantapa is in Vijayanagar style, which shows the development of this temple in three different ages. The fourth stage of development of rajagopura and sabhangana was taken up in the 20th century.
The infamous Bengaluru Karaga festival which lasts for almost 11 days is celebrated here every year on Chaitra maasa poornima which is usually during Ugadi. Thousands of devotees from all over the state , country and even foreign tourists gather to witness this awesome event.
Sri DharmaraayaSwamy temple, Bangalore - Inside View
Temple is surrounded by other few old temples - Sri Jalakanteshwara temple , Hanuman , KodandaRaama. After visiting these temples , we savored few mouth watering snacks opposite to this temple. There are lot of snacks and sweets shop here to energize your senses !!
Sri DharmaraayaSwamy temple , Bangalore - Pillars view
Below are few snaps of Sri Jalakanteshwara temple which is about at a 50m distance from this temple. This is also believed to be a very old temple although the exact no of years is not known. Supported by stone pillars , it houses very old idols of Sri Jalakanteshwara , Gangadhareshwara , Parvathi , Ganesha , Subramanya , Shaneshwara and Gopalaswamy. Recently Sai baba mandir is also erected here.
Sri Hanuman, Kodandarama temple complex , Thigalarapet
Sri Jalakanteshwara temple - Inside view , Thigalarapet
Sri Jalakanteshwara temple complex , Thigalarapet
A very nice spot to visit with family and friends . If you get chance , do witness the Karaga festival here. Do visit this spot and share your experience.
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