Wednesday, March 23, 2011

The Gavi Gangadhareswara Cave: A religious place with architectural brilliance

The Gavi Gangadhareswara Cave is an ancient temple and is of architectural and cultural value. The temple was built inside a natural cave in the 9th century. Dedicated to Lord Shiva, this temple also has an extremely rare idol of Agni, the god of fire. An idol of Agnimurthi, who is believed to cure all sorts of eye defects may also be found at this temple.

The temple is special due to many reasons. It is one of the only two temples in Bangalore that is dedicated to Lord Shiva. Its four granite pillars, which are located inside the cave, are considered to be an architectural phenomenon that allows the rare instance of illuminating the place with the help of the sun rays. Occurring every year around early January, usually on the 13th -14th January, the rays of the setting sun illuminate the Shivalingam shrine for approximately twenty minutes. The sun's ray's fall from the southwest and travels through an arch to two windows placed at a right angle and through the horns of a bull to finally fall on the Shivalingam shrine. Architects believe the temple was built this way on purpose, thus, showing off the skill and knowledge of the ancient sculptors at the time.

The temple attracts thousands of devotees on the 14th and 15th of January for the Mahashivarasthri festival. In 2011, experts have predicted that the sun will illuminate Shivalingam shrine twice from the 13th to the 16th January and from the 26th November to 2nd of December.

The Gavi Gangadhareswara Temple is protected under the act of the Karnataka Ancient and Historical Monuments, and Archaeological Sites and Remains of 1961.

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About the Author

Pushpitha Wijesinghe is an experienced independent freelance writer. He specializes in providing a wide variety of content and articles related to the travel hospitality industry.

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