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Bull Temple

#5sur 8 lieux à visiter à BengaluruBengaluru, Karnataka

Aussi appelé Dodda Basavana Gudi · Nandi Temple

L'essentiel

Horaires d'ouverture : 06:00–20:00. L'entrée est gratuite. Comptez 45 min. Meilleure période : 06:30 – 08:00.

Mis à jour le · Rédigé par Traveliac, avec assistance IA · 4 min de lecture

This is the top right corner of the Big Bull Temple at Basavanagudi, Bangalore.
Photo: Picsnapr / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 3.0
Horaires d'ouverture
06:00–20:00
Prix d'entrée
Gratuit
Durée nécessaire
45 min
Meilleur moment de la journée
06:30 – 08:00
Meilleurs mois
Oct – Mar
Adresse
Bull Temple Road, N.R. Colony, Basavanagudi, Bengaluru, Karnataka 560004

À propos de Bull Temple

Bull Temple, known locally as Dodda Basavana Gudi, was built in 1537 CE by Kempe Gowda I, the Vijayanagara-era chieftain credited with founding Bengaluru. The temple takes its common name from the single-block granite Nandi it houses, one of the largest monolithic bull statues anywhere, reported at roughly 4.6 metres high and 6.1 metres long, though exact measurements vary slightly across sources. Centuries of devotees anointing the statue with charcoal, oil, and butter have darkened its surface to a deep black sheen, a tradition of offering that continues at the temple today under the name benne, meaning butter. The temple sits atop Bugle Rock, a granite outcrop that also gives its name to the small adjoining park, and shares its grounds with the Dodda Ganapathi Temple, whose deity is likewise carved from a single stone block. The vimana, or tower, above the main shrine was added or substantially rebuilt in the early twentieth century, carved with Saivite figures and motifs that sit visually apart from the older, plainer mandapa housing the Nandi itself.

Meilleur moment de la journée : 06:30 – 08:00. When the temple is quietest and the granite Nandi catches soft early light through the open mandapa.

Horaires de Bull Temple

Horaires d'ouverture
06:00–20:00
Mon–Sun06:00–20:00
Fermé le
Ouvert tous les jours

Horaires d'ouverture établis à partir de karnatakatourism.org et de sources publiques, mis à jour le . Ils peuvent changer sans préavis — vérifiez avant de partir. Comment nous rédigeons ces guides

Prix d'entrée de Bull Temple

Entry fees for Bull Temple
BilletPrix
Visiteurs indiensGratuit
Visiteurs étrangersGratuit
EnfantsGratuit
CaméraGratuit

Free entry for all visitors as of 2026; no ticket counter operates at the temple. No official camera fee is published, though photography inside the inner sanctum is best confirmed with temple staff on the day.

Tarifs établis à partir de karnatakatourism.org et de sources publiques, mis à jour le . Ils peuvent changer sans préavis — vérifiez avant de partir. Comment nous rédigeons ces guides

Meilleure période pour visiter Bull Temple

  • Quiet
  • Moderate
  • Busy
  1. 06:00 – 08:00

    Early MorningBest time to go

    Local devotees on their morning routine outnumber tourists. Coolest hours and best light on the granite Nandi.

    Quiet
  2. 08:00 – 12:00

    Morning

    Steady flow of worshippers and visitors; the courtyard remains comfortable to walk through without significant queuing.

    Moderate
  3. 12:00 – 16:00

    Midday Heat

    Visitor numbers drop as the open mandapa offers little shade against the midday sun.

    Quiet
  4. 16:00 – 20:00

    Evening

    Families and evening worshippers fill the precinct as temperatures cool, with the heaviest footfall in the final hour before closing.

    Busy

Histoire de Bull Temple

Kempe Gowda I's 1537 construction places Bull Temple among Bengaluru's oldest surviving structures, built in the architectural idiom of the declining Vijayanagara Empire rather than the Mysore Sultanate or Wadiyar styles that shaped the city's later monuments. The temple's founding legend explains both its name and its most distinctive annual event: a bull is said to have repeatedly raided the groundnut fields that once covered the surrounding land, and the temple's establishment on the site channelled that folk memory into worship of Nandi, Shiva's bull mount.

That legend still shapes local life through the Kadalekaayi Parishe, or Groundnut Fair, held annually on the last Monday and Tuesday of the Hindu month Karthika Maasa, typically falling in November or December. Farmers from around Bengaluru bring their groundnut harvest to sell directly outside the temple, a tradition that predates the city's growth into a metropolitan area and persists largely unchanged despite the urban development that now surrounds Basavanagudi on all sides. The temple has remained under continuous worship since its founding, administered today by Karnataka's state religious endowments department rather than any archaeological or heritage body.

Règles et étiquette à Bull Temple

Shoes must be removed before entering the temple precinct, with a shoe-stand available near the entrance. Modest dress covering shoulders and knees is expected, in line with general South Indian temple practice, though no formal written dress code is posted on site.

Photography is generally tolerated in the outer courtyard and mandapa around the Nandi statue, but rules around the inner sanctum are inconsistently enforced from one visit to the next — check with temple staff rather than assuming blanket permission, particularly during active worship.

The temple draws its largest crowds during the Kadalekaayi Parishe in November or December, when the surrounding streets fill with groundnut vendors and the precinct itself becomes considerably more crowded than on an ordinary day — worth timing a visit around deliberately or avoiding, depending on preference.

Conseils pour visiter Bull Temple

  1. 1

    Pair the visit with the adjoining Dodda Ganapathi Temple and Bugle Rock Park, both immediately next to the main shrine and easily covered in the same stop. The rock itself offers a modest but genuine elevated view over the older Basavanagudi neighbourhood, distinct from Bengaluru's newer high-rise districts.

  2. 2

    Basavanagudi's surrounding streets are worth the extra half hour, particularly the Gandhi Bazaar market a short walk away, known for flower stalls, filter coffee, and traditional South Indian breakfast spots that make a natural stop before or after the temple.

  3. 3

    Early morning remains the best window not just for crowds but for temperature — the open mandapa around the Nandi offers little shade, and Basavanagudi's granite-paved courtyard heats up noticeably by mid-morning.

Comment se rendre à Bull Temple

Nous n'avons pas encore localisé Bull Temple avec précision ; la carte montre les autres lieux de notre guide Bengaluru. Utilisez l'adresse ci-dessous ou le lien d'itinéraire.

Bull Temple Road, N.R. Colony, Basavanagudi, Bengaluru, Karnataka 560004Itinéraire sur Google Maps

  • Depuis Kempegowda International Airport (BLR)

    ₹750–₹1,050

    38 km · 65–95 min

    Prepaid cab

  • Depuis KSR Bengaluru City Junction

    ₹110–₹170

    6.5 km · 20–25 min

    Auto

  • Depuis National College Metro Station

    ₹10–₹35

    1.5 km · 15–20 min walk or short auto

    Metro fare) plus ₹30–₹50 (auto

Aéroport le plus proche

Depuis Kempegowda International Airport (BLR)

approximately 38 km, 65–95 minutes by road.

Gare la plus proche

Depuis KSR Bengaluru City Junction

approximately 6.5 km, a 20–25 minute auto ride.

FAQ — Bull Temple

How old is the Bull Temple?

It was built in 1537 CE by Kempe Gowda I, the chieftain credited with founding Bengaluru, making it one of the city's oldest surviving structures.

Is there an entry fee for Bull Temple?

No. Entry is free for all visitors, and there is no ticket counter at the temple.

Why is the Nandi statue black?

Centuries of devotees anointing the granite statue with charcoal, oil, and butter have darkened its surface. The butter-offering tradition, called benne, continues today as part of regular worship.

What is the Kadalekaayi Parishe held at Bull Temple?

It is the annual Groundnut Fair, held on the last Monday and Tuesday of the Hindu month Karthika Maasa, usually in November or December. Farmers sell their groundnut harvest directly outside the temple, continuing a tradition tied to the temple's founding legend.

Rédigé avec l'assistance de l'IA à partir de sources officielles et de registres publics, et publié seulement après les vérifications décrites dans Comment nous rédigeons ces guides. Personne chez Traveliac ne s'est rendu sur place. Mis à jour le . Comment nous classons et vérifions les lieux