Bengaluru, the capital of Karnataka state, India, reflects its multireligious and cosmopolitan character by its more than 1000 temples, 400 mosques, 100 churches, 40 Jain derasars, three Sikh gurdwaras, two Buddhist viharas and one Parsi fire temple located in an area of 741 km2 of the metropolis. The religious places are further represented to include the few members of the Jewish community who are making their presence known through the Chabad that they propose to establish in Bengaluru and the fairly large number of the Baháʼí Faith whose presence is registered with a society called the Baháʼí Centre.
In the demographically diverse, major economic hub and India's fastest-growing major metropolis of Bengaluru, the number of religious places of each religion reported reflects growth in proportion to the population growth. According to the 2001 census of India, 79.37% of Bengaluru's population is Hindu, roughly the same as the national average. Muslims comprise 13.37% of the population, which again is roughly the same as the national average, while Christians and Jains account for 5.79% and 1.05% of the population, respectively, double that of their national averages. Anglo-Indians also form a substantial group within the city.
Hindus and temples The thousand and odd number of Hindu temples in Bengaluru mirrors the majority population of the city whose earliest traditional Hindu temple is traced to the Domlur Chokkanatha temple of the Chola dynasty period (10th century). The next oldest temple is the Halasuru Someshwara Temple Ulsoor (of the Hoysala Empire built between the 12th and 13th centuries – a combination of Hoysala, Chola, and Vijayanagara architecture), which was renovated and beautified by three generations of the Yelahanka dynasty-–Gidde Gowda, Kempe Gowda I and II.
Halasuru Someshwara Temple, Halasuru
Halasuru Someshwara Temple in Halasuru (Ulsoor) is a dedicated to the deity Someshwara (the Hindu god Shiva). It is the oldest temple in the city and dates back to the Chola period. Irrespective of when the initial consecration took place, art historian George Michell believes there were major additions or modifications during the late Vijayanagara Empire period, during the rule of Hiriya Kempe Gowda II.Michell (1995), p. 69 According to a folk legend of this oldest temple, it is said that Kempe Gowda, tired after hunting, rested under a tree and fell asleep on the present site of the temple. Lord Someshwara appeared to him in a dream, revealing the existence of hidden treasure and told him to build the temple dedicated to him with it.
Gavi Gangadhareshwara Temple, Gavipura Another ancient temple is the Gavi Gangadhareshwara Temple in Gavipura, it is constructed in the Chola style of architecture, which is a protected monument under the Karnataka Ancient and Historical Monuments, and Archaeological Sites and Remains Act 1961. It is a cave temple dedicated to Lord Shiva. It is one of the best architectural monuments depicting a monolithic idol of Lord Shiva made of granite, a rare idol of Agni, the God of fire and monolithic exquisitely carved four pillars inside the cave. The cave temple is also stated to be a fine piece of Indian rock-cut architecture of the 9th century. In the 16th century, Kempe Gowdas added grandeur to the temple by building the frontage to the cave temple with Gopuras (towers), large tridents, discs known as Suryapana and Chandrapana representing the Sun and the Moon, a damaru (drum) and two fans (all pictured in the gallery). Another interesting astronomical feature which attracts thousands of devotees to the temple on Makar Sankranti day in January is of sun rays passing between the horns of the Nandi (bull), located outside at the entrance to the temple, which lights the idol of Shiva inside the cave.
Nandi Temple, Basavanagudi A famous temple built in the 16th century during the rule of Kempegowdas, is the Bull temple or the Nandi Temple (‘Nandi' in Sanskrit means ‘joyful') made of granite. This temple built in 1537 on a hill top with a porch in the Vijayanagara architectural style is named after the large granite Nandi monolith placed on a plinth in the temple shrine. The temple is exclusive for the worship of the sacred bull in Hinduism, known as Nandi, Lord Shiva's vahana, or animal mount. Nandi idol at this temple is said to be one of the largest in the world, with height of about and length. Temples for Dodda Ganapathy (huge Ganesha -– height & wide) and for Lord Shiva, a little above the Ganesha temple, are also located at the foot of the hill. A groundnut fair called Kadalekay Parishe in Kannada language, which is linked to a popular folklore legend, is held by farmers every year during November to thank Nandi for the good yield of this crop and to seek further blessings.
Jnanakshi Rajarajeshwari Temple, Rajarajeshwari Nagara Rajarajeshwari Nagar is home to the Jnanakshi Rajarajeshwari Temple. Shri Rajarajeshwari is the temple's principal deity. The temple was built by Sri Sivaratnapuri Swamiji, also called Sri Tiruchi Swamigal, in 1978. the idol of Sri Rajarajeshwari, who is a manifestation of Sri Lalita Tripurasundari. According to the Tantra Chudamani, this temple is thought to be the "ear" or "karnabhaga" of Bharat's numerous Shaktipeethas. Located between the Cauvery and Vrishabhavati rivers, it was formerly known as Kanchanagiri. Jaya Peetha is the name of the governing Bhairava, Abiru Bhairava.
Shri Nimishamba Devi Temple, Rajarajeshwari Nagara
The Shri Nimishamba Devi temple is located at Rajarajeshwari Nagara. This shrine is built in the traditional Parashurama Kshetra architectural style, which is not found elsewhere in Bangalore or its surroundings. This temple was built with the help of a large number of devotees of Shri Nimishamba Devi. The temple has shrines of Devi Nimishamba, Moukthikeswara (Lord Shiva), Siddhi Vinayaka, Saraswathi and Lakshmi Narayana. Chandika Homa is performed every day in a specially designed Yagna Shala. The temple also has Annadana on most days.
Sri Radha Krishna Temple, Rajajinagara
Sri Radha Krishna Temple or ISKCON Temple, has deities of Radha and Krishna located on top of the Hare Krishna Hill in Rajajinagara, in the. It is one of the largest ISKCON temples in the world. The temple is a huge cultural complex that was inaugurated in 1997 by Shankar Dayal Sharma and Jayapataka Swami following the wishes of A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada, the Founder-Acarya of ISKCON to promote Vedic culture and spiritual learning. Janmashtami, Vaikuntha Ekadashi and Rath Yatra are the major festivals celebrated.
Other temples Apart from the above famous temples, the other temples built between the 16th and 19th centuries are also numerous and some of the well known ones with interesting history are the Karanji Anjaneya Swamy Temple, Basavanagudi Sri Bande Mahakali Temple, Gavipura Guttahalli Sri Pralayakala Veerabadrar temple, Gavipura Guttahalli Sri Kalabhairaveshwara Temple, Chamarajapete Belli Basavanna Temple, Mamulpete Sri Yelahanka Gate Anjaneya Swamy Temple, Bangalore Fort, Avenue Road, Ballurupete Sri Dharmarayaswamy Temple, Thigalarpete, Nagarathpete Sri Sugreeva Venkataramana Swamy Temple, Balepete Kadu Mallikarjuna Swamy Temple, Malleswara Kote Venkataramana Swamy Temple, Tipu Sultan's Palace Kashi Vishveshwara Swamy Temple, Sowrashtrapete Sri Prasanna Krishna Swamy Temple, Tulasi Thota, Upparpete Sri Mookambika Bhakta Mandali, Mahalakshmi Layout Ragigudda Sri Prasanna Anjaneyaswamy Temple, Jayanagara Many temples have been built by ordinary citizens and are also patronised by certain communities such as the Devanga, Golla, Besta (fisherfolk), Uppara, Goniga, Kshaurika (barber), Nagartha, Ganiga (oilfolk), Vishwakarma, and so forth. The most popular temples listed are that of Hanuman (the monkey God), 635 numbers, and the oldest of them is reported to be the Shri Gali Anjaneya temple on Mysore Road, said to have been established in 1425 by Vyasaraja.
Muslims and mosques
The earliest recorded history of Islamic influence in Bangalore could be traced to 1638, when the old Bengaluru Pete (now an integral part of the Bangalore city) was conquered by Bijapur Sultanate who ruled for the next 50 years. The Mughal general Khasim Khan captured Bangalore in 1687 and leased the town and the surrounding areas to Chikkadeva Raya Wodeyar of the Kingdom of Mysore, in 1690 AD. In 1761, Hyder Ali became the Sarvadhikari of Bangalore. The Mysore Sultanate which lasted from 1761 to 1799 saw the construction of many mosques & dargahs.
Thus, over a period of 370 years from the earliest rule of the Bijapur Sultan in 1638, Muslim shrines (mosques or masjids and darghas) have been built which now number more than 400 and indicates the large Muslim population of the city. Some of the important mosques and darghas in Bangalore are mentioned below.
Jamia Masjid Jamia Masjid, situated near the City Market, Bengaluru Urban, is the most impressive mosque in Bangalore. Designed by Rayyaz Asifuddin of Hyderabad, it was built in 1940 with white marble from Rajasthan and is dedicated to Tipu Sultan. This landmark has bulbous domes, twin towers standing on exquisitely carved granite pillars and fashioned jali work in the balcony. It is a five–storeyed structure, with space to accommodate up to 10,000 devotees. With an ablution pool in the centre of mosque, the ambiance inside the mosque is cool, serene and airy. In the elevated prayer hall of the mosque, beautiful bubris (frescoes) that bear mark of Tipu Sultan have been revealed, after removing the old plaster. Muslims in large numbers congregate here during the death anniversary of Tipu Sultan, to mark the "Tipu Urs".
Then president of Egypt, Gamal Abdel Nasser, visited the mosque during his trip to India. Nasser gifted carpets and a chandelier from Egypt to the mosque. While the carpets had worn out, the chandelier still hung strong. The calligraphy at the mosque entrance was also gifted by Nasser.
The Jumma Masjid The Jumma Masjid located on the Old Poor House Road in the Cantonment area of the city is also said to be one of the oldest mosques, built by Haji Abdul Quddus in the early 19th century. While the raised prayer hall of the mosque has granite pillars, the building as such is a brick and mortar structure with ornate jali work and floral motifs in plaster on the facade. The granite pillars were bought from Tipu Sultan's palace in Srirangapatna.
The Sangian Jamia Masjid in Taramandalpet was built by the Mughal General Khasim Khan in 1687. It was demolished in the 80's and today a much larger modern mosque stands in its place.
Haji Sir Ismail Sait Mosque