We visited the architectural marvel of ancient India when COVID was on downtrend. Here is a post from the visit. Wikipedia gives detailed explanation of the temple. Do read the wikipedia article completely before visiting the place so that you do not miss the important attractions in temple.
09 December 2020
I am quite astonished at the same time excited that we have plenty of places to visit within radius of 60kms from the Bangalore city. What we knew was only Lepakshi temple till date but surprisingly there is one more ancient marvel nearby Nandi Hills. Nandi Hills is well-known recreation spot for Bangaloreans. There is something beyond the Nandi Hills to explore nearby. One of them is the ancient Bhoga-Nandeeshwara temple situated nearby Nandi Hills. If you plan to visit Nandi Hills, do not skip this architectural marvel of ancient India.
The main temple is believed to be one of the oldest temple in India. Many emperors have modified/renovated/contributed to the development of temple. The primary deity is Bhoga-Nandishwara with huge Nandi facing the deity. We missed to notice Uma-Maheshwara shrine built during Vijayanagara regime. This structure has intricate ornate carvings which is majestic to behold. Two Devi temples are located behind the main shrine. A temple well also located nearby one of the Devi shrine.
The next attraction is Navaranga mantapa just outside the main shrine. This has kalyana mantapa and tulabhara mantapa. The carvings all over the area is outstanding similar to primary area of temple.
Crossing the mantapa is the Kalyani (stepped tank). This place is one of prominent tourist attraction here. Plenty of cinema scenes are shot here. The tank provides habitat for tortoises which are 6-7 in numbers. The aquatic creatures help in maintaining sanity of the tank. A wide open area surrounds the Kalyani. The lamps are lit during festive days and the presence of wooden rails were testimony to that. It also looks like people light lamps (made of areca nut base) and float over the tank.
The temple has huge campus outside with a mini tank. There are plenty of area to relax after the exploration. The festive season drew considerably higher crowds to temple. Hence we refrained from exploring deeply due to prevailing pandemic. Overall this place is worth the 3-4hrs of time due to its impeccable architecture. Indians should be proud of such engineering splendour of ancient era.
Best time to visit
The temple can be visited throughout the year. If you wish to explore the temple, please avoid the Karthika month which falls during November-December time-frame. Our visit also was just after Karthika time which inhibited us to explore the temple extensively. The authorities construct temporary wooden walls to lit the temple during this auspicious month. It takes substantial time to explore the temple.
Food
We did not find good food options at Nandi village. There are many good eateries between Devanahalli-Bangalore stretch
How to visit
Google maps shows the appropriate route
Photography
Even though there are restrictions for photography, apparently nobody objects.
A detailed video to end the post
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