Halasuru Someshwara Temple

                    Halasuru Someshwara Temple placed in the Halasuru (also known as Ulsoor) in Bangalore city, Karnataka, India. The Temple dedicated to the deity Someshwara (god Shiva). This Temple is incredibly oldest temple in the city and dates back to the Chola period. Whatever of when the initial consecration happened art historian George Michell believes there were major additions or modifications during the late Vijayanagara Empire ruling time during the rule of Hiriya Kempe Gowda II.

 Halasuru Someshwara Temple History:
                 In the “Gazetter of Mysore” (1887) Benjamin Lewis Rice narrates a legend behind the consecration of the temple. Kempe Gowda while on a search rode distant from his capital Yalahanka. He was very tired and he rested under a tree and fell asleep. The god Shiva like Someshwara seemed to him in a dream and taught him to create a temple in his honor using plant treasure. In return the chieftain would receive divine favor. The Kempe Gowda found the treasure and dutifully completed the temple. Consistent with a different version of the legend, King Jayappa Gowda (1420-1450 CE) from minor family known as “Yelahanka nada Prabhu” was hunting in a forest close to the current Halasuru area, when he felt tired and relaxed below a tree. In a dream, a person appeared before him and told him that a linga (universal image of the god Shiva) was buried below the spot he was sleeping. He was taught to retrieve the it and build a temple. Jayappa found the treasure and at the start designed the temple out of wood. And another story assigns the temple to the Chola family with later renovations created by the Yelahanka nada Prabhus.
Halasuru Someshwara Temple Architecture:
            According to Michell the Halasuru Someshwara Temple plan follows several of the essential parts of Vijayanagara architecture tho’ at a lower scale. The Halasuru Someshwara Temple has a sq. sanctum (garbhagriha) that is enclosed by a channels way. The gharba gudi (main inner Temple) is connected to a closed mantapa (hall) whose walls are adorned with pilasters and sculptures in frieze. And the temple nearest mantapa is connected to massive open mantapa comsisting of 4 large sticking “bays” (area between four pillars). The piers leading to the sanctum and people facing outward from the open mantapa are the quality Yali (mythical beast) pillars. The Halasuru Someshwara Temple eastern gopuram may be a well constructed maybe in 16th century structure.

                       There are many notable sculptures and decorative options in the advanced. a powerful pillar (kambha or nandi) pillar) stands near the tall tower over the doorway gate (gopura). The tower itself exhibits well sculptured pictures of gods and goddesses from Hindu mythology. and also the open mantapa consists of forty 48 pillars with carvings of divinities in frieze. To the north is the navagraha temple (shrine for the 9 planets) with twelve pillars, every pillar representing a saint (rishi). the doorway to the sanctum exhibits sculptures of 2 “door keepers” (dvarapalakas). different notable works of art embrace sculptures that depict King Ravana lifting Mount Kailash in a bid to appease the god Shiva, Durga murder Mahishasura (a demon), pictures of the Nayanmar saints (Tamil Shaivaite saints), depictions of the Girija Kalyana (marriage of Parvati to the god Shiva), the saptarishis (seven sages of Hindu lore). Recent excavations at the Halasuru Someshwara Temple site have discovered the existence of a temple tank (kalyani) that might be 1200 years old.

                    Halasuru Someshwara Temple Festivals: Maha Shivaratri is the major festival here. during Maha Shivaratri, folks come here n large number to get Darshan of Lord Someshwara also as the Pancha Lingeswaras. Ugadi and Karthik Poornima festivals celebrated in this temple.
                     The Brahmotsavam celebrations are planning to be held on the total moon day and Kamakshamma Pallaki Utsava festivals in the month of April. The god of temple god Kamakshamma, is taken in a procession in a Pallaki (palanquin) around Halasuru Someshwara temple.