Nageshvara Temple, Bengaluru North: History, Timings & Visitor Guide

Nageshvara Temple is open every day, usually from early morning to late evening with a break in the afternoon. Darshan and aarti timings change with the season and on festival days.

• MorningOpens early morning (around 5 to 6 AM)
• AfternoonShort break around midday at many temples
• EveningEvening aarti around sunset, closes by about 8 to 9 PM

Ask the temple office on arrival for the day's aarti schedule.

Dress Code & Temple Rules

• DressModest, traditional clothes covering shoulders and knees
• FootwearRemove before entering; use the shoe stand
• PhotographyNot allowed inside the sanctum
• Not AllowedLeather items, tobacco, alcohol, non-veg food
• QueueFollow queue lines and staff instructions on festival days

The Nageshvara temple has a simple square sanctum (garbhagriha), a vestibule (antarala) that connects the sanctum to a "great closed hall" (maha-mantapa or navaragna) which leads to an open hall (agra-mantapa). The entrance to the open hall is via balustraded steps in the south-west and north-west corners. The open hall has six unequally spaced pillars, with an image of Nandi (vehicle or vahana of the god Shiva) placed on a "lotus platform" (padma-pitha) in the outer bay (compartment formed between four pillars). The white granite pillars are simple in design; with a square base (pitha), plain lower part and fluted octagonal in the centre. Many parts of the temple, including the open and closed halls appear to have been subjected to renovation in later periods. The sanctum has a linga, the universal symbol of the god Shiva.

The ceiling in the closed hall (navaranga) has the characteristic Western Ganga artistic touch, the eight panel sculptures in a square grids (called the ashta-dik-palaka) which includes an image of four handed Uma-Maheshvara (the god Shiva with his consort Parvati). The ceiling of the open hall also has the grid sculptures with a seated image of Shiva and Parvati in the centre. Other sculptures kept in the hall include Mahishasuramardini (a form of the goddess Durga), a unique two handed Ganesh, and Kalabhairava (a form of Shiva). The vertical doorjamb (sakha) have the typical carvings of creepers with ganas (attendants of the god Shiva from Hindu Mythology) in loops with lotuses (padma) at the terminations. On top of the doorjamb, at the centre of the lintel (lalata), is an image of Gajalakshmi (a form of the goddess Lakshmi) with elephants on either side.

The Nageshvarasvami temple, also a Western Ganga construction, faces east, has a square plan for the sanctum, a vestibule, an open hall, a detached hall called mukha-mantapa whose ceiling is supported by eight pillars. An image of Nandi is placed in the mukha-mantap making it serve the purpose of a Nandi-mantapa (Nandi hall). The base of the entrance (dvara) is flanked by niches with images of Ganga-Yamuna figures with attendant ladies. This appears to be a Chalukya–Rashtrakuta influence.