I have often stressed the fact that though there were fifty six kingdoms in India from ancient times, though there were wars between various kings, the culture was so advanced the Conquerors built temples, tanks and roads in the kingdom which they have won.
Halasuru Someswara Temple.
People were not harassed as a general rule though there are exceptions as in the case of Vatapi, now in Karnataka, which was burnt down Narasimha Varma Pallava in his war against Pulikesin1 .
However the King’s of Tamil Nadu built temples and tanks in Karnataka.
The Hoysalas built temples in Tamil Nadu and Hoysala architecture had left an impression in Tamil Nadu Architecture.
Will be writing on this.
Many temples in Bangalore were built by Cholas, some of them dating back to 1035 AD.
I have written on the temple built by Rajendra Chola and Kukothunga Chola in Bangalore.
Here is a list of Temples built by Cholas in Bangalore.
1.Someshwara Swamy TempleAgara1500 years
2Someshwara TempleMarathahalli1508 AD
3Halasuru Someshwara TempleHalasuru, date to be ascertained.
4Someshwara TempleMadiwala1247 AD
5.Eshwara TempleKengeri1050 AD.
6.Chokkanathaswamy templeDomlur10th century AD
7.Mukthi Natheshwara TempleBinnamangala1110 AD
8.Kashi Vishweshwar templeKadugodi.Date to be confirmed.
9.Kaalikaamba Kamatheshwara TempleNagarathpet13th century AD
10.Vasantha Vallabharaya TempleVasanthapura.Date to be confirmed.
11.Dharmesvara TempleKondrahalli1065 AD.
12.Sri Madduramma TempleHuskur11th century AD.
13.Sri Ananda Lingeshwara TempleHebbal.Date to be confirmed.
Bangalore, now called as Bengaluru, the IT capital of India is older than what many believe it to be.
The common assumption is that it was founded by Kempegowda in the *16th Century.
Chola Inscription on the outerwall of Someswara temple at Madivala, Bangalore
‘It is the name of a village near kodegehalli and was copied by Kempegowda to the city of Bangalore. Bangalore was built on a venue earlier called as Shivanasamudram in the 16th century.(wiki Bangalore Etymology).
Considering the history of India and that of the kings of South India, Cheras, Cholas, Pandy as, Hoysalas , Satavahanas and Gangas, Bangalore should be much older.
And considering Ramayana which states that Rishyasrunga, husband of Rama’s sister lived in Sringeri, Karnataka, this conviction about the antiquity of Karnataka and Kannada the Brahmi script of which is a million year old.
Please read my articles on these.
There are many ancient temples in Bangalore.
The Kadu Malleswaram Temple is about 7000 years old.
Please check my article on this.
Now evidence has surfaced in the Form of Epigraphy in A Temple in Bangalore.
And this is dated around 1297AD.
Not only this.
This temple was built by Rajaraja Cholas who built the Thanjavur Big Temple, an architectural marvel, in Tamil Nadu.
The inscription also mentions the name of Bangalore as Vengalur .
The report.
‘Bangalore came into existence in 1527 (founded by Kempegowda) but the name is older than the city. One of the earliest and the only known records that talks about Bengaluru is a veeragallu (hero stone) in Begur village — which proves that there existed a place called Bengaluru in the 9th Century.
Members of Inscription Stones of Bangalore, a team of history/heritage researchers, who have done a reality check on the surviving hero stones and inscriptions, stumbled upon the Madivala inscription and dug into the Epigraphia Carnatica to decipher the writing. “The Madivala Someshwara temple outer wall is filled with writings and Vengalur is mentioned at the bottom. It talks about land grants made by the rulers. This temple is just about 6 km from Begur and since there is a mention of Veppur (now Begur) in the inscription, it adds all the more credence to the city’s name. This inscription is also recorded in the Epigraphia Carnatica,’’ says Arun Bharadwaj, a member of the Inscription Stones of Bangalore.
The Epigraphia Carnatica has recorded the inscription as: Someshware temple at Madivala is one of Bangalore’s oldest, dating back to the Chola period. There are a number of Tamil and Grantha inscriptions on the outer walls of the temple. The oldest of these inscriptions dates to 1247 AD that talks about land grants “below the big tank of Vengalur” by a Veppur (modern Begur) resident. Other inscriptions also talk about other land grants including those done during the reigns of Ballala III and Rajendra Chola.‘
*date quoted in Wikipedia and in Bangalore Mirror article differ. Shall check and update.
General conception i that Kempe Gowda established Bangalore around 1537 CE.
‘A succession of South Indian dynasties, the Western Gangas, the Cholas and the Hoysalas, ruled the present region of Bangalore until in 1537 CE, Kempé Gowdā – a feudal ruler under the Vijayanagara Empire – established a mud fort considered to be the foundation of modern Bangalore.’
Yet we find a 7000 year old Temple in Malleshwaram and another Someshwara Temple in Madivala,Bangalore.
Bangalore, hence, must be older than what is believed.
The Western Ganga Dynasty, called Mel(west) Gangar find reference in Tamil literature of the period of Rajaraja Chola, who built the Thanjavur Big Temple in Tamil Nadu and Rajendra Chola, his son who built the Gangai Konda Cholapuram, Tamil Nadu.
Western Ganga dynasty ruled Karnataka and lasted from about 350 to 1000 AD.
Later came the Cholas and Hoysalas.
However my research indicates Karnataka to be much older, considering that Lord Rama’s brother in Law Rishyasrunga lived in Sringeri.
And there are references to Karnataka region in ancient Tamil literature.
I shall be writing on this shortly.
While going through Indian History from Indian sources, including the Purana and Tamil Literature( I unfortunately know only Tamil and Sanskrit;wish I have learnt more Indian languages), a curious fact emerges.
Though King fought for supremacy with each other, common people remained close together, except during wars.
There were marriages between people regions belonging to different regions.
The Kings to married from other dynasties.
Rajendra helped his nephew Rajaraja defeat Vijayaditya. His armies defeated Vijayadiya in Vengi and Jayasimha in the battle of Maski.
The village Kadugodi, Whitefield was built during the period of Rajendra Chola.
‘Kadugodi (ಕಾಡುಗೋಡಿ IPA: [Kāḍugōḍi]), known as Kadugudi was founded by the great Cholas Dynasty. It is located in Whitefield, Bangalore in the state of Karnataka. Kadugodi comes from “kadu” & “Gudi” meaning “temple in a forest” in Kannada.’
Also the ‘KaShivishwanatha Temple (Built in the period of Cholas Dynasty) recently it has been re constructed. 2. Sree RamanjanEya temple (one of the oldest temple) 3. Shiva temple (another Oldest temple)’
Cholas Dynasty’s Inscriptions dating from 1043AD exists in Kadugodi, from the period of Rajendra Chola I, which describes the construction of the Pattanduru Lake, and Ganesh, Durga and Kshetrapaala temples by Chola chieftain Raja Raja Velan son of Permadi Gavunda.
Due to misinformation and doctored history, we feel we belong to different states.
The Sanatana Dharma culture permeated the whole Fabric of India.
Yes.
We did and do speak different languages but we are one as a Bharatvanshi, united by our common culture.
Someswara Temple,Old Madiwala,Bangalore. The temple is said to be a Chola period structure, making it one among Bangalore’s oldest. The earliest record dates to 1247 AD.source.By Eshwar.om at English Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=42152193
One can find evidence of this if one observes the practices followed in each state of India.
I have written about a 7000 year old Shiva Temple in Malleswaram, Bangalore.
We have one more Shiva temple which is 800 years old.
‘Non-Bangaloreans perhaps conjure up images of silk when they hear these words. Almost certainly, an 800-year-old temple is not what you would associate with that bustling junction… which makes the Someshwara temple one of IT city’s best kept secrets.
The temple is in old Madivala, a place where shops and houses open out onto narrow lanes that twist this way and that, and where children still play cricket in the bylanes. And while traffic-induced chaos reigns supreme at the Silk Board junction, peace and quiet hold sway at the Someswhara temple a mere kilometre away.
The stone temple is said to be a Chola period temple, making it one among Bangalore’s oldest. And there is ample proof of its antiquity. Large portions of its outer walls are covered with inscriptions in Tamil and Grantha (an old script used to write Sanskrit) characters, attesting to the temple’s age. The earliest record dates to 1247 AD and refers to lands donated “below the big tank of Vengalur” by a resident of ‘Veppur’ (modern-day Begur). Other inscriptions seem to have followed in quick succession, recording grants made during the reigns of Hoysala king Ballala III and Chola king Rajendra. One record, from 1365, mentions a land grant at Tamaraikkirai (meaning ‘the banks of the lotus pond’ in Tamil). Epigraphy expert H S Gopala Rao, Secretary of the Karnataka Itihasa Academy, points out that this is the old name for what we today know as Tavarekere.
Apart from its obvious age, the Madivala area may have much else to boast about. Gopala Rao mentions how inscriptions have been found elsewhere in Bangalore which suggest that the illustrious Krishnadevaraya, the most famous king of the Vijayanagar empire, himself spent some time in Madivala.
Today, though, there are no trappings of royalty, either in Madivala or in the Someshwara temple. The temple underwent extensive renovations five years ago, but as Gopala Rao says, fortunately, the inscriptions were largely unharmed. The temple’s outer walls that carry the inscriptions and also idols of various gods including Ganesha, Durga and Vishnu, remain unaltered.
Inside, apart from shiny new flooring, the garba griha and artha mantapa were untouched. These inner chambers still remain small and darkened spaces that encourage a personal and intimate communion with the Lord.
Apart from four carved pillars, the artha mantapa has a large and elegantly proportioned granite Nandi facing the linga. Behind the Nandi, the eastern wall of the temple has a small opening that is directly in line with the linga.
In the days before Madivala was engulfed in buildings, the sun’s rays entered through this small opening to illuminate the linga. According to the priest, K Achyuta Rao, the temple’s deity is a Swayambhu linga, i.e., it is said to have manifested itself without any human agency.
This refreshingly quiet and serene temple remains open for worship from 7:30 to 11:00 in the mornings and from 5:30 to 8:30 in the evenings. ‘
‘The Someshware temple at Madivala is one of Bangalore’s oldest, dating back to the Chola period. There are a number of Tamil and Grantha inscriptions on the outer walls of the temple. The oldest of these inscriptions dates to 1247 AD talks about a land grants “below the big tank of Vengalur” by a Veppur (modern Begur) resident. Other inscriptions also talk about other land grants including those done during the reigns of Ballala III and Rajendra Chola. Another instrciption dated 1365 talks about land grand at Tamaraikkirai (which translates to ‘lotus pond bank’ in Tamil, and according to HS Gopala Rao, Secretary of the Karnataka Itihasa Academy refers to the present day Tavarekere suburb
Old Madiwala Sri Someshwara Temple located in Bangalore city (also Bengaluru) is dedicated to the deity Someshwara (the Hindu god Shiva). It is one among the oldest temples in the city and dates back to the Chola Empire period.The temple belongs to the early 12th century.(1247 AD).
The temple houses a “Swayambu” Shiva lingam in it Sanctum Sanctorum (Shiva lingam formed by natural Rock Formation). But unlike other ancient temples in Bangalore, this temple is in good shape and cared well by people around. This shows the real strength people have in protecting our heritage without outside help. It is very powerful and Ancienttemple.
The presence of Shiva and Shiva Lingas in the South in significant and the worship of Shiva is more prevalent than in the north.
This has made me search for the early worship of Shiva in the South, which precede even the Sanatana Dharma of the North.
Thousand Lingas in Shalmala River near Sirsi, Karnataka India.
Please read my post on Pre Sanatana Dharma Shiva.
Not only this.
The spread of Sanatana Dharma to South East Asia was led by Subrahmanya(Murugan) and to the West of India by Shiva and His son Ganesha.
This is proved by the presence of Shiva, Ganesha in the west and Murugan and Shiva in the East.
All from Bharatavarsha.
Now an interesting questions arise .
Shiva Lingas, Nandi in Riverbed.
Were Ganesha, Murugan and Shiva Human Beings’ later elevated to Godhood?
or were they Aliens who came down to the Earth?
Considering the fact that the Vedas advocate formless worship and the development of Thoughts on God only as a means of Self Realization,the Reality Brahman being an abstract principle, there is scope for more research on this subject.
There are also reports, very credible of course, of underground tunnels in various parts of the world, all interlinked.
The common factor is the Kailash Mountain, the Abode of Lord Shiva.
I shall be writing with research papers on this subject.
In the mean while there is a report of thousands of Shiva Lingas being found in the Shalmala Riverbed in Karnataka.
This came to light when the riverbed dried up because of dry weSiva Lingas in Shalmala Riverbed,Karnataka, India.
Recently, due to dry weather, the water level of the Shalmala river in Karnataka receded, revealing the presence of thousands of Shiva Lingas carved throughout the river bed. Because of these uncountable carvings, the place gets the name “Sahasralinga” (thousand Shiva Lingas).
Sahasralinga has become an important pilgrimage place. On the auspicious day of Mahashivaratri thousands of pilgrims visit Sahasralinga to offer their prayers to Lord Shiva. Each Lingam in the river has a matching carving of Nandi (the Bull mountTh of Lord Shiva) facing it.
Shiva Lingas have been worshipped by Hindus for thousands of years. It represents divine power and energy. The worship of Shiva Linga was not confined to India only. Carvings of Shiva Lingas can be found throughout the world in nearly every ancient civilization.
Sahasralinga is a most beautiful place. It is located near Sirsi, in the state of Karnataka. It is on the way to Yellapur from Sirsi, around 17 kms from Sirsi. After Bhairumbe you will have to get down at a bus-stop called Hul Gol bus-stop and walk towards Hul Gol. From the main road it is a distance of around 2 kms.
I am investigting the possible likns between these Sahasralingas and the Valley of Shiva Lingas in Kbal Spean ,Cambodia.
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