important cities in India with the most prestigious scientific institutions, industries, electronic, computer companies located here. There are several fascinating places of interest in and around Bangalore. |
| The Ladh Khan temple is of a mandapa type, a rectangular structure with a flat roof of stone slabs. The plan of the building suggests that it could have been a village meeting hall, rather than a typical shrine of worship. This mandapam was used by a Muslim mendicant in the last century & hence it is known as Ladh Khan temple. It is considered to be a temple for Surya Naaraayana.
The Durga temple is a more developed structure, resembling a Buddhist Chaitya. Standing on a high base, the temple has a mukha mandapa, sabha mandapa & garba griha with a passage bordered by pillars with carvings. There is a small pyramidal sikhara over the garba griha. There are some wonderful scuptures. On one side are the carvings of Siva on his Rishaba vaahnam, Narasinhaa(Vishnu as a half man, half lion) & Vishnu on his Garuda vaahanamon one side and Vaarahar (Vishnu in the form of a boar), Hariharan (form of Vishnu-Hari & Siva-Haran) & Mahishasura Mardini trampling the buffalo demon on the other side.
The Raavana-Phadi temple , excavated on a hillock probably belonged to the 7th century. The square shrine housing a rock-cut linga is almost the same saize as the square mandapa before it. On the ceiling of the chamber connecting the front square mandapa & the main shrine are carvings of Lord Vishnu on his Garuda Vaahanam, a central lotus design & Indraa on his Airaavatam. On either side of the mandpa, two more shrines have been excavated, the shrine on the left for forms of Siva & the other for Saptamatrikas. |