About 15 years ago, the busy neighbourhood of Malleswaram in Bangalore woke up to a beautiful secret, hidden in its bosom, . The residents made an astounding discovery, of an ancient temple of Eshwara buried in the middle of a busy residential area opposite the famous Kadu Malleswara temple, Laksminarasimha temple and Gangamma temple.
According to residents living nearby, the temple was completely buried and the land above it was a Banana orchard, a dried up old Kalyani and some plain flat land which local children used as a playground.
In 1997, when construction was to start on the land, someone who claimed to be the owners and when the labourers began digging, a ‘Nandi’ or a bull’s head was sighted by local children.
The local residents swung into action and consulted the ASI (Archaeological Survey of India) about their findings. The ASI took up complete excavation and an ancient temple was found in perfect condition, preserved by thick layers of soil. Sand blasting, cleaning and restoration work was taken up and carbon dating ascertained that the temple was over 400 years old.
The temple is completely built in stone and enclosed within a courtyard supported by pillars. The main doorway is facing south direction.
At the far end of the courtyard, a Nandi carved out of black stone with eyes painted in gold was found facing the south. When the mouth of the bull was cleaned, a small miracle happened and water stared pouring out uninterruptedly.
The source of the water is an underground natural spring. It is so designed that the water from the Nandi’s mouth falls directly on the main deity (Nandikeshwara or Dakshina Mukha Nandi teertha) of the temple, the Shiva Linga.
“Syphon system helps bring out water from the spring that collects in a tank at the base of the idol continuously from the Nandi’s mouth,” explained Shivaram, a former Police Officer and a local resident and a part of the group that is maintaining the temple.
The water then flows and collects in a small pool in the centre of the courtyard. All around the pool (Kalyani) which is 30 feet below the idol of Nandi, there are stone steps. When the pools gets filled up, the water goes into a well found in the garden in front of the south entrance of the temple.
The local residents have strived very hard to keep everything in the temple as it was when they found it. The beauty of the temple has been restored to its old glory. The walls have been repainted and some light fittings have been fitted. There is a mural on the wall behind the idol of Nandi which is completely encased in a metal frame.
The only thing new is a beautiful ornamental gateway gopura with an idol of Nandi that has been built at its west entrance. “The garden around the temple with its flora has been retained as it was and a couple of trees such as Rudraksha Neem, Bilwa, Banni, Arali, Ficus, Parijatha, Nagasampige and Devasampige have been specially planted” explained B K Shivaram. Dakshina Mukha Nandi Teertha Kalyani temple, as it is now known, is very unique in many ways. The architecture of the temple is completely different from that of the usual Shiva temples, where the idol of Nandi resides in front of Lord Shiva. Here Nandi is above the idol of Lord Shiva Linga.
This temple is a few feet below the ground level and unlike most temples where you climb up steps to take the blessings of the lord; here you climb down to pray to the god. All the Vastu principles for building Hindu temples has been followed. Carvings of snake, tortoise and fish can be seen on the steps of the Kalyani.
“The same kind of carvings can be seen on the wall of the Kadu Malleswara temple and roof of Jala Kanteshwara temple.” explained B K Shivam. “Even as a child I have seen this Kalyani and thought that it was something connected to the Kadu Malleswara temple which is an ancient monument under the protection of the ASI. It is only after discovering the Shiva Linga we realised that in fact, it is a complete temple on its own.” In addition to the carvings, live fish and tortoise thrive in the Kalyani.
But till date questions like who built the temple, the name of the builder, the sculptor remains unknown. Also why such a beautiful temple was neglected or buried remains a mystery.
The temple itself is enveloped by a strange sense of serenity. Even though you are in the middle of the busiest areas of the city, inside the temple there is amazing calm. It feels like being in a forest far away from the maddening crowd. You could spend hours sitting on the steps of the Kalyani amidst ultimate peace and tranquillity.