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Bangalore has number of temples for those who have religious bent of mind. Some of these temples are very old and equally beautiful.
Shri Bhoganandiswara Temple
This temple is located at the foothills of Nandi hills go back to the period of Cholas, Hoysalas and the Vijaynagara Kings. Lord Bhoganandiswara, Umamaheswara and Arunachaleswara are enshrined and worshiped here. The beauty of kalyanamandapa is eyecatching. Shri Yoganandiswara Temple atop the hill goes back to the Chola period. It received extensive patronage from the Vijaynagara Kings.
Shri Chamundeswari Temple
This temple is built on the summit of 1062 meters Chamundi Hills .It has towering seven-storey 40m high gopuram. There are 1000 odd steps that devotees are supposed to climb to reach the temple. The view of the Mysore city is superb from the top.
Shri Channakeshara Temple
This temple is located at Somnathpur 45 km from Mysore.It was built around 1200AD during the heydays of the Hoysala Kings. It is one of the most beautiful temples in India. The walls of the star-shaped temple are literally covered with sculptures depicting various scenes from the Ramayana, Mahabharata, Bhagavad-Gita and the life and times of the Hoysala kings.
Vishwashanti Ashram
(25 kms) houses the tallest statue of Vitthala, an incarnation of Lord Vishnu.
St.Philomena's Cathedral
It is located in Mysore and is one of the largest churches in India. It is built in a neo-gothic style attracting large number of people.
St.Mary's Basilica
This Church is situated opposite Russell Market Square. It was built as a small chapel in1818 by Abbey Dubois but was later converted into an ornate Gothic style church by Rev.L.E Kleiner.A large number of stained glass windows were bought from Paris to adorn the church but these were removed during world war second. These were again restored after India gained independence. The church was given the status of a Basilica in 1973 through a papal order by Pope John Paul 6th.
St. Marks Cathedral
The Bishop of Calcutta consecrated this cream colored Cathedral in 1816. It was founded in 1808 and completed in 1812. . This Cathedral is a beautiful colonial
structure having a graceful dome over a semicircular chancel that transfixes the visitor immediately. Roman archers along the walls are the features of the Cathedral.
Ghati Subramanya lays 52 kms from Bangalore via Doddaballapur.The famous temple of Lord Subramanya is situated here.
Savanadurga 58 kms from Bangalore is famous for the temple dedicated to Narasimhaswamy and
VeerabhadraswamyYou can see the ruins of hill fortress that was the hideout of Kempe Gowda.
There are temples dedicated to Lord Gangadhara and Honnadevi at Shivaganga located 60 kms from Bangalore.
Hoysala temples at Belur and Halebid
The temples of Belur and Halebid are the remnants of one of the most artistically exuberant periods of Hindu cultural development. The sculptures depicted on these temples rival those only found on Khajuraho and Konarak.The Hoysaleswara temple of Halebid is an outstanding piece of Hoysala art and architecture. Every part of the temple is covered with endless variety of Hindu deities, sages, animals and birds and scenes depicting the life and times of the Hoysala rulers. Halebid also has a smaller temple known, as Kedarswara.The Channekeshava Temple at Belur is the only one of the three Hoysala sites still used as a functioning temple. It has very delicately carved images of deities. The other lesser, Hoysala temples at Belur are Chennigaraya and Viranarayana.
Sravanabelagola
This is one of the oldest and most important Jain pilgrimage centers in India and site of the huge 17 meter high statue of Lord Gomateshvara.It is said to be the world's tallest monolithic statue. It overlooks the town of Sravanabelagola from the top of the hill known as Indragiri.Lord Bahubali undergoes Mahamastakabhisheka ceremony every 12 years when thousands of pilgrims and devotees gather to witness it. The word Sravanabelagola means the monk on the top of the hill. It is a Digambara Jain shrine. There are also several very interesting Jain temples and Mathas both in the town and on chandragiri hill. The two of these the Bandhari Basti and the Akkana Basti are in the Hoysala style and a third Chandragupta Basti is believed to be built by Emperor Asoka.
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