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● Bhoga Nandeeshwara temple – 

Located in the foothills of Nandi Hills of Karnataka,Bhoga Nandeeshwara temple is dedicated to Hindu god Shiva. It is located 60km far from Bangalore and is under the protection of Archaeological Survey of India as a monument of national

importance. The temple is said to be more than 1000 years old going back to the 9th century and is the rendition of five different dynasties that ruled the area of Nandi Hills. However, one can see Dravidian Architecture  dominating the most in the entire temple.

Originally, Bana Queen Ratnavali is believed to have constructed the temple at first, and then, added and extended layers by layers during the Ganga dynasty, Cholas, Hoysalas, Pallavas, Vijayanagara kings consecutively. It was the Banas who created the original temple, then it

was the Chola kings who added the roof during the 11th century, then it was the Hoysala dynasty that added marriage hall to the temple structural, and then finally, it was the Vijayanagar kings who added the outer wall and buildings during the 13thcentury.

But according to Archaeological Survey of India, there are the earliest inscriptions from the Nolamba dynasty ruler Nolambadiraja and the Rasthrakuta emperor Govinda III that dates back to c.806 and copper plates of Bana rulers Jayateja and Dattiya of about c.810.

In the state of Karnataka, the Bhoga Nandeeshwara Temple is the oldest and houses three temples: the Arunachaleshwara, the Uma Maheshwara and the Bhoga Nandeshwara itself.

Arunachaleshwara is believed to be a representative of Shiva’s childhood, Bhoga Nandeeshwara the youth and