7,000-year-old temple in Malleswaram
MEGHANA MATHUR
TIMES NEWS
NETWORK
[ SUNDAY, OCTOBER 14, 2001 11:23:05 PM ]
MALLESWARAM boasts of many temples, but none is so shrouded in
controversy and mystery as this one is. The ancient Nandeeshwara temple
at Malleswaram 17th cross was discovered only three years ago, but it
has stood for 7,000 years on that spot. Being buried over the years
hasn't diminished its aura at all. It still draws huge crowds all day.
According to residents living nearby, the temple was completely buried
and the land above it was a flat stretch. "Three years ago, a politician
tried to sell this plot. But people objected on the grounds that the
land should first be dug through to see if they could find something,"
says the priest, Ravi Shankar Bhatt. And so when they started digging up
the land, they found buried underneath, this temple. It was in perfect
condition, preserved by the thick layers of soil.
This underground temple was enclosed within a stone cut courtyard
supported by ancient stone pillars. At the far end of the courtyard, a
Nandi was carved out of a black stone with eyes painted in gold.
From its mouth a clear stream of water flowed directly on to a
Shivalinga made out of the same black stone at a lower level. There were
steps that led to a small pool in the centre of the courtyard where the
water flowed and collected. The pool's centre had a 15 feet deep
whirlpool.
Everything remains the same today. Nobody knows where the water comes
from and how it passes from the mouth of the Nandi idol on to the
shivalinga. Nobody knows how the whirlpool came into being. The source
of water, the sculptor, even the time when it was built remains a
mystery.
"There has been no scientific explanation for the source of water till
date," says resident Shivalingaiah. "Some say it was built by Shivaji
Maharaj. Some say it's older. But of one thing we were sure, the temple
has remained untouched over the years. We found it exactly as it might
have been before it was covered by soil," he adds.
On Shivaratri day, overwhelming crowds gather at this temple. Some
perform the 'milk puja'. Others just come to marvel at a temple no one
has any explanation for. The water source has been estimated by some to
be the Sankey tank. This, because it happens to be directly in the line
of, and at a higher level from the Nandeeshwara temple. But this
hypothesis hasn't been proved yet.
This Malleswaram temple falls under the constituency of MLA Sitaram.
Speaking of the controversy surrounding this temple, he says, "There was
a court case initially. But since it was an ancient temple of great
heritage and religious value, it was preserved and taken over by the
state government."
Today, Sitaram says improvements have been made to the structure. "Since
it was so ancient, the walls had some kind of leakage and started
rotting after a while. The leaks were filled up and the walls were
whitewashed. But no one has really tampered with the original
structure," he adds.
A Malleswaram committee has been specifically created to look after the
temple. Committee president C.Chandrashekhar functions along with a
11-member committee. "We are slowly introducing improvements in the
temple to keep it in good shape. A lot of people come even from other
parts of Bangalore," he says. The committee's next step is to build a
gopuram in the temple premises. "But funds are a problem," adds
Sitaram.
"Every year the cost of maintaining the temple increases. I just wish
the government would do something about this."