Dharmaraja Temple, Bangalore, Karnataka, India

Deities: Lord Dharmaraja
Location: Nagarath Pet, Bengalore
Best time to visit: September to March.
STD Code: 080

The Garden City of Bangalore which is presently more famous for its development in the IT sector is a favorite tourist destination. There are many places to be visited in Bangalore, but the Temples are its main attractions. For all tourists visiting Bangalore, the Dharmaraja Temple must be included in the list of places to be visited.

Sri Yama is known by various names: Dharmaraja, Yamaraja, Kaalan, Kaala Déva and so on.
The Dharmaraja Temple in Bangalore is located in Nagarath Pet. The Temple has two outstanding images, Sri Dharmaraja Swami, one of the main characters of the Hindu mythology Mahabharata, and the other of Lord Krishna. People to worship Lord Krishna celebrate Kangra festival here. The Karaga that is a symbol of Draupadi (wife of Dharamraja) is kept inside this temple.

A fascinating thing about the procession of Dharmaraja Temple is that, it is compulsory to visit the dargha of the Sufi saint Hazarat Tawakkal Mastan. It is because of this reason that people of sect and religions participate in this procession. It’s a wonderful example of the brotherhood of Hindus and Muslims.

This temple is symbol of the Hindu religion. The temple is known for its colorful sculptures that adorn the walls and roofs of this huge structure on the outside. Inside the temple premise also one can find a large number of stone sculptures and carvings that are true examples of Indian culture. The temple is neat and clean. The images of the deities to whom this temple is dedicated are extremely beautiful.

You can come to the Dharmaraja Temple, Bangalore and offer prayers to the God’s. The priests are helpful and will perform the rituals properly, by chanting sacred hymns. You can also conduct a large number of religious ceremonies inside the temple premises. Thus, you can come to the Dharmaraja Temple, Bangalore with your family and experience spirituality and divinity.

Architecture:
early 7th century), among the earliest examples of their type in southern India, there are here several monolithic temples carved out of the rock, the largest of which is the massive three-storied Dharmaraja-ratha (c. 650). The finest temple at this site and of this period is an elegant complex of three shrines called the Shore Temple (c. 700), not cut out of rock.

The Five Rathas:
The five Rathas include The Dharmaraja, The Bhima, The Arjuna, The Draupadi and The Sahadeva. The Five Rathas, about 200m south of the main hill, were fashioned out of a smaller hill sloping down from the south. From the largest part was made the biggest of the five rathas, the Dharmaraja. Then followed onwards north, in the descending order of height, the Bhima, the Arjuna and the Draupadi.

A little to the west of Draupadi there was a comparatively large rock and out of it the Sahadeva Ratha was made. Immediately in front of the Draupadi again two smaller rocks were sculptured into an elephant and a lion. Behind the Draupadi and the Arjuna, which stand on a common base, there is a Nandi.

Gigantic with respect to all the other rathas found here, the dharmaraja ratha is a chariot of the Lord Shiva. A larger version of the Arjuna ratha, it displays all the aspects of true dravida style. A pyramidal structure with 3 tiers before the shikhara appears, here also called the stupi.

Festival:
A large number of festivals are held in Dharmaraja Temple, Bangalore. The most famous of them is the Karaga Festival. Karaga is the symbol of Draupadi, wife of Dharmaraja in the epic Mahabharata. This festival is celebrated in March and April. Huge processions are held that start from the temple grounds and returns over here. It starts at 2 in the morning and ends at 6 in the morning. The procession of the festival covers a distance of 20-25 kms, People of all religions participate inn the procession. The idol of the deities is taken out in the procession. However, the idols can be carried by the members of the Thegala community only. The music played in the procession is extremely enchanting and mesmerizing.

Other important Attraction in Bangalore:
The Bangalore Palace
Lalbagh
Cubbon Park
Government Museum
The Bull Temple
The Shri Gavi Gangadhareswara Temple

How to reach:
by Air: Bangalore is well connected by air with other cities. There are daily flights to Delhi, Mumbai, Chennai, Calcutta, Hyderabad, Goa and Thiruvananthapuram and other cities.
by Rail: Bangalore is well connected to the rest of the country both by meter gauge and broad gauge rail services. It is an important railway station on the southern railway network. There are two major railway stations in Bangalore-The Bangalore city railway station and Bangalore cantonment railway station.
by Road: Bangalore is located at the junction of National. Highway 4, 7 and 48 that connects it to all parts of the country with good roads.

Adderess:
D.K. Street
H.K.P. Road
Bangalore 560 051
Landmark: Near Kamakshi Marriage Hall
Karnataka
INDIA

Visit www.eTirth.com for more information on Temples, Ashrams, Gurus, Festival and Daily Panchangam (Hindu ephemeris).

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