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Religious Interest |
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Sugreeva Venkateshwara Temple |
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Located in Balepet area, this temple houses
idols of Sugreeva and Venkateshwara. The inner shrine of the temple has an idol
of Lord Venkateshwara placed on a pedestal. The Sugreeva idol, which is about six
feet in height and appears like Hanuman. The long teeth on either side of the mouth
are the only thing which differentiates it from Hanuman. |
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Venkataramanswamy Temple |
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Is a small temple with some interesting
carvings, built by Chikkadevaraj Wodeyar. There are figures of Brahma, Vishnu, and
Shiva on the walls and an idol of Venkatarama in the sanctorum. After Lord Cornwall's
assault, in 1791, the original pillar had to be replaced as it was hit by a cannon
ball. Built in typical Dravidian style, this temple has survived through the reign
of Chikkadevaraj Wodeyar, Sultan Haider Ali and Tipu Sultan. |
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Sikh Gurudwara |
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Near the Ulsoor Lake stands the elegant
and white Sikh Gurudwara. Opened on 13 April 1946, it is the main Sikh temple in
Bangalore. Having been renovated recently, the temple looks resplendent with marble
floors. Devotees from all religions and communities are welcome to the temple.The
prayer hall is large and well-ventilated. It can accommodate about 500 devotees
at a time. Special prayers are offered every Sunday and the temple wears a colourful
look. Nearly a thousand people from all religions come here to worship. Bhajans
and kirtanas are sung in praise of Guru Nanak and Guru Granth Sahib. After this,
meals (vegetables, dal, chapatis and payasam) are served to all. There is a school,
a medical centre and a function hall in the premises. The temple also provides accommodation
(a day's stay) to the tourists. The Sri Guru Singh Sabha manages the affairs of
the temple, but it is the devotees who sponsor free medical consultancy and Sunday
meals. |
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Jumma Masjid |
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The most impressive mosque in Bangalore is Jamia Masjid, situated
near City Market. It dazzles in the sun with its exterior of pristine white marble
from Rajasthan. Rayyaz Asifuddin from Hyderabad designed it and the foundation stone
was laid by Sir Mirza Ismail (Dewan of Mysore) in 1940. Its balconies are exquisitely
fashioned with jali work. It is a five-storeyed structure, which
can accommodate up to 10,000 worshippers. The atmosphere inside the mosque is cool,
serene and airy, with an ablution pool in the centre. However the oldest mosque
in the city is the Jumma Masjid at Cantonment area, which is a
brick and mortar structure with ornate jali-work and floral motifs in plaster on
the facade. It is located on Old Poor House Road and was once called the Sangian
Jamia Masjid. Granite pillars adorn the raised prayer hall of the mosque. |
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Tawakkal Mastan |
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This is probably the first dargah to be associated with a Hindu
festival. The dargah honours the Sufi saint, Hazrat Tawakkal Mastan. Legend has
it that the saint was a mason from Arabia who was involved in the construction
of Haidar's fort. He had the misfortune of being trampled on by a crowd during a
karaga procession. It is said that he fainted and was revived by some priests who
applied kum-kum on his wounds, which is what was supposed to have healed him. He
then insisted that the procession stop at the dargah every time. It is situated
in Cottonpet and also has a marriage hall and a school. |
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