Dharmaraya Swamy Temple, Hindu temple in Old City, Bangalore, India
Dharmaraya Swamy is a Hindu temple in the Old City, distinguished by a monumental entrance gateway decorated with intricate sculptural work and carved reliefs. The decorations depict deities from the Hindu pantheon and scenes from the Mahabharata epic.
The temple was built in the 16th century, before Bangalore's founder Kempe Gowda I established the city in 1537. This makes it one of the oldest structures in the area and a testament to religious practice that predates the city's formal founding.
This temple serves as the heart of the annual Karaga festival held in March and April, when priests carry water-filled ceremonial pots through the streets of the Old City. The festival draws devotees who join the procession, keeping alive a tradition that has shaped community life in this neighborhood for generations.
Visitors must remove their footwear at the entrance and should maintain respectful silence while inside the temple grounds. The best time to visit is early morning or evening, when fewer people are around and the spaces feel less crowded.
The temple houses idols of all five Pandava brothers and the goddess Draupadi, a rare combination rarely found elsewhere in South India. This focus on the Mahabharata family makes the location particularly meaningful for pilgrims and history enthusiasts.
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