Gavi Gangadhareshwara Temple is a Rock-Cut Cave temple located | The Indian Heritage

Gavi Gangadhareshwara Temple is a Rock-Cut Cave temple located gavipura guttahalli Area of Bangalore City.

The temple is famous for its mysterious stone discs in the forecourt and the exact planning allowing the sun to shine on the Shivling on Makar Sankranti every year.

Makar Sankranti is a special day for the devotees of Gavi Gangadhareshwara temple. Usually celebrated on the 14 or 15th of January in the evening hours the sun shines directly on the ShivLinga, after it passes through the Nandi’s horns. The Nandi is placed facing Almighty Shiva. Many consider it a miraculous phenomenon and is a subject of research for many scientists.

Unusually for a South Indian temple, the complex is not aligned to any of the cardinal directions—it faces south-west. This is perhaps the first clue to the temple’s astrophysical relevance, and why it is such a draw for the hundreds of devotees who throng around me. Then, In the forecourt stand two monolithic structures, named Suryapana and Chandrapana—each consisting of a massive disc atop a supporting pillar, like giant stone lollipops. Engravings of sitting bulls on the discs face each other. The discs are identical in size and have a diameter of about 6ft. Grooves cut into the discs are at right angles to each other, on both faces, giving them the appearance of a sniper rifle’s crosshairs. But behind it lies a tale of scientific knowledge and architectural prowess.