Heritage walk and craft corner

 

Bhoganandiswara Temple and Devanahalli Fort

Bhoganandiswara Temple

Bhoganandiswara Temple a Hindu temple located in Nandi village in Chikkaballapur district of Karnataka, India. A beautifully carved and dedicated to Shiva, they have been variously dated between the 9th- to 10th-century CE.

 

The Bhoganandiswara is the northern temple of the twin. It is the oldest surviving temple in Nolambavadi-style of Dravidian architecture in Karnataka. The Arunachaleswara temple was added to its south shortly thereafter. The complex underwent restorations and additions through the Vijayanagara Empire period. The temples are notable for its large and intricately carved sabha-mandapa, the inscriptions, and artwork, much of it to Shaivism, but also significantly for Vaishnavism (Narasimha, Vishnu), Shaktism (Durga, Lakshmi) and Vedic deities

The history of the eastern regions of south Karnataka traces to ancient times. They developed under the reign of the Rashtrakuta and Ganga dynasties. By the 8th-century, the Hindu Nolambas – also known as Nolamba-Pallavas – were governing this region for the Rashtrakuta and Ganga dynasties

Devanahalli Fort

Devanahalli Fort is located 35 kilometers (22 mi) north of Bangalore city, at Devanahalli in the State of Karnataka, India. Chieftain Malla Byre Gowda of Avathi, a Vijayanagara empire vassal, built a mud fort in c. 1501 at Devanadoddi (now called Devanahalli). In the late 18th century, Hyder Ali re-constructed the fort in stone resulting in the current structure. 

 

It was originally built in 1501 by Mallabairegowda, which remained in the hands of his descendants until the mid–eighteenth century. In 1749, the then Dalwai of Mysore, Nanjarajaiah, attacked the fort and occupied it. Later, the fort passed into the hands of Hyder Ali and subsequently Tipu Sultan. In 1791, Lord Cornwallis laid siege to the fort and took possession during the Anglo-Mysore War.  

The history of Devanahalli dates back to 15th century, when a family of fleeing refugees from Conjeevaram, camped near the foot of Ramaswami betta, east of Nandi Hills. Their leader Rana Baire Gowda was apparently directed in a dream to set up a settlement in this region. He and his Morasu Wokkalu family settled in a small village, Ahuti, which was later known as Avati. His son Malla Baire Gowda founded Devanahalli, Chikka-ballapura and Dodda-ballapura. Kempegowda, the founder of Bangalore city is also from Morasu Wokkalu family.

 

Architecture

Fort is spread over an area of 20 acres (8 ha). The roughly oval east oriented fortification veneered with dressed masonry has as many as 12 semi-circular bastions at regular intervals. A spacious battlement is provided towards the inner side of the fortification. The fort has entrances decorated with cut plasterwork at the east and west. The entrances are quite small, comfortable enough for the horses of yore. The bastions are provided with gun points built with lime and brick. The house in which Tipu and Hyder Ali lived also still exists. The house of Dewan Purnaiah, a high-ranking official in Hyder Ali and Tipu Sultan's court, is also located inside the fort