Tourist in my own city-5: Naaganatheswara temple

Every day I travel from Bangalore city to electronics city (pun intended). You’ve no idea how exasperating it is to cross silk board junction, if you haven’t experienced it by yourself. I have vented out my frustration on silk board traffic by means of innumerable Facebook status and tweets. But yesterday was different. I had not envisaged that a day will come where I’ll be all excited about crossing silk board. The reason: I was visiting a small village alongside Hosur road called “Begur” which had made it to the headlines. Thanks to the excavation of an old inscription on a piece of rock in the 1000 year old “Naganatheswara” temple. Etched on the inscription is the phrase which caught my attention.

“Bengaluru kalaghadhol buttana setti sattam” (In kannada “ಬೆಂಗಳೂರು ಕಾಳಗಧೊಳ್ ಬುಟ್ಟಣ ಶೆಟ್ಟಿ ಸತ್ತಂ”) ^*1 It translates to English as “In the Battle of Bangalore, Buttana Setti died”.

About the temple

This Shiva temple with two gopuras (monumental towers) is said to be at least 1100 years old. It is constructed during the reign of Cholas. The main sanctum sanctorum has a shivalinga idol inside and a Nandi outside, as it is seen all the other Shiva temples of yesteryears. Localites worship Shiva with the name Nageshwara and/or Naganatheshwara.

Two gopuras - View from east

Interestingly the design and architecture of this thousand year old “Naganatheshwara temple” is entirely synonymous with the architecture of Gangaikonda Cholapuram, a small town in Tamil nadu, the then Capital of Cholas. Apparently, the Cholas ruled south India during 11^th century AD and the inscription found in the Naganatheshwara temple in Begur also dates back to around same time period, according to epigraphists.

Bengaluru war

One of the hero stones found at the temple site, veeragallu, as we call it in the vernacular language has the inscription in which the reference to “Bangalore War” is made in old kannada (haLeGannada). According to epigraphist R Narasimhachar, the inscription dates back to circa 890 AD ^*2. The inscription is also entered into the “Epigraphia Carnatica” a book on epigraphy on old Mysore (now Karnataka) regions written by B L Rice.

What it means to Bangalore

Until now, the evidence of the existence of a place called “Bengaluru” was available only with the onset of ruler Kempegowda II in early 1500s. But with this inscription, the earliest existence of namma Bengaluru dates back to 890 AD. Not only this, this inscription has also raised questions on the authenticity of the theories that describe how Bengaluru got its name. Historians are revisiting the “Benda-Kalooru”, “bengaval-ooru” theories. Although the complete history of Bengaluru city is still nondescript, excavations like this has helped give a new past to namma Bengaluru. Historians and archaeologists are working on extricating the city’s history.

On one hand, with so much of political apathy, bad governance and millions of uninviting civic problems, Bangalore’s future looks dismal. On the other hand, with such excavations, Bangalore’s past is getting more enriching and enthralling. In a classical sense, the past is giving Bangalore its true identity. Let us hope that future will hold on to it.

*1 – Article on Hindu Newspaper http://www.thehindu.com/features/friday-review/history-and-culture/a-citys-secrets-etched-in-stone/article3254183.ece

* 2 – Nagesvara temple in Belur - Wikipedia 

This article originally appeared on Huffingtonpost. Read it here