Dodda Ganeshana Gudi or Bull Temple

Dodda Ganeshana Gudi (the Bull Temple) is situated in the N.R. Colony area of South Bangalore, part of the largest city of the Indian state of Karnataka. The bull is a sacred Hindu demi-god, known as Nandi; he has the head of a bull and the body of a man. Nandi is a close devotee and attendant of Shiva. Dodda Ganeshana Gudi is said to be the biggest temple to Nandi in the world. The stone cult image of the bull is continually covered with new layers of butter, benne in the local language of Kannada. There is also an cult image of the elephant-headed Hindu deity Ganesha. Image File history File links Bulltemple. ... Image File history File links Bulltemple. ... Bangalore (Kannada: ; pronunciation: in Kannada and in English) is the capital of the Indian state of Karnataka. ... A state is a set of institutions that possess the authority to make the rules that govern a society, having internal and external sovereignty over a definite territory. ... Karnātakā   (Kannada: ಕನಾ೯ಟಕ) (IPA: ) is one of the four southern states of India. ... To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article or section may require cleanup. ... A demigod, a half-god, is a person whose one parent was a god and whose other parent was a human. ... An idol of Nandi in a Chennai temple The largest idol of Nandi is at the Dodda Ganeshana Gudi, Bangalore. ... Shiva (Sanskrit: शिव; Hindi: शिव; Malayalam ശിവന്‍ (when used to distinguish lordly status), also known as Siva and written Åšiva in the official IAST transliteration, pronounced as ) is a form of Ishvara or God in the later Vedic scriptures of Hinduism. ... In the practice of religion, a cult image is a man-made object that is venerated for the spirit or daemon that it embodies. ... Butter is commonly sold in sticks (pictured) or small blocks, and frequently served with the use of a butter knife. ... Kannada - aptly described as sirigannada (known to few as Kanarese) is one of the oldest Dravidian languages and is spoken in its various dialects by roughly 45 million people. ... In the practice of religion, a cult image is a man-made object that is venerated for the spirit or daemon that it embodies. ... In Hinduism, Ganesha (Sanskrit: गणेश or श्रीगणेश ( ) (when used to distinguish lordly status) (or lord of the hosts, also spelled as Ganesa and Ganesh, often also referred to as Ganapati) is one of the most well-known and venerated representations of God. ...

In many Shiva temples and Shiva Lingam around India, we find images of Nandi as well. Linga worship (Estate of Cynthia and Harlen Welsh) The Lingam (also, Linga; Sanskrit लिङ्गं liṅgaṃ, meaning mark, sign, penis, or phallus) is used as a symbol for the worship of the Hindu god Shiva. ... An idol of Nandi in a Chennai temple The largest idol of Nandi is at the Dodda Ganeshana Gudi, Bangalore. ...