Attractions

• 5 shrines of Shiva
• Nandi Mantapa
• West facing Surya
• 2 handed Ganesha
• 9th century inscription
• Veera gallus ( Hero stones)
• Ganga and Chola architecture
• Begur Fort remnants

Naganatheswara temple

,  is about 1300 years old, located in Begur village, about 4 km on Begur Road from the Bommanahalli junction on Hosur Road. A 9th century inscription was discovered here, with the earliest reference ( 890 AD) to the name Bengaluru, defeating all other legends about the origin of the city's name. The temple is under renovaton. Four new Rajagopuras (high towers) are being built around the temple raising concerns that the colourful cement concrete structures may ruin the original beauty of this ancient temple.

Religious Heritage of Begur

Begur, then known as Bempuru and Veppur, was an important centre for business, vedic learning and administration of the Ganga, Chola and subsequent dynasties. Ganga King Erayappa fought a battle with the Nolamba king Vira Mahendra. Nagattara, a Jain chieftain of the Gangas lost his life, fighting Mahendra's son Ayyappa Deva's elephant troop. Ultimately, the Gangas who won, rewarded Nagattara's family with an estate comprising 12 villages, of which Bempuru was the chief village. The Gangas had patronized both Hinduism and Jainism. Bempuru had a Jaina Basadi called Chokkimayya Jinalaya with Shravanappa as deity. When the Gangas were defeated by Rajendra Chola I, Begur saw the gradual decline of Jain settlement with the rise of Shaivite settlements throughout Bangalore. A hero stone of Nagattara is preserved in the Government Museum, Bangalore. An inscription dated 890 AD, recording the death of Buttanna-setti in the Battle of Benguluru, was found embedded in the floor of Kali Kamateshwara shrine. The floor was replaced and inscription kept along with some Veera gallus (hero stones) in the temple compound. Broken idols of Jain Tirthankaras from the Jaina Basadi are said to be strewn in some vacant plots.
Ref:Epigraphia Carnatica

History of the Temple

The first 2 shrines of Nageshwara and Nagareshwara were built in the 9th and 10th centuries by the Ganga dynasty rulers: Ereganga Nitimarga I and Ereyappa Nitimarga II. Rest of the 3 shrines were built by the Cholas in the 11th century. The figure on a pillar is believed to be that of Kulothunga Chola I. Inner walls of the temple have inscriptions in old scripts of Kannada and Tamil.
Ref: wikipedia.org

Deities

Naganatheswara temple is also known as Panchalingeshwara temple because it has 5 lingas: Sri Nageshwara, Choleshwara, Kali Kamateshwara, Nagareshwara and Karaneshwara. Each linga is associated with different aspect of life and well-being. Yantras are carved / painted on the floors and ceilings of the halls; Meditation on specific energy spots below or over these yantras, is said to generate positive energy and unique vibrations. The Navarangas (halls) have sculptures of Chamundeshwari, a unique two handed Ganesha, Sri Ramalinga and Kalabhairava. There is a Dakshina Kali shrine and a Navagraha Mantapa. A unique feature of this temple is an idol of Surya Murthy facing west.

Begur Fort

At about 1.5 km from the temple are the remnants of a circular mud fort. An inscription near the gateway of fort dated about 1100 years ago speaks about chieftain Nagattara's daughter Tondabbe, a sanyasin who fasted to death through a Jain ritual called sallekhana. Inside the fort are a well and two small temples: Gopalaswamy temple and Kashi Vishweshwara temple.

Festivals

Maha Shivaratri and the car festival Bramha Rathotsava in April are celebrated annually.