Temple Description

A stone inscription at Hottal taluk, Naded district, Maharashtra, mentions King Someshwara. The Vahni Kula Kshatriyas, who date back to the Chalukya dynasty, constructed the Dharmaraya Swamy Temple more than eight centuries ago. One of the oldest social groupings in the region, the community in Bengaluru was an agricultural one that tilled the soil and raised flowers and vegetables.

The temple displays architectural features of buildings from the Western Ganga dynasty, the Pallava dynasty and the Vijayanagara Empire. The temple may be more than 800 years old, the first buildings having been in existence before the current city of Bangalore was founded in 1530 by Kempe Gowda I, when he built a mud fort here. The temple is built in the Dravidian style, with a gopuram, an ornate monumental entrance tower. Deities worshipped here include Dharmaraya, Krishna, Arjuna, Draupadi, Nakula, Sahadeva and Bhima. The Karaga festival is celebrated during the months of March and April.