Ragigudda Anjaneya swami temple, Bangalore

This week I’ll take you to the famous Ragigudda Anjaneya swami temple at JP Nagar, Bangalore.

We enter the arch of the temple to the narrow street that leads to the main gates. Finding a place to park here is quite a tough job. We have come on a Saturday, which makes it all the more difficult as the temple is open for longer hours. We somehow park in a by lane and move on. The devout can buy flowers, coconuts and other offerings from the vendors who sit around near the temple gates. 

We enter the gates, and go to deposit our footwear. There is an interesting practise at the Ragigudda temple. As we enter, we should put our footwear in gunny bags that hang on a stand. Then we continue in the queue and give the cover to the staff, and pick up the tokens. This is a hygienic practice to ensure that the staff need not touch anybody’s footwear!

The queue moves on, past the Hanuman Dhara that flows from the Hanuman temple, which is on a higher level. On the way we wash our hands at taps, and a constant flow of water on the ground ensures that our feet are washed as well! 

The Hanuman Dhara stream that flows from the Hanuman temple. Note the Garuda on the top

The winding covered path leads us to the Ganesha temple first. As we enter, we can buy rice bags from the counter. This is offered to Annapoorneshwari Devi, who sits a little ahead. The rice is used for the annadanam at the temple. Just ahead of us is Suryanarayana, the Sun God, seated on his chariot drawn by seven horses. We pay our respects to him, and go ahead to prostrate before Lord Ganesha, the remover of all obstacles. Just opposite to him is the murthy of Annapoorneshwari, the Goddess of food and nourishment. Next to Lord Ganesha sits Lakshmi Devi. We pay our respects to them and exit to the path that continues.

The front view of the Ganesha temple

The Ragigudda temple is built on a small hillock, which makes the path uneven. Steps have been built on the rock, and the stairway is covered, but narrow. A quick climb leads us to the shrine of Lord Anjaneya, the epitome of strength and loyalty. Just before we enter, a murthy of Lord Shanmukha welcomes us at the entrance. 

The view of the Hanuman temple from below

The queue leads us to the left, where Lord Shiva sits. A copper coloured Nandi sits before him. The Lord is in his Shivalinga form, in a distinct green shade. Perhaps it is a saligramam or an emerald? Despite the crowd, we manage to admire the beauty of the Lord, and go ahead.

We walk on to bow before Lord Hanuman. He stands in black stone, covered by a silver sheath. We accept the aarathi and teertham, and move ahead to the shrine on the Lord’s left. Lord Rama, Sita Devi, and Lord Lakshmana are worshipped here. As is customary, Lord Hanuman is also present with them. We pay our respects to them, and exit the main shrine. 

We walk down the steps and accept teertham and puliyogare prasadam distributed at the foot of the stairs. Ahead to our right is the dining hall, and a little ahead is a stage for cultural programs.

We take the small path behind the dining hall that leads us to the stone carvings. The trinity of Brahma, Vishnu, and Maheshwara are carved on a stone that stands larger than life! We slowly make our way out, and walk the distance back to the exit, past the Hanuman Dhara.

The holy trinity carved on rocks

We leave after a fulfilling darshan. I hope you enjoyed today’s tirtha. Next week we will go to another devalayam. Till then, take care, and stay devout!