Sri Dakshinamukha Nandi Tirtha Kalyaani Kshetra
Srinivasan
Everything remains the same today. Nobody knows where the water comes from and how it passes from the mouth of the Nandi idol on to the Shivalinga. Nobody knows how the whirlpool came into being. The source of water, the sculptor, even the time when it was built remains a mystery. "There has been no scientific explanation for the source of water till date," says resident Shivalingaiah. "Some say it was built by Shivaji Maharaj. Some say it's older. But of one thing we were sure, the temple has remained untouched over the years. We found it exactly as it might have been before it was covered by soil," he adds.
On Shivaratri day, overwhelming crowds gather at this temple. Some perform the `Milk Puja'. Others just come to marvel at a temple no one has any explanation for. The water source has been estimated by some to be the Sankey tank. This, because it happens to be directly in the line of, and at a higher level from the Nandeeshwara temple. But this hypothesis hasn't been proved yet. This Malleswaram temple falls under the constituency of former M.L.A Sitaram. Speaking of the controversy surrounding this temple, he says, "There was a court case initially. But since it was an ancient temple of great heritage and religious value, it was preserved and taken over by the state government." Sitaram says improvements have been made to the structure. "Since it was so ancient, the walls had some kind of leakage and started rotting after a while. The leaks were filled up and the walls were whitewashed. But no one has really tampered with the original structure," he adds. A Malleswaram committee has been specifically created to look after the temple. Committee president C Chandrashekhar functions along with a 11-member committee. "We are slowly introducing improvements in the temple to keep it in good shape. A lot of people come even from other parts of Bangalore," he says. The committee's next step is to build a Gopuram in the temple premises. "But funds are a problem," adds Sitaram. "Every year the cost of maintaining the temple increases. I just wish the government would do something about this."