Halasuru Someshwara Temple

The Someshwara temple in Halasuru is among the oldest and largest temples in Bengaluru. Dedicated to Shiva, it dates back to the Chola period and was substantially enlarged in the late Vijayanagara era under Hiriya Kempe Gowda II. Tamil inscriptions recall Mudaliar settlers from the Arcot region. Benjamin Lewis Rice recorded a legend in 1887 that Kempe Gowda, resting under a tree after a long hunt, dreamt that Someshwara told him to build the temple with buried treasure, which he then found.

The temple is run by the state's Muzrai department, with priests from the Dikshit community. Mahashivaratri, when more than 100,000 people come, Brahmotsavam and Karthika Somavaram are the main festivals. On festival days the deities are carried around the temple on vahanas such as the bull, elephant, peacock and snake, or on a silver chariot, accompanied by the temple band. Anna prasadam is served every Monday.