Malleswaram

Initially developed by Kempa Gowda in Bangalore, it was confined to the fort area then. With the arrival of the British, the cantonment area grew. Then Malleswaram, Basavanagudi, Visveswarapuram, Seshadripuram, Shankarpuram, etc., were developed as extensions during the first two decades of the twentieth century. Malleswaram is a part of the beautiful garden city of Bangalore. The genesis of the name Malleswaram is from Kadu Malleswara Temple [Kadu in Kannada means forest]. In the mid-17th century, the swayamboo Lingam was identified on the hilltop in the once-forested area by the then-ruler Venkoji (Ekoji). Venkoji - Chatrapati Sivaji’s stepbrother - was on a visit to this place.

At that time, this was part of the territory he ruled. Venkoji consecrated the deity, built a temple for it, and named it Sri Mallekarjuna Swamy. In later years, the people called the deity ‘Sri Kadu Malleswara’. Kadu Mallikarjunaswamy temple, located in Malleswaram, is one of the oldest temples in the city. The temple was built on top of a hillock and had its main entrance on the East, on Temple Road. A flight of 40 steps leads to the temple.

Memories of Malleswaram

We lived here in this wonderful place in the early fifties with our parents. Initially, we stayed in Temple Road and then moved to West Park Street. At that time, Temple Road extended between Eighth Cross and Kadu Mallikarjunaswamy Temple. Now, the road extends beyond the temple and up to the 16th cross. Further, presently we have more than one temple road – 2,3,4,5, etc., due to the rapid growth of the locality.

The broad, majestically laid-out steps that lead to the main entrance of the temple from Temple Road were a wonderful sight during my days at Malleswaram. My friends and used to go to Sankey Tank to swim and bathe during the daytime by scaling over and climbing down the hillock housing the temple. Many peepal trees covered the entire area, keeping it cool. Many Sardarjis with long beards were living nearby and were carpenters by profession. They worked on long logs, etc., under those cool tree shades.

A well-planned area with grids of roads called main roads, covering South to North and crossroads running from East to West, constitutes Malleswaram. The present Public Library at Sampige Road used to be a vegetable market. Between East Park Street and West Park Street, extending from Eighth Cross up to Eleventh Cross, there were many Temples and a playground [presently it is a well-maintained park].

Malleswaram Railway Station

Activity on the main roads after Margosa Road used to be negligible. With trees on both sides of the roads, it used to be a pleasure to walk on these roads. I still remember going from Temple Street to Malleswaram Railway Station as a child to watch the running train. Since the railway station was at a slightly lower level than the road, we would watch the moving train’s top from the road. We have to wait for quite some time to get to see the train since we will be going there in the early evenings, which is not the time that trains pass through Malleswaram station. We will just be playing around the place till the train comes. The station master, who will be sitting alone in the station, will chat with us and will be kind enough to offer us water from the pot kept in his room.

I have attached a screenshot of the station's current location; take a moment to appreciate the lush greenery and imagine what it must have looked like seventy years ago. Unfortunately, with the redevelopment of the Malleswaram station, all of these beautiful trees are at risk of disappearing.

Sampige Road

Sampige Road had many shops catering to the needs of the area and was the main shopping center. The vegetable market was functioning where the Local Library, facing Sampige Road, and the Post office, facing East Park Road, are present now. The vegetable market was later shifted northward on Sampige Road itself, to an open ground adjacent to Yathiraja Mutt. The huge open ground was a playground where my elder brother and his friends used to play cricket. This ground was slightly in a lower plain, from Sampige Road extending up to East Park Road. East Park Road was at a higher elevation of about twenty-five feet. Therefore, we could see a huge rock formation of twenty-five feet in height throughout the length of the ground. One could hear the evening arati bell of Sri Krishnar Kovil from this playground.

Sri Krishnar kovil and Sri Anjaneya

Sri Krishnar Kovil, officially known as the Sri Venugopala Swamy Temple, is located on 11th Cross in Malleswaram. At that time, there was a post office opposite the temple, featuring two post boxes—one designated for local and the other for the rest of India. In those days, postcards served as the primary means of communication. I vividly recall visiting this post office the day after its inauguration, accompanied by my mother and our next-door aunt. Today, the post office has relocated to East Park Road, opposite the Ganesha Temple, and a school has come up in the area where it once stood.

Adjacent to the post office, a narrow lane leads to the edge of a rocky outcrop, described above. One has to take the narrow upward path on the edge of the rock, on the right side, a twenty-five-foot steep shallow drop, on the left, about a ten-foot-high rock. At this precarious point, a devotee of Sri Hanuman has carved an idol of Sri Anjaneya. One has to walk with caution on that very narrow, rocky path to reach that point. The sculpted idol is small in size, making it nearly invisible from the playground situated twenty-five feet below, as well as from 11th Cross.

During the Margazhi month, I visit the Sri Venugopala Swamy Temple, say seventy years ago in the early morning hours, to participate in the ‘Thirupavai’ and to enjoy the delicious ‘Milagu Pongal’ prasadam. During these days, I saw an aunt going with a brass pooja basket entering the lane beside the post office. Qurisely, I followed her and discovered the Sri Anjaneya idol she was worshipping in that precarious spot. As a young boy, I was blissfully unaware of the risks associated with the narrow path. However, the devotion with which that aunt had worshiped Sri Anjaneya remains etched in my memory to this day.

Gyana Anjaneya Temple

During my trip to Bangalore in 2014, I visited almost all the places where I spent my childhood and wrote a few memories in connection with the Sri Anjaneya temples. During that visit, when I went to Krishnar Kovil in the 11th cross, I also went to see the aforementioned Sri Anjaneya installation. The lane had widened and taken the shape of a road, and a few houses had also come up. The lane narrows down towards the end and at the end of the lane on the left-hand side, a small temple had come up for Sri Anjaneya. On enquiry from the neighborhood, I understood that the temple had been built around the mid-1980s from the public's contribution, particularly from vendors of the nearby vegetable market. He was mentioning the temple name as ‘market Anjaneya gudi’. At the beginning of the 1990s, a fairly big new idol was made and installed. The poojas have been conducted since mid 80s itself. Since the temple was not open when I visited, I could have darshan of the newly installed Idol. When I enquired about the small idol which I had seen in my early age, they showed me the idol. I appended the photo I could manage to take at that time, though it may not be very clear.

During 2022, I happened to visit Bangalore at the end of November, just before Sri Hanumath Jayanthi. This time around, I again visited the temple located at the left end of the tapering lane. On the right, where the vegetable market used to be, a multi-storied building was coming up. In the temple, everyone was busy preparing for Sri Hanuman Jayanthi and Maha Samprokshanam. The temple had come up in a big way, with a three-tier rajagopuram, and a new, elegant facade depicting setu-bandhanam, etc. The interior had also come up grandly with four major sannidhis. The sannidhi at the center is of Gyana Anajneya, on His right is Ma Sri Mahalakshmi, on His left is Sri Mahavishnu. Stucco figures in the mortar mold of Sri Rama Pattabishekam above Sri Anjaneya Sannidhi, Gajalakshmi above Ma Sri Mahalakshmi sannidhi, Sri Devi-Sri Vishnu-Sri Garudalwar above Sri Vishnu sannidhi are graceful and eye-catching.

To enter the temple, one has to climb nine steps to reach the doorway, where the first-founded Sri Anjaneya is seen, placed centrally in an artistically made arch. Then, one has to climb five steps to the main hall, where three east-facing sannidhis, as mentioned earlier, are seen, and a north-facing fourth sannidhi for Sri Venkatesa Perumal is also found.

Haḷeya Anjaneya

Lord is Abhaya Anjaneya in the side posture, and the idol is of embossed sculpture type [in Kannada "Ubbu Shilpa"]. Lord is seen as if coming down the slope of the hillock. Nupur and another ornament are seen on both His feet. The lord is wearing a dhoti up to the knee. An ornamental belt is seen on the waist, and a small 'pichuva' is held in the belt. Lord's left hand is resting on the waist and holding the stem of the sowgandika flower. His raised right hand, seen above His right shoulder, is in 'abhaya' mudra. The tail of the Lord is raised above His head and ends up near the left shoulder with a slight curve. Few bead ornaments are seen on the bosom. On His ears, kundal is seen, touching the shoulders. The kesam of the Lord is neatly tied and kept like a crown/headgear. Chubby cheeks enhance the beauty of the Lord. The eyes of the Lord shine like a beacon and bestow blessings on the devotee.

Hosa Gyana Anjaneya

The fully sculpted idol of Lord Abhaya Anjaneya, of nearly five feet in height, is in a standing posture. While His right foot is positioned straight, the left foot is seen turned sideways. Nupur and another ornament adorn both His feet. The lord is wearing a dhoti that extends slightly above the knee, and an uttariyam as the waist belt. Lord's left hand is resting on the waist and holding the gada (mace), while His right hand, positioned near his right waist, is in 'abhaya' mudra. The tail of the Lord is raised above His head and ends up with a slight curve, where a bell is seen. Yagyapaved and a beaded ornament are seen on the bosom. The Lord is wearing an ornament close to His neck. His ears are adorned with kundal, which touch the shoulders. The kesam of the Lord is neatly tied and kept under the crown. The Lord is straight-looking, and the eyes of the Lord shine like a beacon and bestow blessings on the devotee.

 

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SRI HANUMAN THINKS DIFFERENTLY, THINKS FAST
THINKS AHEAD AND ACTS FOR SURE

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Ed [ 2025]

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