(man - I look big in those jeans, I think I gained 5 pounds from that buffet)
I started out at the hotel where this finely dressed doorman hailed a driver for me. Rather than take the auto-rickshaw, I opted for a car this time. After 2.5 hours of driving, the cost came to 780 rupees...that's just $7 an hour for a personal driver/tour-guide who will take you around Bangalore in air-conditioned comfort. Gotta love that.
His name was Amjen - born in Bangalore. Never left India. And like Noor the day before, Amjen was a great person to have around. Having a good driver is the key to enjoying the sites around Bangalore.
Our first stop was the Bull Temple...outside the temple, there appeared to be some type of wedding ceremony (that's just a guess).
This man seemed to be the groom.
And this was probably India's version of Kenny G.
Here we can see all the ladies in the wedding party passing these small statues and placing flowers and incense on them. I believe these stones (you can't see them) are lesser gods.
The surrounding area of the Bull Temple itself is a little messy with lots of chain link fences. But the temple itself is really cool and something you won't find in America (except for the Asian Continent in Animal Kingdom at Disney World --- I knew I'd seen these things before!)
Entrance to the Bull Temple. Lucky Amjen coached me before I arrived. Apparently, you must remove your shoes before entering the temple, so I dropped my shoes outside the temple and entered it in my socks.
When I entered the temple, a monk described the story to me and helped explain what the temple was for.
"This is one of the oldest temples in Bangalore situated in basavanagudi dedicated to Nandi, the mount of Lord Shiva. Kempe Gowda built this temple in the 16th century. The magnificent Nandi, 15 feet tall and over 20 feet long has been carved out of single granite rock. "
"The Nandi bull is revered for being the vahana (vehicle) of Shiva. The popular story is that the temple was built to appease a vagrant bull, which persisted in devouring all the groundnuts grown in the surrounding fields despite the villagers' best efforts to keep it at bay. Hence, this handsome Bull Temple was built and the bull apparently took the hint and stayed away from the groundnuts. The thankful farmers continue to hold a Groundnut Fair (kadalekayi parishe) near the temple premises every year, to show their gratitude."
The monk told me to touch the bull's leg for good luck -- so I did. And then he said a small blessing and told me I touched the foot of god! Cool, eh?
Then he put a small dot on my forehead before leaving the temple...he didn't explain that part - maybe it was because I was blessed????
On the way in-and-out of the temple, there were several kids begging. "Please sir" "Please sir" -- and they followed me. I don't think I've never seen children begging in the US, so this really breaks my heart. Upon leaving the temple - I couldn't resist - I must have been filled with good Bull Kharma -- so I gave each of them something.
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