What to expect
Highlights
- The cave shrine and the monolithic sun-and-moon stone discs.
- The Makara Sankranti (mid-January) sun-alignment on the linga.
- The rock-cut Kempe Gowda-era architecture and forecourt pillars.
Gavi Gangadhareshwara Temple
The Gavi Gangadhareshwara Temple in Gavipuram is a rock-cut cave temple dedicated to Shiva, traditionally attributed to Kempe Gowda I in the 16th century. Carved into and beneath a granite outcrop, its shrine sits in a dim natural cavern fronted by two large stone discs (a sun and a moon) and monolithic pillars in the forecourt.
Practical guide
Plan Gavi Gangadhareshwara Temple
Who's going?Tailor Gavi Gangadhareshwara Temple to your trip
Before you go to Gavi Gangadhareshwara Temple
Check entry arrangements. Ask temple staff about visitor entry, dress requirements and access to the inner shrine before you travel, especially if you are visiting as a non-Hindu.
Dress respectfully and follow the institution’s admission and photography rules.
Typetemple
Nearest baseSouth Bengaluru
DistrictBengaluru Urban
Best timeOctober to February
Time needed30 to 45 minutes
EntryFree
Places to visit9→Listed businesses46→It is best known for a striking solar event: around Makara Sankranti in mid-January, the setting sun’s rays pass between the horns of the stone Nandi outside and through an arch to fall directly on the Shiva linga within the cave — drawing large crowds on that day.
Getting there
How to visit
- In Gavipuram, near Kempegowda Nagar and Basavanagudi in South Bengaluru; autos and city buses reach it, with National College metro (Green Line) not far.
- Visit around the Sankranti sun event for the spectacle, but expect very heavy crowds then.
Distance by road
- Mysuru145 km
- Chennai350 km
- Hyderabad570 km
- Mangaluru350 km
- Coimbatore365 km
Road km to Bengaluru Urban; ghat roads and traffic vary — allow extra.
Timing
Best time
October to February; Makara Sankranti (around 14–15 January) for the sun alignment.
Weather in Gavi Gangadhareshwara TempleSeasonal guide
Live forecast loads in your browser.
Today at Gavi Gangadhareshwara Temple
Sunrise6:10 am
Sunset6:01 pm
Golden hour best light5:01 pm–6:01 pm
Blue hour after sunset6:01 pm–6:26 pm
Sun sets toward compass bearingW · 261°
Moon tonight🌒 Waxing crescent · 31%
Sun and moon are calculated for this location and shown in IST. Photography windows are the hour around sunrise and sunset; the sunset bearing is degrees clockwise from true north. Moon phase is accurate to about half a day.
Visitor notes
- Free entry; a living temple — remove footwear and dress modestly. The cave is dim and can be cramped on busy days.
Photos
Gavi Gangadhareshwara Temple in pictures
Stay · eat · do · rent · see · shop
Stays, food & things to do near Gavi Gangadhareshwara Temple
Verified hotels, homestays, restaurants, experiences, sights, shops and rentals around Gavi Gangadhareshwara Temple — commission-free, with direct contact. Filter by what you need.
1 place to stay near Gavi Gangadhareshwara Temple
45 places to eat near Gavi Gangadhareshwara Temple
3 sights to see near Gavi Gangadhareshwara Temple
Top pick
Restaurant
Vidyarthi BhavanRestaurant (regional) on Gandhi Bazaar Main Road, Basavanagudi in South Bengaluru.
Top pick
Restaurant
Garden By SuRestaurant (indian, italian, italian pizza, italian pasta, burger, japanese, sushi, mexican, thai, ice cream, greek, international, mediterranean, bistro) on 9th Main, 46th Cross Rd, 5th Block, Jayanagar in South Bengaluru.
Top pick
Restaurant
Quattro RistoranteRestaurant (italian, mexican) on 10th Cross Road, 1st Block, Jayanagar in South Bengaluru. Italian, Mexican, AC.
Top pick
Restaurant
SpiceKlub - JayanagarRestaurant (indian, modern indian) on 10th Cross Road, 1st Block, Jayanagar in South Bengaluru. Indian, Modern Indian, AC.
Top pick
Restaurant
IKOI TOKYORestaurant (japanese) on 24th Main Road, 5th Phase, J.P Nagar in South Bengaluru. Japanese, WiFi, Outdoor seating.
Restaurant
U.D Roti Ghar &Cake gharRestaurant (regional) on Next to cake ghar,Gandhi Bazaar Main Rd, Gandhi Bazaar, Basavanagudi in South Bengaluru.
Restaurant
HungerezRestaurant (regional) on Gandhi Bazaar Main Rd, Gandhi Bazaar, Basavanagudi in South Bengaluru.
Restaurant
Soho Bar & GrillRestaurant (regional) on 3rd Floor, Gandhi Bazaar Main Road, Gandhi Bazaar, Basavanagudi in South Bengaluru.
Restaurant
Thanco's Natural Ice CreamRestaurant (regional) on Govindappa Road, V.C Plaza, Next To Suvarna Silk, DVG Road, Gandhi Bazaar, Basavanagudi in South Bengaluru.
Restaurant
Harshi Super SandwichRestaurant (regional) on E Anjaneya Temple St, NR Colony, Basavanagudi in South Bengaluru.
Restaurant
Amandé PatisserieRestaurant (regional) on 4th Main Road, 4th Stage,Thyagaraja Nagar in South Bengaluru.
Restaurant
Earth PlateRestaurant (regional) on 17th Cross, Sector 7, HSR Layout, Bengaluru in South Bengaluru.
Street food
Big BiteStreet food (indian, chinese, sandwich, chaat, italian) on BEML 3rd Stage, Remco Bhel Layout, Rajarajeshwari Nagar in South Bengaluru.
Restaurant
Paakashala HeritageRestaurant (north indian, south indian, chinese) on Rajarajeshwari CMC, Sri BL Lekkegowda Nagara The Bharath Housing Co Operative, Society Ltd, Uttarahalli Hobli in South Bengaluru.
Restaurant
Gokul VegRestaurant (regional) on 1st Floor, GR Plaza, DVG Road, Gandhi Bazaar, Basavanagudi in South Bengaluru.
Book with the place itself. India’s cyber-crime coordination centre warned in April 2025 that convincing copies of hotel and pilgrimage booking sites are being pushed through sponsored search and social ads, taking payment for rooms the property never hears about. Every listing here links to the business’s own contact details and its own Google or Bing profile — we take no commission and sit in nobody’s payment path. If a booking page reached you through an ad, check the address bar against the property’s own site before you pay. Fraud can be reported on cybercrime.gov.in or on 1930.
Ranked
More ways to explore South Bengaluru
Find food, accommodation and activities across South Bengaluru. Browse the guides for places to eat, stay and explore along your route.
Nearest to Gavi Gangadhareshwara Temple, on foot
Walking routes start at Gavi Gangadhareshwara Temple. Check the route and access before setting out, especially where a road, gate or waterway separates the stops.
- Cafe Coffee Day1.2 km · 14 min
- Gokul Veg1.3 km · 16 min
- Vidyarthi Bhavan1.3 km · 16 min
- Thanco's Natural Ice Cream1.3 km · 16 min
- U.D Roti Ghar &Cake ghar1.4 km · 16 min
- Adyar Ananda Bhavan1.5 km · 18 min
- Hungerez1.5 km · 18 min
- Soho Bar & Grill1.5 km · 18 min
- Amandé Patisserie1.9 km · 23 min
- Harshi Super Sandwich2.0 km · 24 min
- Navodaya Military Hotel2.7 km · 33 min
- Adyar Ananda Bhavan2.9 km · 35 min
Across the whole of South Bengaluru
Ranked guides
Top experiences around South Bengaluru
8 more places around South Bengaluru. Open a guide to plan the visit and onward journey.
heritageLalbagh Botanical Garden
3.2 km · 6 min drive
A historic 240-acre botanical garden begun under Hyder Ali and Tipu Sultan in the 1760s, famous for its Glass House, lake, ancient rock and the biannual flower shows.
templeBull Temple
1.1 km · 13 min walk
The Dodda Basavana Gudi in Basavanagudi, a 16th-century Kempe Gowda-era temple housing a huge monolithic Nandi bull carved from a single granite boulder.
heritageBugle Rock Park
1.4 km · 17 min walk
A shaded Basavanagudi park around an exposed granite outcrop, with a Kempe Gowda watchtower and a conspicuous flying-fox roost close to the Bull Temple.
museumIndian Music Experience Museum
India's first interactive music museum, in JP Nagar, with nine themed galleries and a Sound Garden of musical outdoor installations spanning Indian classical, folk, film and contemporary music.
templeRagigudda Anjaneya Temple
A popular Hanuman (Anjaneya) temple built on a granite hillock in Jayanagar, with a large monolithic Hanuman idol, Ganesha and Shiva shrines and steps up the rock; busiest on Saturdays and during Hanuma Jayanti.
waterfallMuthyalamaduvu (Pearl Valley)
A seasonal waterfall and picnic valley near Anekal about 40 km south of the city, within Bengaluru Urban district’s Anekal range, where a stream drops through a rocky wooded gorge beside a small Shiva temple; fullest in and just after the monsoon.
heritageBig Banyan Tree
The Dodda Alada Mara at Ramohalli about 28 km west of the city — a single roughly 400-year-old banyan whose aerial roots spread over nearly three acres so that it looks like a small forest; a shaded picnic and photography spot with a Muneshwara shrine.
templeDodda Ganesha Temple
1.2 km · 14 min walk
A Basavanagudi temple housing a colossal monolithic Ganesha, immediately beside Bull Temple and Bugle Rock Park; worship and festival access should be confirmed at the entrance.
Roampedia is commission-free — own or know a stay, eatery, guide or shop near Gavi Gangadhareshwara Temple? List it and it appears here once verified.
Add a nearby businessBefore you go
Gavi Gangadhareshwara Temple — at a glance
Timings~7:30 AM - 12:00 PM, 5:00 - 8:30 PM (confirm)
Best timeOctober to February; Makara Sankranti (~14–15 Jan)
Entry: Free
Getting here
How to reach Gavi Gangadhareshwara Temple
Gavipuram, near Basavanagudi; National College metro (Green Line)
Getting back
If you are travelling by bus or ferry, check the return service with the operator before setting out. Leave time to reach the stop or jetty after your visit.
- KSRTC— the Karnataka state bus operator; route and schedule enquiries.Online booking.
- Indian Railways— live running and seat availability for the nearest railhead, named under “Getting here” above.
Ask at the bus stand for the time of the last service back, not the next one. If you miss it, an auto or app cab is the fallback — agree the fare before you get in.
Getting around Gavi Gangadhareshwara Temple
If you need step-free access, contact the site before travelling. Ask about a level entrance, steps along the route, the nearest drop-off point, seating and accessible toilets.
If you need help at Gavi Gangadhareshwara Temple
112All emergencies (police · fire · medical)The single number to call in any emergency (ERSS).100Police101Fire108Ambulance (emergency / EMS)1091Women’s helpline (distress)1098Child helpline1363Tourist helpline (India, 24×7, multilingual)
Emergency numbers are verified against official government and state tourism sources. 112 works anywhere in India.
Nearby
What’s near Gavi Gangadhareshwara Temple
templeBull Temple
The Dodda Basavana Gudi in Basavanagudi, a 16th-century Kempe Gowda-era temple housing a huge monolithic Nandi bull carved from a single granite boulder.
1.1 km · 13 min walktempleDodda Ganesha Temple
A Basavanagudi temple housing a colossal monolithic Ganesha, immediately beside Bull Temple and Bugle Rock Park; worship and festival access should be confirmed at the entrance.
1.2 km · 14 min walkheritageBugle Rock Park
A shaded Basavanagudi park around an exposed granite outcrop, with a Kempe Gowda watchtower and a conspicuous flying-fox roost close to the Bull Temple.
1.4 km · 17 min walk
heritageTipu Sultan's Summer Palace
An ornate two-storey teak palace completed in 1791 for Tipu Sultan, richly carved and painted, now an ASI-protected monument beside the KR Market fort area.
1.7 km · 21 min walk · straight line
templeKote Venkataramana Temple
A late-17th-century temple to Venkataramana (Vishnu) built by the Wodeyars beside Tipu Sultan’s Summer Palace and the old fort, in a Vijayanagara-Dravidian style with carved pillars and a gopuram.
1.8 km · 22 min walk · straight line
heritageBangalore Fort
The surviving Delhi Gate and bastions of the old fort founded in mud by Kempe Gowda in 1537 and rebuilt in stone by Hyder Ali and Tipu Sultan, beside the KR Market; scene of the 1791 British siege, and a natural pairing with Tipu’s Summer Palace.
2.1 km · 27 min walk · straight line
heritageKR Market
The Krishna Rajendra Market (City Market), the largest and oldest wholesale market in the old city — a teeming bazaar of flowers, fruit, produce and wholesale goods beside the Jamia Masjid and Tipu’s fort area.
2.3 km · 29 min walk · straight lineheritageLalbagh Botanical Garden
A historic 240-acre botanical garden begun under Hyder Ali and Tipu Sultan in the 1760s, famous for its Glass House, lake, ancient rock and the biannual flower shows.
3.2 km · 6 min drive
heritageFreedom Park
A large public park in Gandhi Nagar on the site of the old Central Jail where freedom fighters were held; some jail structures are preserved, and it is now a green space and the city’s main venue for protests and public events.
3.8 km · ~10 min by auto · straight line
museumNIMHANS Brain Museum
A teaching museum associated with the Human Brain Bank at NIMHANS, displaying preserved human brains and neurological specimens only through the institution’s current confirmed visitor arrangement.
4.0 km · ~10 min by auto · straight line
heritageCubbon Park
A 300-acre landscaped green lung in the city centre, laid out in 1870, ringed by the red-brick Attara Kacheri (High Court), State Central Library and Government Museum.
4.5 km · ~11 min by auto · straight line
heritageVidhana Soudha
Karnataka's monumental granite state legislature building, completed in 1956 in a Neo-Dravidian style; floodlit on Sunday evenings and viewed from outside.
4.6 km · ~12 min by auto · straight lineWalking and driving times are real routed distances, except the few marked “straight line”, which are direct-line estimates and will read short.Routing: © openrouteservice.org by HeiGIT | Map data © OpenStreetMap contributors
On the map
Where Gavi Gangadhareshwara Temple is
Good to know
Gavi Gangadhareshwara Temple — frequently asked
When is the best time to visit Gavi Gangadhareshwara Temple?
October to February; Makara Sankranti (around 14–15 January) for the sun alignment.
What are the entry fee and timings at Gavi Gangadhareshwara Temple?
Entry: Free. Timings: ~7:30 AM - 12:00 PM, 5:00 - 8:30 PM (confirm).
How do I reach Gavi Gangadhareshwara Temple?
In Gavipuram, near Kempegowda Nagar and Basavanagudi in South Bengaluru; autos and city buses reach it, with National College metro (Green Line) not far. Visit around the Sankranti sun event for the spectacle, but expect very heavy crowds then.
How much time do I need for Gavi Gangadhareshwara Temple?
30 to 45 minutes.
What else is near Gavi Gangadhareshwara Temple?
Nearby you can pair Bull Temple (1.1 km), Dodda Ganesha Temple (1.2 km), Bugle Rock Park (1.4 km), Tipu Sultan's Summer Palace (1.7 km).
Read before you go
Gavi Gangadhareshwara Temple guides, stories & itineraries
We have not published a story about Gavi Gangadhareshwara Temple itself yet. These cover South Bengaluru and the wider district, with separate journeys between stops.
Around South Bengaluru
These guides explore South Bengaluru and the surrounding area. Choose a visit that fits your interests, allowing separately for travel between stops.
Karnataka-wide guides & itineraries
Route-level itineraries and practical guides for the rest of Karnataka.
Image credits
Photographs: Dineshkannambadi, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 4.0), Dineshkannambadi (CC BY-SA 4.0). Wikimedia Commons.