Nelamangala, located in the northern part of Bangalore city, is an ideal place for spending a holiday. The place is perfectly soaked in the natural beauty of the marvelous temples giving a tinge of spirituality to the place. The city comes under the rural Karnataka and is located juncture of two highways NH48 (Bangalore -Mangalore) and NH4 (Mumbai -Chennai).
The place is popular for the temple festivals with magnificent architecture and celebrations that will sweep you off the ground. The grandeur of celebrations in the place brings out the vibe of the city. The people majorly speak Kannada here.
Nelamangala has three hoblies namely Tyamagondlu, Kasaba and Sompura with grama panchayats. The major revenue comes to the land from the manufacturing of silk cloths, Agarbathi making, and handicrafts.
History of Nelamangala
In 1464 AD, Nelamangala was the head office of Sime of the Vijayanagara feudatory. Then it was called Nelvamangala. The Sime was headed by Junjanayaka. In some traditional aspects Nelmanagla was also called as Bhumadana. Around 11689 AD with the coming of the Mughals, Nelmangla was given away by the Mysore Rajas to Mughals. Nelamangala was adorned with many temples of Basveshwara, Anjaneya, Rudra-deva, Veeranjaneya, Ganesha, Basavanna etc.
Major Attractions in and around Nelamangala
The town is an abode of temples; one can get a glimpse of the amazing architectural splendid of the marvelous temples here. Other than temples there are many profound places to visit in Nelamangala.
Binnamangala
Binnamangala has a splendid park in the Vishnwa Shanti Ashram idyllic for a spiritual bliss and peaceful environment. The park is a supreme place to spend a day amidst nature. The park contains statues of Panduranga, Vinayaka temple, Astalakshmi temple, Geeta Mandir, a magnificent statue of Vishwaroopa Vijaya Vital etc. The park is an ideal place to gather spiritual blessings.
Udhbhava Ganesha Temple
The Udhbhava Ganesha temple festival is popular and draws larger attentions from the crowd. The celebration takes place once a year and is one of the major festivals happening near Nelamangala . The major landmark of the area are the plentiful giant trees older than 50 years and more planted on either side of the road, which were planted by Late Ragi Siddaramaiha Shetty, a businessman.
Adepete
The commercial location in Nelamangala is Adepet. The busiest part of the city, the marketplaces is always the vibrant spot of the city with people coming for buying and selling, making a chaotic location. Adepete contains the oldest Shiva temple located here. The Mahalingeshwara temple that is sited near the pristine Nelamangala pond is yet another auspicious place to visit. The temples here depict the Architecture of the Chola Empire.
Basavanahalli
Located around 2km from Nelamangala is the istorical place of Basavanhalli. The place got its name from the name of a temple which is dedicated to Garuda and Lord Shri Laxmi Venkataramana Swamy. In the Puranas, the place Basavanalli was called Koundinyashrama. The major temple of devotion here is Shree Vynatheyar (Garuda) and Shree Laxmivenkataraman Swamy temple which was believed to be built by King Janamejaya and later renovated by the great king of Vijayanagara.
The temple has Vijayanagara architecture. The major attraction is the idol of Sri Venkataraman Swamy which is the rare standing position of Venkataraman Swamy. Another major attraction of the shrine is the Garuda, whom thousands of people come to worship. People believe that naga dosha can be removed with the blessings of Garuda. There are two ponds near the temples called the Shakapushkarani and Mukhamantapa which are also meant to be sacred.
T.Beguru
T.Beguru is also one among the famous places in Nelamangala to visit. An ancient temple of Shree Ranganatha Swamy is located here which was collapsed and then rebuilt later.
Rudradeva Temple
Built in the traditional Mysore style architecture, the temple contains two cells with Veerabhadhra and one with Shivalinga. The temple contains a four pillared Mantapa with an adhesive tower called the Vasantha Mantapa.
Monsoon season is the best time to visit Nelamangala, as the place will be drenched with rain and the beauty is impeccable. July is apt for visiting the place. Take light clothes and umbrella for the visit during the rainy season. The temperature would be close to 37 degrees.
How to Reach Nelamangala
By Air
Bangalore airport is the nearest airport to the town. The airport is well connected with national and international destinations. Tourist can take buses (KSRTC) or hire a cab to reach Nelamangala (49 km). Mysore airport is 165.7 km far.
By Road
Nelamangala is well connected by road; hence buses can be taken from any places to reach the town.
By Rail
Nearest railway station is Chik Banvar (25 km) or Dodbele (14 km), from where buses or cabs can be hired to reach here.
