Banashankari Devi Temple Badami

Banashankari Devi Temple is a Hindu shrine located at Bangalore. The temple deity is also called as Shakambhari an incarnation of the goddess Parvati. It is said that Banashankari is the sixth incarnation of the warrior-goddess Durga.
The locality gets its name from the Banashankari Amma Temple on Kanakapura Road, one of Bangalore’s oldest and well known temples constructed by in 1915.

Banshankari or Vanashankari is made up of two Sanskrit words: vana (“forest”) and Shankari (“the consort of Shiva, Parvati”). The other popular name given is Shakambhari, which means the “Vegetable Goddess”. It is formed by joining of two words Shaka and Ambari. In Sanskrit, Shaka means vegetables or vegan food and Ambari means “one who wears or bears to the hungry”. A further elaboration is that “Shakambhari” comes from Shakam joined with the root Bhri (Shaka = vegetables or food and root bhri = to nourish).

History
The Banashankari temple is of recent origin and dates back to the year 1915. It was founded by Somanna Shetty, a staunch devotee of Goddess Banashankari. He is believed to have brought an deity of the Goddess from Badami. The panchaloha idol of Devi was given by a priest to Basappa Shetty as instructed by Goddess in their dreams.The Idol was installed with all due honors and respect for the deity, who blessed the spot with her munificence.

Banashankari Devi Temple – Architecture
The temple is built in the Dravidian style of architecture and reflects the craftsmanship of the early 20th century. It is a magnificent edifice built to honor the Supreme Goddess and constructed according to the tenets of temple architecture.

Legend
The scriptures Skanda Purana and Padma Purana state that the demon Durgamasura harassed the local people constantly. Answering the prayers of the Devas (demi-gods) who appealed to God through a sacrifice to protect them from Durgamasura, the Lord directed the goddess Shakambari to help the people. The goddess appeared through the fire of the Yagna (fire-sacrifice) in the form of the goddess Shakambari. She then killed the demon after a fierce encounter and restored peace in the region. Banashankari is considered as the incarnation of goddess Parvati, who is the consort of god Shiva.

The unique feature of this temple is that the deity is worshipped in Rahukala, which is considered an extremely inauspicious time according to the Hindu faith. The Goddess is believed to be most powerful during this time and devotees strongly believe that worshipping her during Rahukalam one’s hardships and poverty will be removed.A large number of devotees visit the temple, particularly on Tuesdays, Fridays and Sundays.The goddess is worshipped by lighting multiple oil lamps in half cut lemon peels with the pulp removed.