Banashankari Amma Temple is a highly revered shrine situated on the busy Kanakapura Road, in
Bangalore,
Karnataka. The presiding deity here is Goddess Banashankari Amma, an incarnation of
Goddess Parvati. Most noteworthy feature of the temple is that the deity is worshipped in Rahukala, an inauspicious time according to Hindu belief.
A popular belief among the devotees is that by worshipping goddess Banashankari Amma in Rahukala, all the hardships and poverty will be removed. Tuesdays, Fridays and Sundays are believed to be the most auspicious days to worship the goddess. The deity is worshipped by lighting multiple oil lamps in half cut lemon peels with the pulp removed.
Banashankari Amma Temple was built in 1915 by a devotee, Somanna Shetty. The deity of the temple was brought all the way from Badami.
The temple organizes three big cultural ceremonies every year. The birthday of Banashankari Amma, which falls on the 13th of September, is the major festival. The Dussehra Festival celebrated in October and the temple anniversary in Pushya Maasa Pushya Maasa (December/ January) are the other festivals celebrated with much pomp and splendor.
