The Bull Temple in Basavanagudi houses one of the largest Nandi statues in India — 15 feet tall and over 20 feet long, carved from a single block of granite. The temple was built in the 16th century by Kempe Gowda, the chieftain who founded the original settlement that became Bangalore. The Nandi here is revered as a protector of the city, and the temple is an active place of worship, not just a monument.
Every November and December, after the groundnut harvest, a massive groundnut fair is held in the streets outside the temple. Farmers bring the first of the harvest as an offering to the bull, and the fair draws thousands of people over several days. The surrounding neighbourhood of Basavanagudi is one of the oldest parts of Bangalore, and the walk here from Lalbagh passes through streets that have stayed largely traditional even as the rest of the city has changed beyond recognition.