We visited the Bangalore Bull Temple when I came to find housing in March. So, for the sake of symmetry if nothing else, I HAD to see the Mysore Bull Temple. It is located high above Mysore in the Chamundi Hills.
The bull temple is for Nandi, the bull who was (is?) the God Shiva’s mount/vehicle/”vahana.” I gather that Nandi also served as gatekeeper and body guard for Shiva, too. (Bouncer to the gods!) Most temples to Shiva have a statue of Nandi facing the main shrine, but there are a few temples — like this one –where Nandi gets the focus. (When worshipping Shiva at a temples dedicated to him, I gather you first pray before the Nandi statue then move on to the Shiva idols.) Apparently, Nandi is rather unique because most of the God’s mounts don’t get temples focused on them.
My friend likes this bull because she thinks he’s grinning at us. I do like that idea!
On the way back to the car, this kid appeared, dressed as a god. There was some debate as to exactly WHICH god, because his attire & crown suggested Hanuman, but his face paint wasn’t the right color for that god and he had no tail. You see, Hanuman was a vanara, or monkey-like humanoid, so the tail would have sealed the debate. I should have asked the kid who he intended to be!! Logically, Hanuman makes sense at the Bull Temple because Nandi predicted that the evil demon king Ravana’s kingdom would be burned down by a monkey, and Hanuman did just that. Anyhow, the kid was super cute and I decide his theatrical efforts warranted a few rupees (I rationalized that he was more akin to a street entertainer than a beggar).
Dez in India 
I’ve seen many people in your photos barefooted. Is this common everywhere or just among the children and people out for everyday? Also you name people in the photos A, D, C, are their real names too hard to say or too long to write or just interesting alphabet letter names? I love the photo tours you take us on so keep going fun places😘😘. Love you❤ Aunt Sharon
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Hi Sharon! Whenever one goes into a temple, they cannot wear shoes – so in photos from holy sites we will all be barefoot. Also, many people wear thin flip-flops, so they may appear to be barefoot. However, there are many more barefoot people around here that you generally see in the US. (Britney Spears during her breakdown phase notwithstanding.) It is common to take off you shoes when you enter someone’s house, too.
I use first initials for privacy on the Internet. I clear the photos I post that have images of my friends with them, but often they don’t want their names to be search-able in the “intranets” so I just stick to initials.