Tallest Nandi Idols in India

Nandi also known as Nandikeshwara or Nandideva is the bull vahana of the Hindu god Shiva. He is also the guardian deity of Kailash, the abode of Shiva. Almost all Shiva temples display stone-images of a seated Nandi, generally facing the main shrine. The Sanskrit word nandi has the meaning of happy, joy, and satisfaction, the properties of divine guardian of Shiva- Nandi.

		Height	Length
01.	Lepakshi, Andhra Pradesh	20 ft	30 ft
02.	Mahanandiswara Swamy Mahanandi Temple	15 ft	27 ft
03.	Brahadishwara Temple, Tamil Nadu	6.5 ft	20 ft
04.	Chamundi Hills, Mysore	15 ft	25 ft
05.	Bull Temple, Bangalore	15 ft	21 ft
06.	Rameswaram Ramanathaswamy Temple, Tamil Nadu	12 ft	9 ft
07.	Hoysaleswara Temple, Halebidu	19 ft
08.	Shanthaleswara Temple, Halebidu	9 ft
09.	Vadakkunnathan Temple, Thrissur
10.	Virupaksha Temple, Hampi
11.	Nandi Temple (Western Group), Khajuraho
12.	Kedareshvara temple, Balligavi
13.	Yaganti Uma Maheshwara Temple, Kurnool
14.	Dhyanalinga Nandi Statue, Yogic temple, Coimbatore
15.	Kotilingeshwara, Kolar	35 ft

Lepakshi, Andhra Pradesh

This monolithic statue of Nandi at Lepakshi is very beautiful and exhibits excellent craftsmanship. All the architectural marvels of Lepakshi is credited to Vijayanagar Kings.

Mahanandiswara Swamy Mahanandi Temple, Kurnool

Mahanandiswara Swamy Mahanandi Temple it is also situated to the south faced door of Srisailam, in Nandyala Taluka of Kurnool District, Andhra Pradesh.

Brihadishvara Temple, Thanjavur

Brihadishvara Temple (Peruvudaiyar Kovil, Thanjai Periya Kovil, Rajarajeswaram) is a Hindu temple dedicated to Shiva located in South bank of Cauvery river in Thanjavur, Tamil Nadu. It is one of the largest Hindu temples and an exemplary example of a fully realized Tamil architecture.



Inside the original temple courtyard, along with the main sanctum and Nandi-mandapam are two major shrines, one for Kartikeya and for Parvati. The complex has additional smaller shrines. The Nandi mandapam has a monolithic seated bull facing the sanctum. The Nandi (bull) facing the mukh-mandapam weighs about 25 tonnes. It is made of a single stone and is about 2 m in height, 6 m in length and 2.5 m in width.

Chamundi Hills, Mysore

Chamundeshwari Temple nandi is situated halfway to the summit the vahana of Lord Shiva is 4.9m tall and 7.6m long and carved out of a single piece of black granite. The monolithic statue of Nandi at Chamundi Hills is a major tourist attraction of Mysore along with Mysore Palace and Karanji Lake.

Bull Temple, Bangalore

Sri Big Bull Temple is located inside the Dodda Ganeshana Gudi complex Bangalore, Bull Temple is a famous shrine that is dedicated to Lord Shiva’s mount. Nandi statue of Big Bull Temple is one of the biggest Nandi idols in the world.

Rameswaram Ramanathaswamy Temple

Ramanathaswamy temple in Rameswaram is considered to be an important and one of the foremost pilgrimage sites to visit for the followers of Hinduism. It is strongly believed and followed that a visit to this temple will wash away one's sins and bring salvation. The colossal image of Nandi (Bull) captures the attention, due to its size. It measures 12 feet in length and 9 feet in height.

Hoysaleswara Temple, Halebidu

The most famous Hoysaleswara temple dedicated to Hindu god Shiva and well known for its sculptures of the god Ganesha. Nandi the bull or an attendant of Shiva also has similar beautiful stone carved sculptures.

Shanthaleswara Temple, Halebidu

Gangaikonda Cholapuram temple is located in Ariyalur district of Tamil Nadu,great temple of Siva at this place is next only to the Brihadisvara temple. The Gangaikondaan temple nandi is an architectural and engineering marvel, situated in the east facing the main shrine.

Vadakkunnathan Temple, Thrissur

Vadakkumnathan Temple is an ancient Hindu temple dedicated to Shiva at city of Thrissur, of Kerala state in India. This temple is a classical example of the architectural style of Kerala and has one monumental tower on each of the four sides in addition to a kuttambalam. Mural paintings depicting various scenes from the Mahabharata can be seen inside the temple. The shrines and the Kuttambalam display vignettes carved in wood. The temple, along with the mural paintings, has been declared as a National Monument by India under the AMASR Act. According to popular local lore, this is the first temple built by Parasurama, the sixth avatara of Vishnu. Thekkinkadu Maidan, encircling the Vadakkunnathan Temple, is the main venue of the renowned Thrissur Pooram festival.

Virupaksha Temple, Hampi

Virupaksha Temple is located in Hampi in the Ballari district of Karnataka, India. It is part of the Group of Monuments at Hampi, designated as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The temple is dedicated to Lord Virupaksha, a form of Shiva. The temple was built by Lakkan Dandesha, a nayaka (chieftain) under the ruler Deva Raya II also known as Prauda Deva Raya of the Vijayanagara Empire.

Nandi Temple (Western Group), Khajuraho

The Nandi temple is a Hindu temple located in Khajuraho city of Madhya Pradesh, India. It is dedicated to Nandi, the bull which serves as the mount (vāhana) of Shiva, in Hindu epic. As a common architecture trend, temples of Shiva (and Parvati) display stone images of a seated Nandi facing Shiva. Following the trend, this temple is located opposite to the Vishvanatha Temple, which is dedicate to Shiva.

Kedareshvara temple, Balligavi

The Kedareshvara temple (Kedareshwara or Kedaresvara) is located in the town of Balligavi, near Shikaripura in the Shimoga district of Karnataka state, India. Dotted with centres of learning (agrahara), Balligavi was an important city during the 11th - 12th century Western Chalukya rule. The term Anadi Rajadhani (ancient capital) used in medieval inscriptions to describe this town tells a tale of great antiquity.

Yaganti Uma Maheshwara Temple, Kurnool

Yaganti Uma Maheshwara Temple in Kurnool is said to have a growing Nandi idol inside the temple. According to locals, this Nandi was much smaller in size and has grown bigger over the years. In fact, even ASI has confirmed by saying that the rock has the qualities of expanding.

Dhyanalinga Nandi Statue

Dhyanalinga Nandi Statue is located inside Yogic temple of Coimbatore. Dhyanalinga also has 112-foot tall Adiyogi Shiva statue of Lord Shiva and tourist attractions of Coimbatore.

Arulmigu Meenakshi Sundareshwarar Temple

Arulmigu Meenakshi Sundareshwarar Temple is a historic Hindu temple located on the southern bank of the Vaigai River in the temple city of Madurai, Tamil Nadu, India. It is dedicated to the goddess Meenakshi, a form of Parvati, and her consort, Sundareshwar, a form of Shiva. The temple is at the center of the ancient temple city of Madurai mentioned in the Tamil Sangam literature, with the goddess temple mentioned in 6th-century-CE texts. This temple is one of the Paadal Petra Sthalam. The Paadal Petra sthalam are 275 temples of lord Shiva that are revered in the verses of Tamil Saiva Nayanars of 6th-9th century CE.

The Kambatadi Mandapam ("Hall of temple tree") with its seated Nandi (sacred bull) has various manifestations of Shiva carved and also contains the famous "Marriage of Meenakshi" sculpture. Murthiyamman mandapam and Nandi mandapam were built by Krishnappa Nayakar (1564-1572). The Nandi mandapam was renovated again in 1877.

Gangaikondacholapuram Brihadeeswarar Temple

Nandi, Gangaikondacholapuram Brihadeeswarar Temple at Gangaikonda Cholapuram is one of the architectural marvels of Chola Dynasty. Its basic design and structure is similar to Brihadeshwarar Temple in Thanjavur. One important attraction of this amazing temple is the figurine of Nandi located in front of the temple. Interestingly, the idol is built in such a way that it reflects the sunlight into the inner sanctum.

Nandi Statue, Kotilingeshwara

Kotilingeshwara has one the huge Nandi statue which is 35 feet tall lies in front of the Shivlinga, situated in Kammasandra Village in Kolar district. Kotilingeshwara Temple or Koti Lingeshwara Temple has the distinction of having one of the largest Shivalinga measuring 108 ft in the world.

Nandi Temple Khajuraho, Madhya Pradesh

Nandi Temple of Khajuraho is dedicated to Nandi, the bull which serves as the mount of Lord Shiva. The stone images of a seated Nandi facing God Shiva is located opposite to one of Shiva Temple called Vishvanath Temple.

Ramappa Temple, Warangal

Ramappa Temple Warangal is located at a distance of 77 km from Warangal, the Ramappa Temple in Palampet is easily accessible by road. Built under the supervision of General Rudra Samani, the chief commander of the Kakatiya ruler Ganapatideva, in 1213 A.D the Ramappa Temple is a fine specimen of the Kakatiyan architectural styles.



The presiding deity of the Ramappa temple is Ramalingeshwara. The deity is a form of Shiva that combines the features of both Lord Shiva and Lord Rama, the human reincarnation of Lord Vishnu. For this reason the Ramappa temple is also known as Ramalingeshwara temple. It is also the first temple of its age to be named after its builder or architect Ramappa.

The most notable among the temple structures is the Nandi placed to face the main shrine. Though the chamber enclosing the Nandi or the Nandi Mandapam is ruined, the 9 feet high enormous Nandi structure still stands proudly as a reminder of the might and valor that the Kakatiyas represented. Typical to the Kakatiya style, the Nandi is shown in an alert position ready to follow commands from the lord of the three worlds – Lord Shiva.