malleswaram boasts of many temples, but none is so shrouded in controversy and mystery as this one is. the ancient nandeeshwara temple at malleswaram 17th cross was discovered only three years ago, but it has stood for 7,000 years on that spot. being buried over the years hasn't diminished its aura at all. it still draws huge crowds all day. according to residents living nearby, the temple was completely buried and the land above it was a flat stretch. "three years ago, a politician tried to sell this plot. but people objected on the grounds that the land should first be dug through to see if they could find something," says the priest, ravi shankar bhatt. and so when they started digging up the land, they found buried underneath, this temple. it was in perfect condition, preserved by the thick layers of soil. this underground temple was enclosed within a stone cut courtyard supported by ancient stone pillars. at the far end of the courtyard, a nandi was carved out of a black stone with eyes painted in gold. from its mouth a clear stream of water flowed directly on to a shivalinga made out of the same black stone at a lower level. there were steps that led to a small pool in the centre of the courtyard where the water flowed and collected. the pool's centre had a 15 feet deep whirlpool. everything remains the same today. nobody knows where the water comes from and how it passes from the mouth of the nandi idol on to the shivalinga. nobody knows how the whirlpool came into being. the source of water, the sculptor, even the time when it was built remains a mystery. "there has been no scientific explanation for the source of water till date," says resident shivalingaiah. "some say it was built by shivaji maharaj. some say it's older. but of one thing we were sure, the temple has remained untouched over the years. we found it exactly as it might have been before it was covered by soil," he adds. on shivaratri day, overwhelming crowds gather at this temple. some perform the `milk puja'. others just come to marvel at a temple no one has any explanation for. the water source has been estimated by some to be the sankey tank. this, because it happens to be directly in the line of, and at a higher level from the nandeeshwara temple. but this hypothesis hasn't been proved yet. this malleswaram temple falls under the constituency of mla sitaram. speaking of the controversy surrounding this temple, he says, "there was a court case initially. but since it was an ancient temple of great heritage and religious value, it was preserved and taken over by the state government." today, sitaram says improvements have been made to the structure. "since it was so ancient, the walls had some kind of leakage and started rotting after a while. the leaks were filled up and the walls were whitewashed. but no one has really tampered with the original structure," he adds. a malleswaram committee has been specifically created to look after the temple. committee president c chandrashekhar functions along with a 11-member committee. "we are slowly introducing improvements in the temple to keep it in good shape. a lot of people come even from other parts of bangalore," he says. the committee's next step is to build a gopuram in the temple premises. "but funds are a problem," adds sitaram. "every year the cost of maintaining the temple increases. i just wish the government would do something about this."