Telangana360

945 AD : The Bommalagutta hillock, also known as Bommalamma Talli gutta  ( Vrishabhadri hill)  built in 945 AD during Vemulwada Chalukya king  Arikesari-II period  is an ancient Jain pilgrimage flourished about mid 10th century AD. This place is situated near Kurikyal village, Gangadhara mandal  in Karimnagar District of Modern Telangana state, India.  This place is about 18 kms from Karimnagar District headquarter in North West direction. The rock inscription underneath the Goddess Chakreshwari proclames the glory of Jainism and Adi kavi Pampa. There is no approach road to reach the 200-mt high hillock. One has to sweat it out to climb up as there are no steps, an experience which will certainly be nightmarish. Tourists need to creep through the gaps of gigantic rocks, in order to have darshan of the Jain deities, which are carved out in 945 A.D. This place contains natural caverns with some sculptures of Nirgantha Jinas and its subordinate godd...

Keesaragutt Temple is a Hindu temple dedicated to Lord Siva and his consorts Bhavani and Sivadurga at Keesaraguttain Rangareddy district. It is about 40 km from Hyderabad and 10 km from ECIL. It is located on a small hillock. The temple draws thousands of devotees on Shivaratri. Legend has it that Sri Rama installed the Siva lingam here to atone for the sin of killing Ravana, a Brahman. He selected this beautiful valley surrounded by hills and verdant greenery for the purpose and ordered Hanuman to bring a Sivlingam from Varanasi. Hanuman was late in arriving with the Siva lingam and as the auspicious hour was nearing, Lord Siva himself appeared before Sri Rama and presented a Sivilingam for installation. Hence the lingam in the temple is called Swayambhu Linga. It is also called Ramalingeswara as lord Sri Rama had installed the lingam. Hanuman returned with 101 lingams for selection from Varanasi and felt aggrieved at not having his lingam installed. Hence he threw them all over the...

Gnana Saraswati Temple is a Hindu temple of Goddess Saraswati located on the banks of Godavari River at Basar , Telangana , India . It is one of the two famous Saraswati temples in India , the other being in Jammu & Kashmir . Saraswati is the Hindu Goddess of knowledge and learning. Children are brought to the temple for the learning ceremony called as Akshara abyasam . Basar is a census town in the Nirmal district in the state of Telangana. It is about 30 km (19 mi) from Bhainsa,15.5 km (10 mi) from Dharmabad, 34.8 km (22 mi) from Nizamabad, 70 km (43 mi) from Nirmal, and 205 km (127 mi) from Hyderabad. According to some myth, Maharishi Vyas and his disciples and sage Viswamitra decided to settle down in a cool and serene atmosphere after the Kurukshetra War. In the quest for a peaceful abode, he came to Dandaka forest and, pleased with serenity of the region, selected this place. Since Maharishi Vyasa spent considerable time in prayers, the place was then called ...

The magnificent temple of the thousand pillars at Hanamkonda  is one of the most important parts of the Warangal City. The temple was constructed in the 1162 - 1163 AD by the great  Prataparudradeva I/  Rudradeva and the deity is Rudreshwara Swamy, a personification of Lord Shiva. The temple has an old and long history and dates back to the Chalukyan era. Constructed in the 1163 AD by Rudra Deva, Thousand Pillar Temple in Hanamkonda is one of the finest specimens of Kakatiya architecture and sculp- ture. The temple depicts the typical Chalukyan style of architecture. While the gopuram (tower) was tragically knocked down by vandal invaders, the main structure itself has managed to survive the test of time. The pillars of the temple in particular are known for their detail, design, and resplen- dent polish. The temple base is a star shaped with three shrines devoted to Rudradeva (Siva), Vasude- va (Vishnu) and Surya (Sun). Siva’s shrine faces east and other shrines face...

Bhadrakali Temple at Hanamkonda is significant Devi temple located on the hilltop between the twin cities of Hanamkonda and Warangal in Telangana. The temple is held in high esteem by devotees of the of Goddess Bhadrakali popularly called the ‘Grant Mother Goddess’. Remarkable feature of the temple is the square shaped stone image of the Goddess (2.7 X 2.7 meters). In the image goddess is seen in a sitting posture with fierce looking eyes and face. The Goddess can also be seen wearing a crown and having eight hands holding various weapons. The Kohinoor diamond is believed to be originally installed as one of the eyes of the goddess by the Kakatiya kings. High point of Bhadrakali Temple is an artificial lake of 2 ½ kms radius in the vicinity of the temple. Number of natural rock formations in the surroundings add to the spiritual charm of the temple and are the most dominant feature of the temple. Some of the unique shaped rocks are said to carry immense spiritual powers. The struct...

Samakka Sarakka Jathara or Medaram Jathara, a little festival of tribal origin in Telangana has become a major pilgrimage. The Samakka festival is held every two years at in Medaram Village of Tadvai Mandal deep in the heart of the thick forests of Mulugu district. The population of the little forest village at Medaram in normal times never exceeds 300. Suddenly, during the month of February it rises to over 3500000! Millions of devotees come from all over Telangana and neighbouring states like Andhra Pradesh, Orissa, Maharashtra and Madhya Pradesh. This festival is held in memory of a Koya tribal queen called Samakka who fought against the medieval dynasty of the Kakatiyas who ruled from Warangal between 1000 A.D.-1380 A.D. approximately. The Telangana region over the centuries has come to be identified as a symbol of defiance and dissent, thanks to the legacy of Sammakka and Sarakka who defied the mighty Kakatiya rulers. It served as a source of inspiration for many people's mov...

Kakatiya Rudreshwara (Ramappa) Temple is located in Palampet village of Venkatapur Mandal, Mulugu district, Telangana State, India. Ramappa Gudi (Temple) is situated 18° N, 79° E and 612 feet over sea level in a valley surrounded 3 sides by cotton, rice fields and mountain on the other side is a magnificient monument dating back to 1213 AD. It documents the glory and grandeur of the Kakatiya kingdom.  Historians and art enthusiasts regard this temple as the brightest gem of Kakatiya architecture and treasure house of medieval architecture. The main presiding deity of Ramappa temple is Sri Ramalingeswara Swamy and is dedicated to Lord Shiva is a single-shrine temple, amidst picturesque surroundings.  Located at the foothills of a forested area and amidst agricultural fields, close to the shores of the Ramappa Cheruvu, a Kakatiya-built water reservoir, the choice of setting for the edifice followed the ideology and practice sanctioned in dharmic texts that temples are to be cons...

The presiding deity Sri Raja Rajeswara Swamy is also called as Rajanna of Vemulawada is in the form of Neela Lohitha Siva Lingam is known for his boundless benevolence in fulfilling the wishes of the devotees. The shrine is located at the center of the town a top a small hill. The temple has a gateway leading up the hill and a typical south Indian style gopuram marks the entrance to the shrine. The temple attracts maximum devotees during Shivratri and during Kartik Month (November – December) in Telugu Calendar. It is believed that if one pulls a bull around the temple one’s wishes will be fulfilled. Vemulavada is about 180 kms from Hyderabad and 35 kms from Karimanagar. It is believed that the architecturally beautiful shrine was built between 9th and 10th century by Vemulawada Chalukyas. The Rajeswara temple is obviously so named, either because it was built by Rajaditya which was the Biruda of Narasimha I, of the Chalukyas of Vemulavada, who was the grandson...