Historical temples of old Medak district cry for attention

Some of these temples are more than 1000-years-old

July 31, 2021 07:50 pm | Updated 07:51 pm IST - SANGAREDDY

The 6th century Chalukyan temple of Lord Siva at Nandi Kandi village in Sangareddy district.

The 6th century Chalukyan temple of Lord Siva at Nandi Kandi village in Sangareddy district.

The erstwhile Medak district has a number of temples that are over a 1000-years-old.

The glorious Kashi Visweswara temple on the outskirts of Kalabgur in Sangareddy mandal, some 5 km from the district headquarters town and just 60 km from the State capital, belongs to the 11th century and was built by the Kakatiya kings.

What makes this temple more interesting is that while the main deity is Lord Siva, the idols of Venugopalaswamy and Ananta Padmanabha Swamy are on the same platform. This trikutalayam had caught the interest of the then district Collector Ronald Rose, who had made some efforts to promote it as a tourist destination. Sadly, his successors have not evinced interest in promoting the place.

Another ancient temple in the district is the Ramalingeswara Swamy temple at Nandikandi in Sadashivpet mandal. It is reported to have been built by the Chalukyas in the 6th century. The unique construction of the temple has the rays of the morning sun filter through the toranam (entrance gate) and light up the sanctum sanctorum. The temple gopuram is shaped like a lotus. This historical temple that was reportedly ransacked and the locals say there are scars visible on the presiding deity.

The Ramalingeswara Swamy temple is hardly one km from National Highway 65 and some 10 km from the district headquarters. Some of the old sculptures of the temple are locked up in a storeroom. A guesthouse has been built near the temple with a play area for children. Now the area is being used as a parking place by the locals. Parts of the temple premises is overrun by weeds and bushes.

Another historical site is Alladurg mandal headquarters in Medak district. It was once famous as Shilamkot and was reportedly a major centre for carving sculptors and orders were received from far off places like Delhi. Here one can find idols of various shapes and sizes everywhere and in fact anyone digging for foundation for building a house is bound to uncover some or the other idol.

The beautiful Tumbureswara temple at Velpugonda in Tekmal mandal of Medak district,, located adjacent to a tank, is reported to have been built during the reign of first Pratapa Rudra.

All these historical locations needs attention from the government for their upkeep and for promoting them as tourist destinations.

Adding to the history are some locations in Marpadaga village in Kondapaka mandal in Siddipet district which date back to some 2000 years.

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