Yoututbe: https://youtu.be/yE5reUYXfr4
Location: “Chalukya Era Sri
Ramalingeshwara Swamy Devasthanam, JX6R+3Q7, Nandikandi, Telangana 502291”
https://xploreall.com/blog/ramalingeswara-temple-nandikandi/
Ramalingeswara Temple is a temple located in Nandikandi, which
is a village in the Sangareddy district, Telangana. The temple was built by the valiant king Kalyan
Chalukya of the Kalyani Chalukyas. It is said that he donated the temple a Veda
pathshala, and promised to do Nitya annadanam to all saints who travelled long
distances to do darshan here. He also adopted the neighbouring Kovvuru Village.
These are evident from the inscriptions on the large single block of stone.
The Shikhara of the
temple is constructed in Bhumija style, and the sanctum is star-shaped. The
temple is located less than a kilometer away from the National Highway 65.
The temple is notable
for its star-shaped sanctum plan, a large mandapam and the intricately carved
pillars inside. The reliefs depict Hindu legends associated with Shaivism,
Vaishnavism and Shaktism traditions.
According to Michael
Meister, an art historian specializing in Indian temple architecture and
history, this temple was influential in three ways to Hindu temple architecture
that came after 1050 CE: the columnar
ratha-buttresses inspired the Kakatiya period; the Bhumija superstructure innovation here was used by other architects
in Telangana who came later; and, its Vyala-struts in short pillars became
common place in the 13th century temples of central India. There are few
inscriptions on the large stone in the temple which dates it back to 1086,
while few accounts mention that the temple might have been built during the
rule of King Vikramditya V in 1014 AD.
The temple is a small
single-storeyed temple. A brass lingam sits on a beautiful tall star-shaped
granite pillar. The base of the temple is star-shaped. The pillar was probably
built around 10th century, while the entrance sometime in and around
11th century. The entrance
arch has seven inverted lotuses on the top, called as toranam, with gaps
between each inverted lotus. The rays of the sun pass through these gaps and
fall directly into the lingam, each gap representing a season.
Exquisite sculptures in
every corner of the temple reveal the master craftsmanship of the Kakatiyas. The
4 pillars in the Central Hall form a Navaranga (Mandapa). The pillars are built
of a single block of stone. They are decorated with various iconographies of
Brahma, Vishnu, Shiva, Narasimha, Varaha, Nataraja, Mahishasur Mardini,
Saraswati ma, and Gaja Laxmi. Dhikpalas or Guardians of the directions are also
shown in iconographies along with damsels (madanikas) and gandharvas (or
celestial males).
There is a statue of
Ganesha in the southern part of sanctorum, a big Nandi carved out of black
stone.
The temple had
undergone multiple attacks by the Muslim invaders, although many repairs have
been done like the Ganesha idol.
Timings:
5:30 AM-8:00 PM
Best Moment:
A tall Deepa Stambham
at the entrance of the temple is used to light Diya during Kartika Purnima.
How to Reach:
By Air: Nearest Airport is Hyderabad around 78 KMs
By Train: Nearest railway station is Secunderabad around 77 KMs
By Road: The temple is around 70 KMs from Hyderabad and is just 2 KMs
on the left of National Highway 65. On your own vehicle, travelling via outer
ring road is the best option. Otherwise any public transport Sangareddy could
be availed.
Nearby Places to visit:
1.
Kashi
Vishveshwara Temple at Kalabgoor also known as Sri Venugopala Swamy temple
2.
Durga
Temple at Kondapur (Kalapgoor).
3.
Sanghameshwara
Temple at Chintapalle (or Kalapgoor: Don’t’ remember exactly: Do try at
Chintapalle once)
Apart from this there
are various other places to visit like:
1.
Chincholi
Wildlife Sanctuary Gottam Gutta
2.
Kailash
Fort
3.
Aggayalaya
4.
Manjira Dam,
Wildlife sanctuary and River
5.
Edithanur
Cave, kondapur (with paintings dating back to between 2300 to 900 BC)
Parking and Photography
There is no problem
with parking your vehicle, there is ample space in front of the temple
Photography is not
restricted and Drones can be easily used