Kolanupaka Someshwara Swamy Temple, Telangana

Address

Kolanupaka Someshwara Swamy Temple Kolanupaaka, Telangana 508101

Diety

Someshwara Swamy

Introduction

Kolanupaka is 30 kms from Bhuvanagiri and about 7 kms from Aler, another well-known railhead on the Hyderabad-Warangal rail route. It took us about half an hour to reach Kolanupaka from Bhuvanagiri, a little drizzle kept us company. It seems, Kolanupaka was once the second capital of the Kalyani Chalukyas of the 11th Century A.D., which is probably why the Bhuvanagiri Fort was built nearby. A short distance from Kulpakji Temple is the Someswara Swamy Temple built in the 12th Century A.D during the Kakatiya reign. This 800-year-old temple is also a site museum, showcasing sculpture panels and idols excavated from various places in and around Nalgonda district. Inside, there is a tiny Shiva Linga and a Nandi attending to his Lord. At the end of the corridor, the site museum leads to the Someswara temple. Sculpture panels lie scattered around the pillared entrance hall,. The pillars inside the main temple are ornate with rich, trademark sculpture of the Kakatiyas, noteworthy are the miniature sculptures of stories from Ramayana and Dasavataras of Vishnu, we found that interesting because the temple was dedicated to Lord Shiva. There are other shrines around the main temple, a shrine for Sahasra Linga, where hundreds of small Lingas are carved on the main Shiva Linga. Most of the shrines are in a ruined state but bear the unmistakable Kakatiya architecture stamp.