File:12th century Thousand Pillar temple, Hanumkonda, Telangana, India - 56.jpg

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A Kakatiya era trikuta temple in hallmark Telingana style of Hindu architecture, dedicated to Shiva, Vishnu and Surya

Summary

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Description
English: The Thousand Pillar temple is also known as the Veyistambhala Gudi is located in Hanumkonda (also referred to as Hanamkonda, and in early Indian literature as Orukal). The town is located about 8 kilometers northwest of Warangal city, and is part of the Warangal metropolitan area. It is about 150 kilometers from Hyderadad (NH 163), the capital of Telangana.
  • Kakatiyas – named after goddess Kakati (Durga) – had risen to power by the 7th-century as regional feudatory governors of Hindu empires, and became a major, influential dynasty of the Deccan region by the 11th-century through the Yadava-Ganapati inheritance. They established Orukal, later Orugallu, which evolved to Hanumkonda and phonetically Warangal as their primary city and capital. The Thousand Pillar temple was one of the major temples of this 11th to 13th-century capital.
  • The temple is a trikuta, or three sanctum, temple with a shared major ranga-mandapa. One sanctum each is dedicated Shiva (north), Vishnu (west) and Surya (east). In an inscription found close to the temple, these are referred to as Rudresvara, Vasudeva and Suryesvara temples. This likely reflects the ancestral relationship of the Kakatiyas to Shaiva, Vasudeva-Krishna and Surya worship.
  • The temple's primary deity is Shiva. A Nandi pavilion stands in front of the main entrance.
  • The temple faces south, and once had a prakara and torana gateway.
  • It sits on a raised jagati platform.
  • A notable feature is the integration of three styles of bhadras – Phamsana roof at the north, Dravida at the east, and Latina-sikhara at the south.
  • The ranga-mandapa artwork show sharing of ideas from Chalukyan shilpins, but with innovation such as how light is welcomed by design from outside into the mandapa.
  • A mukhacatuski porch leads the pilgrim into the ranga-mandapa.
  • The pillars of the ranga-mandapa are intricately carved. According to Dhaky and Meister, the octagonal belts here are "indeed of superlative excellence", the grilled section seen at the antarala are "very beautifully ornamented", and the pedya figures are "the best among the Kakatiya temples" (p. 479, Volume 1 Part 3: Text, Encyclopedia of Indian Temple Architecture).
  • The name "thousand pillar" comes from the vast asthana-mandapa which has been a part of the trikuta temple complex as recommended in Hindu vastu and shilpa texts on temple architecture. It actually has 84 pillars, but they seem everywhere. This mandapa was a Natya-sala (dance and performance arts hall), a tradition common in early Indian temples where schools and dance performances were linked to major temples. The asthana-mandapa is referred to as Veyistambhala, and has a nested squares architecture. It is 98 feet across. The layout of the pillars is notable, as it allows better view of the space and central stage.
  • The Thousand Pillar temple marks the stage where Telingana artists and architects had established their own independent style of Hindu architecture than the legacy they shared with the Chalukya-Karnataka style. This style inspired major artwork and temples built in Telangana after the mid 12th-century.
  • The temple complex was desecrated and damaged in and after 13th-century. Many deities and reliefs inside the covered portions of temple show signs of deliberate defacing, chopping of breasts and limbs. Sections that were geometric designs and artwork were left alone by those who desecrated the temple.
  • Broken temple parts are found in the temple compound. Sections of the temple have been restored with original ruins, and continue to be restored.
Date
Source Own work
Author Ms Sarah Welch
Camera location18° 00′ 13.53″ N, 79° 34′ 28.48″ E  Heading=81.064392119173° Kartographer map based on OpenStreetMap.View this and other nearby images on: OpenStreetMapinfo

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