Alampuram (Hemalapuram) అలంపురం | |
---|---|
Mandal | |
Coordinates: 15°52′41″N78°07′55″E / 15.878°N 78.132°E | |
Country | India |
State | Telangana |
District | Jogulamba Gadwal |
Government | |
• Municipal Commissioner | Shri.GODHUMALA RAJU M.A |
Elevation | 269 m (883 ft) |
Population (2001) | |
• Total | 9,350 |
Languages | |
• Official | Telugu |
Time zone | UTC+5:30 (IST) |
Website | telangana |
Alampuram (Hemalapuram) is a town situated in Jogulamba Gadwal district [1] [2] in the Indian state of Telangana. Alampur is a popular Hindu pilgrimage site in Shaktism and is also home to the Navabrahma Temples, [3] [4] a group of nine temples dedicated to Shiva [5] built in the seventh and eighth century CE. It is the meeting point of the rivers Tungabhadra and Krishna and is referred to as Dakshina Kasi and is also considered the western gateway to Srisailam. The sacredness of Alampur is mentioned in the Skanda Purana. It is surrounded by the Nallamala hills and is situated on the left bank of the Tungabhadra river. Alampur was ruled by badami chalukyas they built 9 cluster of shiva temples. After them rashtrakutas of manyakheta and western chalukyas of karnataka built papanasi temples. Alampur is home to multiple Telugu and old Kannada inscriptions .Alampur contains numerous Hindu temples, the prominent ones being Jogulamba temple, Navabrahma temples, Papanasi temples, and Sangameswara Temple.
Jogulamba temple is one of the eighteen Maha Shakti Peethas, which are the most significant shrines and pilgrimage destinations in Shaktism. The Navabrahma Temples [3] [4] are nine temples dedicated to Shiva [5] built in the seventh and eighth century CE by the Badami Chalukyas. The Navabrahma temples are listed as an archaeological and architectural treasure on the official "List of Monuments" prepared by the Archaeological Survey of India. [6] Papanasi temples are a group of twenty three Hindu temples dated between 9th- and 11th-century located in Papanasi village, 2.5 km (1.6 mi) to the south-west of Alampur. Papanasi temples are close to the Navabrahma Temples of the Shaivism tradition, but were constructed a few centuries later by the Rashtrakutas and Western Chalukyas.
Alampur was under the rule of Satavahanas, Ikshvakus of Nagarjunakonda, Badami Chalukyas, Rashtrakutas, Kalyani Chalukyas, Kakatiyas, Vijayanagara Empire, and the Qutb Shahis of Golconda. Alampur was previously known as Halampuram, Hemalapuram and Alampuram. Under the name Hatampura, it was mentioned in an inscription dated to 1101 CE in the reign of Western Chalukya king Vikramaditya VI. [7]
The Alampuram Navabhrama Temples are historically important and reflect remarkable architectural skills. The Alampuram temples are listed as an archaeological and architectural treasure on the official "List of Monuments" prepared by the Archaeological Survey of India under The Ancient Monuments and Archaeological Sites and Remains Act. [8] Since the original area of the temples at Alampur became submerged by the Sri Sailam Hydro-electric Project, the temples were relocated to higher ground. The uniqueness of this group of temples lies in their plan and design in the northern architectural style introduced by the Chalukyas of Badami between 650 and 750 CE. [9]
The Jogulamba temple is regarded as a Shakti Peetha where Sati Devi's upper teeth fell. [5] The mythology of Daksha yagna and Sati's self immolation is the origin story of Shakti Peethas. [10] The original temple was grounded by Muslim invaders in 1390 CE. The temple was rebuilt after 615 years. [11]
Shakti Peethas are shrines which are the most divine seats of the Mother Goddess. The body parts of the corpse of Sati Devi had fallen in these places, when Lord Shiva carried it and wandered throughout Aryavartha in sorrow.
Navabrahma Temples [3] [4] include nine temples dedicated to Shiva. [5] These temples date to 7th to 8th century CE and were built by the Badami Chalukyas rulers who were patrons of art and architecture. [12] The sacredness of Alampur Temple is mentioned in the Skanda Purana. It is mentioned that Brahma performed a strict penance here for Lord Siva. Lord Siva appeared before him and blessed him with the powers of creation. Therefore, the name Brahmeswara. [13]
Papanasi temples are a group of twenty three Hindu temples dated between 9th- and 11th-century located in Papanasi village, 2.5 km (1.6 mi) to the south-west of Alampuram. [7] Papanasi temples are close to the Navabrahma Temples of the Shaivism tradition, but were constructed a few centuries later by the Rashtrakutas and Western Chalukyas. The Papanasi temples exhibit the Nagara architecture with a square plan. [14] [15] Together with the Navabrahma temples, the Papanasi group were related to the Kalamukha and Pashupata sect of Shaivism.
Kudavelly Sangameswara is derived from the word Sangam meaning confluence of two or more rivers. Hence the temple is also known as Kudavelly Sangameswara Temple. On the basis of a label inscription found in the temple, the temple is dated to pre-Pulakesin-II (r. 610-642 CE) time period and is the oldest of all the Chalukyan temples at Alampur. [7] The Kudavelly Sangameswara temple was originally located at the meeting point of Tungabhadra and Krishna river, 20 km (12 mi) north east from the current site at Kudavelly village . It was shifted to Alampur in 1979 when the original site got submerged due to the construction of Srisailam dam. [16]
An archaeology museum is situated at the entrance of the Bala Brahma Temple complex. It houses a collection of sculptures and inscriptions recovered from the Navabrahma temples and surroundings of Alampur. [16]
The population in 1901 was 30,222, compared with the 27,271 in 1891. Alampur, the headquarters, had a population of 4,182. According to The Imperial Gazetteer of India, [17] Alampur was a taluk of Raichur district, Hyderabad State. It has an area of 480 square kilometres (190 sq mi) in 43 villages.
As of 2001 [update] India census, [18] Alampur had a population of 9350. Males constitute 54% of the population and females 46%. Alampur has an average literacy rate of 61%, higher than the national average of 59.5%; with 64% of the males and 36% of females literate. 16% of the population is under 6 years of age.
Krishna river separates the taluk from Mahbubnagar district on the North and the Tungabhadra from Karnataka state. The confluence of these two rivers is situated in the extreme east of the taluk, formerly at Kudavelly Village. The village was submerged by construction of Srisailam dam. The well known poet Kudavelly Srinivas Rao lived in Kudavelly village and has been documented in Golkonda Kavula Sanchika Book [19] published in 1934 by Suravaram Pratapa Reddy.
Pattadakal, also called Raktapura, is a complex of 7th and 8th century CE Hindu and Jain temples in northern Karnataka, India. Located on the west bank of the Malaprabha River in Bagalkot district, this UNESCO World Heritage Site is 23 kilometres (14 mi) from Badami and about 9.7 kilometres (6 mi) from Aihole, both of which are historically significant centres of Chalukya monuments. The monument is a protected site under Indian law and is managed by the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI).
Raichur District is an administrative district in the Indian state of Karnataka. It is located in the northeast part of the state and is bounded by Yadgir district in the north, Bijapur and Bagalkot district in the northwest, Koppal district in the west, Bellary district in the south, Jogulamba Gadwal district of Telangana and Kurnool district of Andhra Pradesh in the east.
The Tungabhadra River is a river in India that starts and flows through the state of Karnataka during most of its course, Andhra Pradesh and ultimately joining the Krishna River near Murvakonda in Andhra Pradesh
Mahakaleshwar Jyotirlinga is a Hindu temple dedicated to Shiva and is one of the twelve Jyotirlingas, shrines which are said to be the most sacred abodes of Shiva. It is located in the ancient city of Ujjain in the state of Madhya Pradesh, India. The temple is situated on the side of the holy river Shipra. The presiding deity, Shiva in the lingam form is believed to be Swayambhu, deriving currents of power (Shakti) from within itself as against the other images and lingams that are ritually established and invested with mantra-shakti.
The Shakti Pithas or the Shakti Peethas are significant shrines and pilgrimage destinations in Shaktism, the goddess-centric denomination in Hinduism. The shrines are dedicated to various forms of Adi Shakti. Various Puranas such as Srimad Devi Bhagavatam state the existence of varying number of 51, 52, 64 and 108 Shakti Pithas of which 18 are named as Astadasha Maha (major) in medieval Hindu texts.
Eastern Chalukyas, also known as the Chalukyas of Vengi, were a dynasty that ruled parts of South India between the 7th and 12th centuries. They started out as governors of the Chalukyas of Badami in the Deccan region. Subsequently, they became a sovereign power, and ruled the Vengi region of present-day Andhra Pradesh until c. 1001 CE. They continued ruling the region as feudatories of the Medieval Cholas until 1189 CE.
Jawalamukhi, or Jwalamukhi also Jawalaji, is a temple town and a nagar parishad in Kangra district in the Indian state of Himachal Pradesh. Hindu genealogy registers are kept here like that of Haridwar. The town takes its name from the holy Jwalamukhi Temple, located in Jawalamukhi.
Badami Chalukya architecture is a style in Hindu temple architecture that evolved in the 5th – 8th centuries CE in the Malaprabha river basin, in the present-day Bagalkot district of Karnataka state of India, under the Chalukya dynasty; later it spread more widely. This style is sometimes called the Vesara style and Chalukya style, a term that also includes the much later Western Chalukya architecture of the 11th and 12th centuries. Early Chalukya architecture, used by George Michell and others, equates to Badami Chalukya.
Dravidian architecture, or the Southern Indian temple style, is an architectural idiom in Hindu temple architecture that emerged from Southern India, reaching its final form by the sixteenth century.
Kankalitala is a temple town in Bolpur Sriniketan CD block in Bolpur subdivision of Birbhum district in the Indian state of West Bengal.
Sri Bhramaramba Mallikarjuna Temple or Srisailam Temple is a Hindu temple dedicated to the deities Shiva and Parvati, located at Srisailam in the Indian state of Andhra Pradesh.
Manikarnika Ghat is one of the holiest cremation grounds among the sacred riverfronts (ghats), located on the Ganges, in the city of Varanasi in the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh. In Hinduism, death is considered a gateway to another life marked by the result of one's karma. It is believed that a human's soul attains moksha, and hence breaks the cycle of rebirth when cremated here.
The Chalukya dynasty was a Classical Indian dynasty that ruled large parts of southern and central India between the 6th and the 12th centuries. During this period, they ruled as three related yet individual dynasties. The earliest dynasty, known as the "Badami Chalukyas", ruled from Vatapi from the middle of the 6th century. The Badami Chalukyas began to assert their independence at the decline of the Kadamba kingdom of Banavasi and rapidly rose to prominence during the reign of Pulakeshin II. After the death of Pulakeshin II, the Eastern Chalukyas became an independent kingdom in the eastern Deccan. They ruled from Vengi until about the 11th century. In the western Deccan, the rise of the Rashtrakutas in the middle of the 8th century eclipsed the Chalukyas of Badami before being revived by their descendants, the Western Chalukyas, in the late 10th century. These Western Chalukyas ruled from Kalyani until the end of the 12th century.
Kadamba architecture was a style of temple architecture founded by Mayurasharma in the 4th century AD in Karnataka, India. Kadambas created new style of architecture which was the basis of the Hoysalas style of architecture, developed original school of sculpture, was the forerunner of series of South Indian sculptors. Many temples at Aihole, Badami and Hampi are built in Kadamba style.
Alampuram Navabrahma Temples are a group of nine early Badami Chalukyan Hindu temples dated between the 7th and 9th centuries that are located at Alampuram in Telangana, India, near the meeting point of Tungabhadra River and Krishna River at the border of Andhra Pradesh. They are called Nava-Brahma temples though they are dedicated to Shiva. They exemplify early North Indian Nagara style architecture with cut rock as the building block. The temples of Alampur resemble the style of Pattadakal, Aihole style as they were Karnata Dravida, Vesara style native to Karnataka.
The temple of Attahas, is believed to be one of the 51 Shakti Peethas at which the body parts and jewelry of the Hindu goddess Shakti fell to Earth. The goddess is so large that the lower lip is about 15 to 18 feet wide. The temple is a site of Hindu pilgrimage throughout the year. December is a particularly popular time for visitors to picnic at the site.
The earliest temples in Telangana include the Alampur Navabrahma Temples built during the 6th century CE by the Badami Chaulukyas.
The Culture of Telangana in India has a cultural history of about 5,000 years. The region emerged as the foremost centre of culture in Indian subcontinent during the rule of Kakatiyas, the Qutb Shahis and Asaf Jahi dynasties—. The rulers patronage and interest for culinary, arts and culture transformed Telangana into a multi-cultural region where two different cultures coexist together, thus making Telangana the representative of the Deccan Plateau and its heritage with Warangal and Hyderabad being its epicenter. Hyderabadi cuisine and Kakatiya architecture both from Telangana, are on the list of UNESCO creative city of gastronomy and UNESCO World Heritage Site. The regions major cultural events celebrated are "Kakatiya Festival" and Deccan Festival along with religious festivals Bonalu, Bathukamma, Dasara, Ugadi, Sankranthi, Milad un Nabi and Ramadan.
Alampuram Papanasi Temples are a group of twenty three Hindu temples dated between 9th- and 11th-century that have been relocated to the southwest of Alampuram village in Telangana. This cluster of mostly ruined temples are co-located near the meeting point of Tungabhadra River and Krishna River at the border of Andhra Pradesh. They are about 1.5 kilometers from the Alampur Navabrahma Temples of the Shaivism tradition, but completed a few centuries later by the Rashtrakutas and later Chalukyas.
Jogulamba temple is a Hindu temple dedicated to Goddess Jogulamba, a form of Shakti located in Alampur, Telangana, India. The temple is one of the Maha Shakti Peethas, a group of eighteen (Ashtadasa) temples considered the most significant shrines and pilgrimage destinations in Shaktism. Alampur is located on the banks of the Tungabhadra river near its confluence with Krishna river. Jogulamba temple is located in the same complex as that of the Navabrahma Temples, a group of nine Shiva temples built in the seventh-eighth century CE.