1000 Pillars Temple Hanamakonda Telangana
Visiting the 1000 pillars temple Hanamkonda, a 1163 AD temple, was the main purpose of making the trip to Warangal from Hyderabad. Situated 157 km from Hyderabad in a small town of Hanumakonda, this temple is a major attraction for its unique construction. It was built by King Rudra Deva of Kakatiya dynasty. Hence another name of this temple is the Rudreshwara Swamy Temple.
Hanumakonda (now known by the name – Hanamkonda) was the older capital of the Kakatiya kings before they actually shifted the new capital to Warangal during the reign of Ganapati Deva.
The Thousand Pillar Temple of Warangal is built in the form of a star with one thousand ornately carved pillars, and reflects the splendour of the Chalukya kings and the architect was none other than King Rudra Deva in 1163 A.D.
Why the name 1000 Pillars Temple for Hanumakonda Temple?
The temple is indeed constructed with the support of 1000 pillars. Many of the pillars are connected together, forming a thick wall. They are made of granite and has intricate carvings on them.
3 Presiding Deities in Hanumakonda Temple
Normally temples in south of India are dedicated to one deity, but here there are 3 deities; Lord Vishnu, Lord Shiva, and Lord Surya (Sun God).
Another interesting fact is Lord Brahma who is one of the 3 supreme deity of Hindus is not worshiped here. Since Kakatiya dynasty are believers of Lord Surya they dedicated this temple to Him.
Construction and Destruction of 1000 Pillars Temple
1000 pillar temple of Hanumakonda was built in the period between the years 1175–1324AD during the rule of King Rudra Deva.
It was partially destroyed by rulers of Tughlaq dynasty during 14th century. Observe carefully to see the broken leg of Nandi’s left leg. A portion of broken temple there had just the feet, rest of the statue broken.
The temple is dedicated to the three Lords, Shiva, Vishnu and Surya. The shrines are around the ranga mandapa, a central hall, where probably dancers gave performances during festivals. Only the Shiva Linga exists and prayers are offered there, the other two deities are missing. There is a huge monolithic seated Nandi, the bull which Shiva rides, facing the main shrine.
1000 pillars Temple Dimensions
- Measures 31×25 m, stands on platform at a height of 1 m from ground
- As many as 2,560 sculptures were used for the mandapa which stands at a height of 9.5 m
Highlights of the Temple
If you are not sure what to see in 1000 pillars temple of Hanamkonda, you can take this blog as a 1000 pillars temple guide. I have prepared the complete list of must see features of the temple that has made it so famous
- Pillars of the temple richly carved with sculptures and patterns
- Rectangular stepped Pushkarni
- Thorana Entrance in the east
- Pillared Mandapa at western wing
- Carved Elephants
- Inscription mentioning the construction done by King Rudra I of Kakatiya Dynasty
- Three shrines dedicated to Gods Shiva, Vishnu and Surya arranged around a central hall
- Massive Nandi (though damaged)
Nandi
Location of 1000 Pillars Temple of Hanamkonda Telangana
1000 pillars temple lies near the Hanamkonda-Warangal Highway in Telangana State, about 150 km from Hyderabad city.
How to Reach 1000 Pillars Temple in Hanumakonda
By Air: The nearest airport is at Hyderabad , 157 km away.
By Rail: It is 6 km from Warangal railway station. Warangal is well connected by rail to important cities of India.
By Road: APSTRC and Private buses connect Warangal with Hyderabad, Vijayawada, Karimnagar, Khammam and some other districts
Self Drive or Taxi from bus stations and railway stations
Open Timings of Hanamkonda Temple
It is open 6 AM to 8 PM every day.
What is the dress code for 1000 pillars temple?
For men the dress code is Shirt, Trouser, Dhoti, Pyjamas with upper cloth. For women the preferred dress code is saree or half-saree with blouse or kurti with churidar or salwar and upper cloth.
What is the best time to visit the Rudreshwara Swamy Temple?
You can visit anytime through out the year.
What is the height of 1000 Pillar Temple?
As many as 2,560 sculptures were used for the mandapa which stands at a height of 9.5meters. The foundations go as deep as six meters in sand.
You may like these:
- Bali Land of 1000 Temples
- Forgotten Temple Tales from Lakkundi Karnataka
- Hazarduari Palace Murshidabad
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Very beautiful temple. This time I visit Hyderabad will visit this temple too.
Have heard about the place but never visited it. Hope to go there some time.
A less known but beautiful place . Brief history of this place is valuable . Thanx a lot for sharing it here Indrani ji !!
Amazing pictures. The name 100 pillars sounds mysterious story behind it!
Interesting post with beautiful pictures 🙂
Is the temple really from 1163 AD? Amazing!!
Beautiful temple …Shiva, Vishnu and Surya temple combination is interesting instead of Brahma
Its amazing how many such novel places India has. Captured well.
nice article with equally good pictures
Wow… I feel so happy Indrani!! It’s my birth place!! Thousand pillars temple is awesome on Shivratri. Did you visit Bhadrakali template and Ramappa? Beautiful temples they are!!
Very interesting place to visit.
Truly a Great Temple.. Well presented Indrani with the the Photographs of the beautiful Architecture of the Interiors of the Temple!
It’s awesome..Was unaware about this temple..
Fantastic captures. Well done dear 🙂
Wow! 1000 pillars! Need to visit this place.
Very beautiful architectural marvel.. thanks for sharing..
Ohh happy to find my place ,I have done my medicine in Warangal and spent almost 7 yrs there .Few years back you cold have seen another mandapa with many pillars probably nearing 1000 .I tried to count in my schooling once, but could not complete counting .When i visited after few years ,I was shocked to find the second Mandapa missing. Officials promised renovation ,but that never happened . Did you visit Ramappa ,Warangal fort also ?
Yes I visited the Warangal Fort. Glad you liked the post, thank you for the comment. 🙂
Loved the pic of Nandi 🙂
An interesting place. The pillar looks grand.
awesome… and love the Nandi 🙂
Amazing how much detail is carved into the stone. Must be incredible to see this temple in person.
Incredbil, Kakatiys History is intresting, said to have built the golgonda fort too. Many more monuments in Warangal area?
wow great place to visit.
Why is it that your architecture is so much more intricate than ours? I love those ancient buildings!
A very interesting architectural style, Indrani.
Shiva's bull is magnificent.
— K
Kay, Alberta, Canada
An Unfittie's Guide to Adventurous Travel
Indrani, these are very nice pictures of the temple of Hanamkonda! Fantastic architecture indeed.
I'm glad that your daughters enjoy my Turin posts 🙂
Incredible architecture. Thanks for posting
Loved the picture of Nandi.
Visited this place last year . Was misled by the name "1000-Pillared". No pillars, only pilasters ! 🙂
What a beautiful design. Hard to imagine all the work that went into building all the pillars.
Indrani, your photos are all wonderful. I enjoy seeing these temples and places you visit.
Interesting post. I really like the second last shot with the pillars reminiscent of dripping water.
lucky there is no earthquake in India.
Wow – so ancient and gorgeous! Amazing place.
beautiful images of a lovely temple!
1000 pillars!! Magnificent view!
I find it very interesting that
by chance, there are stone bull statues in my"Joy of Spring" posted to My World. Bulls are messengers of the deity of wisdom. Many Buddhist deities have their own animal vehicles and messengers, white elephant, lion, dove, wild boar and so on. I guess influence of Hindu. Thank you for sharing great photos and story.
So pillars as walls – that's a nice little thing to learn today. The bull reminds me of Egypt.
This is an incredible structure. Your pictures are wonderful, and I thank you for sharing this place with us.
Incredible, such work and expense building the structures. I can't even imagine.
Beautiful images of the temple. The carvings are amazing.
Great captures! I would like to visit this temple some time.
Pillars are frequently holding up something … but it is unique how these pillars are joined together to create a wall. What a grand structure and interesting history for a little town. Thanks for sharing your journey!
Very Nice
so many wonderful temples to visit all over india. you are lucky to have all these history around you.
Awesome captures as always, Indrani! And what an awesomely beautiful place! Enjoy your week!
Sylvia
Great pictures for a wonderful place.
Have you counted them
really 1000 pillars … :))
The last shot is very COOL !!
Hugs from
Kareltje =^.^= Betsie >^.^<
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(¸.•´ (¸.•´Anya
Fantastic places for nice pictures, well done Indrani.
greetings, Joop