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Pachchala Someswara Temple
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Period : 12th Century
Deity : Siva
District : Panagal
Management: Department of Heritage Telangana.
Info: The Pachchala Someswara temple is located in Pangal town, on the outskirts of Nalgonda City, Telangana. The temple is famous for its Chatuskuta architecture.
There are many inscriptions at Pangal and in the premises of Pachchala and Chaya Someswara temples and also in the Pangal Museum. Inscriptions of the Kalyana Chalukyan King Tribuvanamalla Vikramaditya VI, Kanduri Chiefs Tonda, Gokarna Choda, Mailamba Kakatiya Rudradeva, Rudrama Devi and Sarangapani Deva of the Yadava dynasty who gave donations for the maintenance of the temples at Pangal. These inscriptions range in date between 11th and 13th century CE.
Architecture
Located towards the southwest corner of
Pangal Town, the Pachchala Someswara Temple is so called because of the green
granite stone used to built the temple. It is also called Nallagudi.
On plan the temple complex consists of
four temples, three on the west side and one on the east side known as
Chatushkuta temples. All the four temples are connected with the common
rectangular mandapa. Each temple consists of a garbagriha and arthamandapa.
Only three temples have shikras on the roof and temple no. 2 is in dilapidated
condition.
The very first temple, we come across as
we enter the complex on its left side is dedicated to Siva but now housed with a
goddess sculpture. The second temple is unfinished, whereas the third and
fourth are installed with the Linga and Ganesha.
The temple are common on their vertical
axis and consists of adistana, padavarga, prastara and vimana. Adisthana have
beautiful mouldings and the wall portion of the temple decorated with pillars,
pilasters and projected Kosthas decorated with geometrical designs and divine
and dance sculptures. Temple no. 3 is superb in its architecture and decorated
with asthadikpalas on all the directions, forms of Siva, Vishnu, goddess
Parvati, Ganesha, Kumara. Besides are men and women figures engaged in their
daily routine.
The
door frames of the garbalaya are panchasakha variety decked with finely carved
sculptures of dwaraparkalas, lions and lotus flower motifs on the jambs and Gajalakshmi
on the lintel on its top series of miniature shrines.
The main mandapa pillars are plain except
the central four of the 3rd temple, which are finally carved with themes
of Ramayana, Mahabharata and Puranas. The Nandi sculpture placed admit is an
excellent example of the Kanduri Chola sculptors.
The temples which suffered the vagaries of
time were renovated by Kishan Prasad in 1924.
The most celebrated festivals in the
temple are Maha-Sivaratri and Kartika purnima. All holy days as per the Saiva
agamas are observed in the temple.
6AM-12PM, 3PM- 8PM
