Hyderabad: Kakatiya kings constructed temples to promote unity and harmony among warring Shaivaites and Vaishnavites. One such temple is being resurrected stone by stone in Medak district.
The Sree Trikuteshwara Swamy temple, symbolising unity among warring Shaivaites and Vaishnavites as long as “Suryudu, the sun God, exists,” was constructed by the Kakatiya ruler Ganapathi Deva in 1224 AD in Kondapaka village, 85 km from Hyderabad on Hyderabad-Siddipet Rajiv Rahadari Highway.
“It is stated that Ganapathi Deva was vexed with clashes between Shaivaites and Vaishnavites. He thought of having a temple for unity. He constructed these Trikuteswara... three temples with Shiva (Lingam), Vishnu and Surya Bhagwan (Sun God), and propagated peace and harmony,” Perla Veeresham, 74, a retired lecturer of Siddipet Government Degree College and vice chairman of the Sri Rudreshwara Temple Trust, Kondapaka, told this newspaper.
Mr Veeresham said similar Trikuteshwara alayams are found in Chhattisgarh, North Andhra, Odisha and parts of Telangana ruled by the Kakatiya dynasty.
Knowing its historical importance, the Telangana state archaeology and museums department rebuilt the temple located on a half-acre site after toiling for nearly a year at a cost of Rs 65 lakh. Over a period of time, the granite pillars and other structures collapsed and scattered in the area. The three original idols are also lost.
“There are two inscriptions in the vicinity. One is a black basalt tablet fixed opposite to the entrance path of the temple No.1 and another opposite to temple No.2. Both inscriptions are in archaic Telugu, and belong to the Kakatiya dynasty,” Mr Mohd Raheem Sha Ali, deputy director (engineering), department of archaeology and museums, said.
“Under the supervision of department director N.R. Visalatchy, we rebuilt the temple. We will install new idols and consecrate them. It may cost us another '15 lakh,” Mr Veeresham of the temple trust said.
“We have revived the Rudreshwara (Shiva) temple constructed in 1194 AD through the trust headed by Ananthula Shyam Mohan at a cost of Rs 1 crore,” he said.
The temples lay 10 feet apart and are enclosed by a massive stone masonry wall. The temples are plain structures with the sikharas built of brick and lime. The walls and roofs of the building are very low, about eight feet in height.
