Travel Guide
By Road
Nandagiri and KotlaNarasimhulapalle are the twin villages lying side by side about 30Kms to the north of Karimnagar. They can be reached from Karimnagar via Gangadhara. Gangadhara is around 20Kms from Karimnagar lying on the Karimnagar-Jagityal State Highway.
By Rail
The nearest railway station is Peddapalli which is on the Kazipet<->NewDelhi line. Nandagiri is around 65Kms from there.
Profile
Nandagiri once existed in an ancient mud fort known as Nandagiri-Kotla. Before Mauryas came to power, the Nandas who ruled over Magadha are stated to have a laied a military camp on the banks of Godavari known as 'Nav Nanda Dehra' which is now called Nanded. The Nandas, who had their sway over this region are believed to have founded this Nandagiri after their name with a mudfort around it and the traces of its moat and walls are noticed here and there in the twin villages(Nandagiri & Kotla Narsimhulapalle). There are some beautiful temples in and around the village believed to be of 12th or 13th century in view of the existence of the Kakatiya architecture. The Virabhadra, Mallikarjuna and Nancharisvara temples in Nandagiri contain elegant sculptures exhibiting Kakatiyan skill and craftsmanship. There is also a beautiful temple dedicated to Lord Narasimha in KotlaNarasimhulapalle.
Virabhadra Swamy Temple
The Kakatiyas patronized Saivism and built several Sivalayas. Nandagiri Virabhadra temple is one among them. The Temple contains a garbhagriha, small antarala and a sixteen pillared mandapa facing north. The image of Virabhadra with four hands is installed in the garbhagriha lying to the south on the mandapa. He holds 'damuri' and 'trisula' in upper hands and a 'khadga' in lower right hand while lower left hand is in 'varada' mudra. The garbhagriha lying to the west of the mandapa contains Raja Rajeswara Swamy in the form of linga placed on a pedestal. There is a parapet wall on all sides of the mandapa. The decoration of four petalled lotuses is noticed on adhisthana of the temple.There is a beautiful Chalukyan Nandi before the temple over which a four pillared mandapa is built recently. There is Nandi stambha standing erect in the courtyard with a stone slab at its top once containing a miniature Nandi mandapa, which is lost now.
There is also a ruined Mallikarjuna Temple facing the east in the premises. The antarala and mukhamandapa are lost. The extant garbhagriha contains a linga placed on a high pedestal, which has the mouldings of Kakatiyan art.The antarala doorway carved with Saiva Dvarapalas at the base contains lattice windows on either side.The garbhagriha doorway carved with Trisakhas contains Saiva dvarapalas at the base flanked by beautiful female figures with fly-whisks in their hands. The lintel contains Gajalakshmi motif at the centre. The projecting cornice above the lintel is decorated with semi-circular stones and a number of drip-stones. The turrets are sculptured on the architrave. The heap of stones of ruined antarala is noticed on the spot. The spire of the garbhagriha is lost, but its large blocks of stone are still found on the roof. The walls of the garbhagriha contain a double shell, the core being hollow in the middle. The inner shell of the wall is exposed as the outer shell is lost. Although the mandapa is lost, the circular rangasila lying between the central pillars is still there on the
Nancharisvara Gudi
There is a ruined Somanatha temple lying in the fields at a little distance from the Virabhadra Swamy temple. This is popularly called here as Yerukala Nanchari Gudi. There is a big typical Kakatiyan Nandi now lying before this ruined temple containing several ornamental bands running along and across its body. It has a collar ornamented with haras of bells around the neck. The festooned rump garland is a glaring feature of the Kakatiya sculpture. This beautiful Nandi exhibiting the sculptural excellence and decore is worth a look.
Narasimha Temple of Kotla-Narsimhulapalle
The temple of Narasimha is on the hill of Kotla-Narasimhulapalle. It is clear that name of the village is derived from the name of Lord Narasimha. As the village once existed in kota/fort, it is called Kotla-Narasimhulapalle.A flight of about 60 steps leads to the temple on the hill. A deep cave on the hill is converted into garbhagriha facing the west. The temple consists of a garbhagriha and a mukhamandapa which is a ten feet square laid on 12 pillars. The big boulder covering the back part of the garbhagriha contains the image of Lord Narasimha. Another sculpture of seated Prasanna Lakshmi Narasimha with four hands and a Prabhavali behind it containing the Dasavataras is installed in the garbhagriha. The images of several Alvars in black stone are noticed in the garbhagriha. There are unpublished inscriptions and the ruined walls of a fort on the hill. Near Viswanatha temple there is a koneru or holy tank on the hill. One gets amazed to find the rare and unique sculpture of Panchamukha Shodasa Bahu (sixteen hands) Ugra Narasimha carved on a big boulder tearing the abdomen and taking out the entrails of the demon Hiranyakasyapa.
Route Map
