Thousand Pillar Temple

About The Temple

Thousand Pillar temple, defined as the oldest temple of all:

Located in Warangal of Andhra Pradesh, this 1000 pillar religious shrine is considered to be 850 years old. It was said to have been built by King Rudra Deva in 1163 A.D and with a typical chalukyan styled architecture. At present, this temple along with its ruins lies near the available highway of Hanamkonda-Warangal, as located in Telangana State.

Religious belief associated with it:

A perfect temple for Vishnu, Shiva and Surya combined, thousand pillar temple is considered to be an amazing example of Indian religious beliefs. This temple is also stated as the first ever temple in India with star shaped base. This platform comprises of one thousand ornamented pillars, which clearly adorns the complex of temple. Just near the entrance, a huge statue of Nandi, made out of granite is placed. People mainly celebrate all the major religious occasions, related to Lord Shiva, Vishnu and Surya, within the complex of this religious shrine. There are separate hotels and lodges associated with this temple, in order to let the devotees rest and stay, while their travel during night.

Presiding deity of this temple:

This temple comprises of three major Lords; Shiva, Vishnu and Surya. At the entrance of this temple, you will find black colored basalt Nandi, which is also termed as a monolith and in a lovely polished finish. Devotees from various corners of the world make it a point to visit this arena, once every year to show their tribute to the Almighty. There are some small lingam shrines available, too adorning the temple well, and with some amazing and mind boggling sculptures, as well.

Details of idols:

Built using the sandbox technology, this temple comprises of three presiding deities, Rudraseva, Vasudeva and Suryadeva. There is also a scripture of nandi, which is located at entrance level. This temple comprises of two major components, and those are Thrikutalayam and Kalyanamandapam. Previously, this temple used to have Panchaloha idols of Surya and Vishnu, which went missing later. However, at present, the idol is located inside a spacious area and the height of main idol is eight feet tall.

Other shrines designing the place:

There are three major shrines, which surround the entire place, and those are called together as Trikutalayam. Moreover, the impressive nandi is well surrounded with thousands of richly carved pillars, to accentuate the beauty. On the other hand, there are magnificently carved rock elephants available, as built on either side of the entrance area.

Nature of worship:

This reliable 1000 pillar temple is mainly adorned during Maha Shivaratri service. Moreover, there are some unique rituals, which are again performed in this temple. The entire lingam of Shiva is mainly adorned with cooked rice, which is just harvested. This is mainly defined as a part of sivaratri celebration. As per the Vedic precepts, the main priest is likely to mix pepper, rice and herbs and the mixture is used in order to decorate the main idol of Lord Shiva, in sanctum sanctorum. This procedure of decorating Lord Shiva with rice is stated in Veerabhadra incarnation and with huge moustache.

Special occasions waiting for you:

This temple is mainly known for adoring a gorgeous look during Maha Shivaratri. You can also try and look to see various devotees thronged the historical pillar temple on the eve of religious Karthika Pournami. This occasion mainly takes place to dedicate love, devotion, respect and prayer to Lord Shiva. The district administration is said to make elaborate decoration during this point of time. With emergency medical care for the devotees to proper barricade arrangement for safety personnel to even drinking water service, there are loads of services available, for the betterment of devotees.

On the other hand, this temple also comprises of Laksha Deepotsavam as another major festivity, which also showcase unusual crowds. During this festivity, Sri Swaroopananda Swamy also visited this religious shrine and took part in the major rituals. Special prayers are performed and the entire pace is lit up beautifully. There are some devotional programs, which are arranged for visitors.

Now for pilgrimage mark:

Defined as a perfect place for pilgrimage values, this temple is a mark of total religious aspect for all. This place comprises of dedicated shrines of Lord Shiva, accompanied by Lord Vishnu and Surya. Once in your lifetime e, a trip to 1000 temple is a must, for both its beauty and religious values.

How To Reach

Whenever you are planning to reach 1000 pillar temple Warangal, you need to be aware of the routes, which are available in this platform. There are loads of options, which are available for betterment of devotees, and they can reach the destination without any problem.

Through airways: This place comprises of a domestic airport, which is located at Hyderabad. This is considered to be the nearest and most convenient air connectivity for the people. Indian Airlines is the main standpoint over here.
Through railways: Warangal comprises of its railway station and it helps to connect this place with some of the other major cities in India. Some of the important and daily trains are Tamil Nadu express, GT express, Dakshin Express and even Kerala Express.
Through Roadways: There is some picture perfect transportation service, available from the state government. You can avail regular busses, to all the major neighboring areas. People can also look for private taxis, which can also be hired from this platform and available from various localities.

Apart from buses and taxis, there are special cycle and auto rickshaws, which are available too. After reaching the destination, you can take help of buses and taxis to reach the temple.

Nearby Attractions

Even though, Warangal is known for its thousand pillars temple, there are some other important places, which you are likely to come across, while planning for a visit over here. Mainly known for tis temple services, there are different other tourist attraction spots, available from this area.

Warangal fort: Known mainly for its amazing architecture and craftsmanship, there are loads of old designer touches, mingled with this fort.
Siddeshwara temple: Built in 3rd century, this temple is considered to be another oldest temple, just like 1000 temple, which adorns the city well.
Ramappa temple with lake: This temple is known for its ultimate beauty, which is again highlighted or accentuated with the adjoining lake.
Kakatiya Rock Garden: In case, you are willing to know more about the architectural design of Warangal, you are always asked to take some time out and visit this rock garden.
Natural institute of technology: This institution is a marl to show that the people of Warangal are quite well acquainted with the latest technical aspects, hovering around this place. This institution is also here for quite some time now.
Eturnagaram Forest Wildlife Refuge: A perfect wildlife sanctuary of this place, this platform is ranked at number 9 of trip advisor, the number one tourism attraction spot site. There are loads of wild animals, which are roaming freely in this spot, and those deliver perfect beauty of this place.
Rayaparthy Shiva Temple: Built during 18th century, this temple is mainly dedicated to Lord Shiva, as can be understood from the name itself. It has an amazing lingam of Lord Shiva, making it a perfect place for the devotees to visit.

Apart from the areas, which are already mentioned above, Warangal also comprises of Palakurthy Someshwaraswamy Temple and Laknavaram, as some of the additional areas for you to focus at.

History Of Temple

As understood from the name itself, warangal 1000 pillar temple is mainly known for this historical monument, which was established in the year 1163 A.D. It was built by none other than ruler of Kakatiyan, stated as RudraDev and this temple was previously named after the ruler. The first name, which was given to this temple, was Sri Rudreshwara Swamy Temple. This unique Trokootalaya style of this temple is mainly devoted to Lord Shiva, with other idols of Lord Vishnu and Surya.

At present, this temple is mainly maintained by none other than Archaeological Survey, and this temple is mainly defined as one noteworthy monuments. This temple is going to be in good condition along with some amazing lawns, which hover around temple ground. Moreover, drinking water is available and with an additional means of bore, with the help of motor. These are some of the reliable options, which you are likely to come across, while dealing with this temple.

Light and sound show is the main additional value, which is likely to be introduced within a short span of time. The projected cost of this light and sound show is said to be within 80 lakhs and the service will be executed by Philips India Ltd. The road in front of temple is likely to be 100 feet wide and with lawns, which are presented on two sides for providing a perfect frontal appearance. The most promising time to visit this temple is mainly during winter months, from October to March. During this point of time, the weather of Warangal is quite pleasant for your visit.