Alampur Papanasi Temples

Telangana, India

Open to visitors

The interior is normally open, possibly ticketed.

Strollie cannot guarantee access — always check before you travel.

Situated southwest of Alampuram village in Telangana near the confluence of the Tungabhadra and Krishna rivers, the Papanasi Temples are a cluster of twenty-three Hindu temples dating from the 9th to 11th centuries. Built by the Rashtrakutas and later Chalukyas, they exemplify Nagara architecture with characteristic square plans and phamsana superstructures. The largest, the Papanasisesvara temple, features a brahmachchanda-griva sikhara, plain outer walls, and an interior rangamandapa, and was dedicated to the dancing form of Shiva. Associated with Shaivite sects including the Kalamukha and Pashupata, these temples also incorporated Vaishnavism and Shaktism themes, forming part of the sacred Brahmeshvara Sthana tirtha. Before their destruction during 14th and 15th-century Delhi Sultanate invasions, they held considerable regional religious influence. The temples were relocated and restored by the Archaeological Survey of India after 1980, threatened by the Srisailam hydroelectric project but ultimately protected by a barrage and moved to higher ground.

Movement

Hindu temple architecture

Type: Hindu temple
Place: Telangana, India

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Location

15.87157, 78.12239