Hanumakonda

Warangal, the ancient capital of the Kakatiyas is at a distance of 142 km from Hyderabad by rail. It is home to the Hanumakonda thousand pillared temple. Palampet near Warangal in Deccan is home to brilliant Kakatiya art as seen in the Ramappa temple, that is near the ancient engineering marvel that is the 13th century Ramappa tank. An inscription near the temple dates it to the year 1163 to the period of King Rudra of the Kakatiyas. The Hanumakonda temple consists of three separate shrines to Rudreswara, Vasudeva and Surya, a narrow platform in the middle, and the thousand pillared hall in front. At the entrance to the temple is the nandi mandapa with a typical Kakatiya nandi. All of the three sancta are richly decorated with pilasters and bas reliefs. Although named the thousand pillared hall, the number of pillars here is about 300. Other Kakatiya temples: Enroute to Palampet from Warangal, there are the Katachpur and the Jakaram temples. At Ghanpur, further beyond Palampet, there is a temple resembling the Hanumakonda thousand pillared temple, surrounded by several shrines, all now in ruins.