Thousand Pillar Temple

About 150 kms. from Hyderabad lies the ancient city of Warangal. Noted today for its beautiful lakes, magnificent temples and wildlife, Warangal was once the capital of the legendary Kakatiya kingdom. It in fact, found mention in the travel diaries of Marco Polo. The marvellous thousand pillared temple built by king Rudra Deva in the 12th century, is located here.

The famous thousand pillar temple, built in 1163 AD, by king Rudra Deva is an important monument situated near the Hanamkonda-Warangal highway. One thousand richly carved pillars and a magnificent black basalt Nandi are unique to this temple which is dediated to Lord Shiva, Vishnu and Surya. The temple is in shape of a star and has three shrines dedicated to Lord Shiva, Vishnu and Surya. The temple is built on a 1m high platform on the slopes of the Hanumakonda hill, and has a majestic monolithic Nandi. The black basalt Nandi, a monolith, has a lovely polished finish. There are many small lingam shrines surrounding the gardens. The temple is famous for its richly carved pillars, screens and detailed sculpture.