EXPLORE
Bhadrakali Temple
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Period : 6th Century,
Deity : Durga
District : Hanumakonda town, Telangana
Info:
Bhadrakali temple, one of the prominent and famous scared places in Telangana is located at a small hillock on the bank of Bhadrakali lake in Hanumakonda town of Warangal district. Bhadrakali temple is synonymous with Warangal and the Batukamma festival is celebrated in the lake on a grand scale.
Management:
Endowments Department of Telangana State
The Bhadrakali temple has different opinions of origin. Most of the scholars believe that this temple existed from the time of Chalukyas. The temple is believed to be built in 625 CE by Pulakesi II, the mighty ruler of the Badami Chalukya dynasty to commemoration of his victory over the region.
Later the Kakatiyas of Warangal, who have fort at Hanumakonda in their initial days treated Bhadrakali as their Kula-Devata (Tutelary Goddess). During the regime of Ganapatideva, a subordinate named Eranna dug a large lake next to the temple which is now being called as Bhadrakali Lake and donated lands to the temple. Rudramadevi and Prataparudra of the Kakatiya dynasty expanded the temple and visited the temple frequently during their regimes.
The temple experienced destruction during the fall of Kakatiyas due to the attack of Delhi Sultanate and lost prominence for couple of centuries. Prataparudra offered the Kohinoor diamond, which is believed to be used as one of the eye of Bhadrakali, in exchange for peace treaty.
In 1950 CE, Sri Ganesh Rao Sastri renovated the temple with the help of Maganlal, a Gujarati Businessman and other locals. The goddess with fierce form was converted into Lalitha form by writing ‘Beja-akshara’, a ritual writing on the tongue of the Bhadrakali.
Architecture:
The temple consist of a Garbhagriha, an antharala, a mukhamandapa and a mahamandapa. The wall of the Garbhagriha consist of the carving of Bhadrakali, the presiding deity. The mukhamandapa is a hall with two rows of three pillars each and closed on sides with wall. There is a covered pillared corridor around the central shine forming as circumambulatory path. The Mahamandapa is an open pillared hall party modernized in middle portion. There is a small chamber on corner of Mahamandapa which consist of a Linga installed in it.
Art & Sculpture:
The main attraction of the temple is the icon of Goddess Bhadrakali carved on the wall of Garbhagriha. The icon is huge measuring 8×8 feet on monolithic boulder. The Goddess is depicted in seated pose with eight arms holding various weapons. The image looks fierce on first look and turns into peaceful look upon staring for few momemts.
There is a carving of Uma-Maheswara carved on the wall in a chamber in which Linga is installed.
The most celebrated festival in the temple is Batukamma Ustavam, which is conducted during Nava-ratri days and the immersion of Batukamma into lake is celebrated on a grand scale.
5.30AM-1PM, 3PM-8PM
