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This
little town of Manthini was a famous Saiva kshetra in the past, and
called Mantrapuram then. There are many Aalayas dedicated to Siva,
Saraswati, Durga, Narasimha etc. Among them, Omkareswaraalayam,
Siddheswaraalayam, Goutameswaraalayam, Sri Lakshmi Narasimhaalayam,
Durgaalayam, Saraswatiaalayam are famous. There is another Aalayam
here on a high mound resembling an island in the centre of Godavari,
enshrining Ekadasarudras on the same Panavattam - base of the linga,
and also eleven Nandis in one big Nandi image. A grand sculptural
feat ! A grander gift to Saivism !! And the grandest sport of Lord
Maheswar !!! It houses like any Sivaalayam the Saivate dignitaries
in beautiful mini-shrines.
It
lies in Manthini town, at a distance of 60 km to Karimnagar, the
head quarters town of the same name in Andhra Pradesh.
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