The
Temple
This august sanctum is built in the centre of town and has three
massive prakaras with entrances on four sides. Normally devotees
enter through the southern gate with a high pagoda over it. The
court yard here is very vast and houses many minishrines. And the
temple office too. It is in the second prakara, the devotees see
cluster of mantapas adorned with several adorable deities, like
Dunduganapathi, Virupaksha, Nataraja, Saptamatrukas, Mahishasura
Mardini, Anjaneya, Subrahmanya, Chaturmukha Brahma, Vatukabhairava,
Ashtadikpalakas, Navagrahas, Chandiswar, Suryeswar etc. The
architecture of this temple dates back to 14th century, when the
ruling kings, particularly Anavema Reddy from Reddy dynasty
beautified it with several additions, renovations and the like.
Inscriptions and epigraphical details narrate the successive line
of donors, who strove to raise the glory of this shrine by
munificent donations and endowments till it was taken over by the
State Government.
Realizing
its former glory, and its present decadence, the Department of
Archaeology has undertaken it to renovate it. So it is now a
protected monument slowly emerging to reach its former splendour,
yet the progress is slow to speak the truth.
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