Map In My Pocket

Tag: Karimnagar

  • Town of Hymns: Manthani

    Town of Hymns: Manthani

    Named after a Khiledar under the reign of Sikandar Jha during 1803 to 1823, Syed Karimuddin, Karimnagar is one district in Telangana, which has ancient places seeped in historic importance to both Hindus and Buddhists alike. The most popular amongst these is Manthani.

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    Home to the ruins of a Gautameswara Temple, Manthani is a timeless village from an era gone by.

    On the banks of the river Godavari, it had once flourished as the seat of Vedic learning. Also referred to as Mantrapuri  or The Town of Hymns it gets its name from the Sanskrit word Mantra Kutam, meaning House of Mantras.

    It is also popularly believed that Manthani is home to a thousand Bramhin families, which is why it is also called the Sahasra Brahamana Gadapa i.e. a Thousand Brahmin’s Threshold. Little surprise then that though the temple in Manthani is in ruins today, overrun with a patchwork of  undergrowth that is a brilliant-hued green, the town continues to be culturally significant for Hindus.

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    Work is underway to put back the beautiful stone temple of Manthani to how it once stood. Meanwhile there is a new, fully functional temple on the premises.

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    Explorers Guide

    Getting There: The distance from Hyderabad to Karimnagar is around 164 kilometres, but if you take the NH44 via Medchal you will reach the town in less than two hours. Manthani is a further 64 kilometres from here.
    Route: Once on the road by the village, ask around and get to the ‘temple on the banks of Godavari’. It can get a little tricky, because this one is not on Google Maps.
    Best Time to Visit: In the rains.

     

    Read Next: Lost in Time: Nagunur Ruins

    Read More on Temples in Telangana:

    Of Rocks and Hidden Temples: Armoor
    A Song of Stone: Dichpally Ramalayam
    South India’s City of Moksh: Alampur

     

     

     

     

  • Nagunur Ruins: Lost in Time

    Nagunur Ruins: Lost in Time

    Less than three hours from Hyderabad, the district of Karimnagar in Telangana is peppered with numerous lesser-known forts and ancient ruins, making it the ideal day trip destination. Not yet over run with tourists, here you can happily explore at your own pace.

    Home to a  cluster of Kalyana and Kakatiya temple ruins, Nagunur is one such village in Karimnagar. Once the centre of the Kakatiya Empire, it is today but a tiny village lost in time. With these temples at its heart, it does not take but more than ten minutes to traverse through this entire village!

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    The most significant among these temples – from the 12th century – is the Trikuta Temple built by the Chalukyas of Kalyani.

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    Though constructed in the same style as the Manthani temple, it is in much better shape today, with the three shrines dedicated to Lord Shiva showing evidence of continuing worship.

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    Nagunur Temple Ruins

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    Explorers Guide

    Getting There: Nagunur is 260 kilometers from Hyderabad and the drive via NH44 through Outer Ring Road will take around three and a half hours.
    Best Time to Visit: Monsoons. With the rain clouds as a backdrop, these ancient temples look serenely beautiful.

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    Read More on Temples in Telangana

    Town of Hymns: Manthani
    Of Rocks & Hidden Temples: Armoor
    South India’s City of Moksh: Alampur
    A Song of Stone: Dichpally Ramalayam

  • Road Tripping through Karimnagar

    Road Tripping through Karimnagar

    I had just upgraded my gear during the week – to a Full Frame Camera and a Wide Angle Lens from my first DX format Nikon Kit and my itchy feet just couldn’t wait for the weekend to get away from the hustle and bustle of the city and test it.

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    I love road trips. Not only do they add a sense of adventure to one’s photo making journeys but they also make for that perfect blend of individual and social moments, a time to reflect as well as bond. Be it the feel of the road slipping from underneath the tyres as you listen to music or the feel of the wind in your face as you simply contemplate life to when you are stopping along the highway for some not so healthy but interesting food.

    & when I joined hands with CEAT my Sunday only got that much sweeter and a Road Trip to Karimnagar seemed to be answer! A two and half hour drive from Hyderabad, this district in Telangana is peppered with numerous forts and ancient ruins, making it the ideal day trip destination for some exploration and a bit of photography both.

    So, here I am, chronicling my road trip adventure for CEAT Tyres in association with BlogAdda.

    Stop 1: Molangur Fort

    Built atop a massive granite hillock during the reign of Prathapa Rudra of the Kakatiya Dynasty, this once important fort is today nothing but a ruin listed on the archaeological department’s protected sites. The large scale granite quarrying happening in and around this fort is only adding to the structural damage of this site and ruins of the palaces and the megalithic burials are barely discernible.

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    Stop 2: Elgandal Fort

    On the banks of the river Godavari, sitting atop a hill in the 800 year old village of Elgandal is this ancient fort on the verge. Built by Zafar Ud Dowla in 1754 AD, the Teen Minar of the Alamgir Mosque are the most striking feature of this stronghold that has passed through five dynasties over time.

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    Stop 3: Manthani Ruins

    Another timeless village to have flourished on the banks of Godavari in Karimanagar is Manthani. Home to the ruins of the Gautameswara Temple, it also referred to as Mantrapuri i.e The Town of Hymns. Work is underway to put back this beautiful stone temple to how it once stood and meanwhile there is a new, fully functional temple on the premises.

    Read: Town of Hymns: Manthani

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    Stop 4: Nagunur Ruins

    Right at the centre of the village of Nagunur is a cluster of Kalyana and Kakatiya temple ruins. The most significant of which is the Trikuta Temple built by the Chalukyas of Kalyani. Though built in the same style as the Manthani temple, this is in much better shape with the three shrines dedicated to Lord Shiva showing evidence of continuing worship.

    Read: Lost in Time: Nagunur Ruins

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    Other stops on this trip were the town of Karimnagar and Dhulikatta. But, by the time we reached the Buddhist site, there was a deluge and the 2 km walk along the dirt path through the fields was ruled out. Though it might seem that monsoons played spoilt sport, I have no regrets for if not now there is always the next road trip. :)

    & with the setting sun behind us, having covered over 550 Kms on this CEAT adventure, we were already homeward bound just in time for some coffee.

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    Read Next: Road Tripping through Konaseema