There is no doubt when I say that there are no temples elsewhere like what we have here in South India. Those ancient un-matched carving techniques at that point in time is purely serene and incredible. There is hardly anyone who does not lure on watching these eye-catchy structures. There are lots of temples that fall under the list of must-visit places and this article is about one such temple that resides in the Telangana state under the Nizamabad district. The temple is very much popular among tourists as well as the local people, the temple holds great value to devotees. As the temple name sounds, Neelkantha represents the avatar of Lord shiva when he drank poison during sea-churning events to save the world. Lord Shiva is believed to have consumed the poison, giving him the blue throat and hence the name. This temple is dedicated to this particular avatar.
Apart from this, the temple is also famous for its wonderful architecture, one might be thinking about how old the temple is, so let me reveal that this temple is about 500 years old. According to history, the temple was built by the satavahana king satakarni II for the Jain believers and later got converted into a shiva temple during the Kakatiya period. The Architecture of walls and pillars are so mesmerizing that one can’t take their eyes off it.
Apart from its structural glory, the temple is also famous for having three big Lords, Lord shiva in Linga form, Lord Vishnu lying supine and Lord Brahma sitting on his lotus. Temple means so much to people because of Triumvirate. The temple structure seems like nagara style. Some legends say that the temple could be 1400 years old as well but for sure it is more than 500.
While the structure resembles the nagara style but also has the Chalukyas look on the temple gopuram along with the Kakatiya influence all over. The temple is surrounded by a protective wall like a fort, since the temple has three lords, one can worship them at the same time. One can imagine the importance of now and every year, locals celebrate the Rathasaptami festival and attract a large number of devotees every year.
There are many sayings that sunlight falls on shiva linga only on Rathasaptami day, no doubt, the festival attracts a huge number of visitors and gets overcrowded. Another beauty of the temple is this tall Gali gopuram which is visible even before you enter the temple and can be worshipped from far as well. It is believed that whoever wishes with their pure heart in this temple gets full fill.
Also visit: Visit Piligrams Jankampet Temple, Nizamabad
One might be hoping to see Lord shiva’s idol with his blue throat but that’s not the way it is. The place has as usual linga form of shiva. But the temple got its name from the ocean churning event when Lord Shiva drank the poison to prevent the destruction and Goddess Parvati holds his neck stopping the poison to go down to his stomach and hence the name Neelkantha,
If one looks carefully, each pillar has a variety of rocks used with very less space in between each rock, some say that out of three pillars, one pillar has three flowers on it while the two other has only one. Coming to the lords, the temple also has Dakshinamukhi Aanjaneya Swamy facing south since Goddess Sita was in Lanka back then, the place also has a beautiful Nandi sitting in front of his favorite lord.
The temple has several other attractions such as Parvati temple, an ancient well, a beautiful tulsi tree among neem, etc. an ancient room which is supposed to have coolness even during the summer. So, I must say that this place is definitely worth visiting. Do give it a try but before that let me also mention the temple timings for your convenience.
Temple Timings
Monday – Friday:
6:00 AM -7:30 PM
Saturday:
6:00 AM -7:30 PM
Sunday:
6:00 AM -7:30 PM
Public Holidays:
6:00 AM -7:30 PM
