Chaya Someswara Temple in Nalgonda District of Telangana State - Timings: Chaya Someswara Temple is a wonderful temple located at Panagal in the
Nalgonda district of Telangana, 1.4 km from Panagal Bus Station, 4 km from
Nalgonda Bus Station, and 104 km from
Hyderabad. From Nalgonda, this is an interesting pilgrimage and historical site to visit. Cholas built the Sri temple between the 11th and 12th centuries. The temple was given its name because it is believed that a pillar's relentless shadow (Chaya in Telugu) falls over the main deity of Shivalingam throughout the day. This incredible temple, designed by the Kunduru, demonstrates the architects' fantastic creative thinking and scientific knowledge. The complex is home to three deities:
Brahma, Vishnu, and Shiva, who face three different directions and are linked by a common maha mandapa. The temple also has beautiful sculptures and artwork.
Chaya Someswara Temple in Nalgonda
The temple's architecture is well-known. Throughout the day, one of the garbhagrihas facing west and facing east casts a shadow of a pillar. This mysterious shadow is a major draw to the temple. The chaya that falls on the deity resembles a shadow of a carved pillar in front of the sacred chamber. However, it is not the shadow of a pillar. The shadow is formed by the reflection of light through multiple pillars placed in front of the garbhagriha, and the dark area is formed by the reflection of light through those four pillars. The temple's pillars are strategically placed so the light falls in the same spot throughout the day.
The temple's pillars are richly decorated with relief sculptures of
Ramayana and
Mahabharata episodes. Several sculptures collected from this area are housed in the museum built within the
Pachala Someswara Swamy temple compound. Some of the ancient shivalingas in the museum were collected from Yelleswaram, a village submerged during Pachala Ramalingeshwara's construction. Temple is located 1.2 kilometres from
Sri Chaya Someshwara Temple in Panagal Village and is another wonderful place to visit.
Timings of Chaya Someswara Temple
Timings:
6 am - 12 pm and
2 pm - 8 pm on all days.
Chaya Someswara Temple in Nalgonda
