Alampur is a town situated in Jogulamba Gadwal district in the state of Telangana. Alampur is a popular Hindu pilgrimage site in Shaktism. In early inscriptions Alampur is also known as Halampuram, hemalapuram and hatampura. Alampur is at the meeting point of the rivers Tungabhadra and Krishna and is referred to as Dakshina Kasi and is also considered the western gateway to Srisailam. The following four pilgrim places are considered as Gateways to Srisailam- East- Tripurantakam, South- Siddavatam (both in Andhra Pradesh), North- Uma Maheswaram, and West- Alampur (both in Telangana).
The sacredness of Alampur is mentioned in the Skanda Purana. It is surrounded by the Nallamala hills and is situated on the left bank of the Tungabhadra river.
Alampur was under the rule of Satavahanas, Ikshvakus of Nagarjunakonda, Badami Chalukyas, Rashtrakutas, Kalyani Chalukyas, Kakatiyas, Vijayanagara Empire, and the Qutb Shahis of Golconda. Under the name Hatampura, Alampur was mentioned in an inscription dated to 1101 CE in the reign of Western Chalukya king Vikramaditya VI.
The Jogulamba temple at Alampur is regarded as a Shakti Peetha where Sati Devi’s upper teeth fell. The itihasa of Daksha yagna and Sati’s self-immolation is the origin story of Shakti Peethas. Shakti Peethas are shrines which are the most divine seats of Devi Sati The body parts of the corpse of Sati Devi had fallen in these places, when Bhagwan Shiva carried it and wandered throughout Aryavartha in sorrow.
The original temple at Alampur was damaged by Muslim invaders in 1390 CE. The temple was rebuilt in 2005. There is a large water pool around the temple. The destroyed idol of Jogulamba has been preserved in the Bala Brahma Temple, which is one of the Navabrahma Temples at Alampur.
The principal deities at the Jogulamba temple are Jogulamba and Balabrahmeshwara. Devi Jogulamba is considered the 5th Shakti Peeta among 18 shakti peetams in the country. Here Devi Jogulamba is seen seated on the corpse with scorpion, frog, and lizard on the head. She is seen in a naked avatar with her tongue stretched outside, an avatar of fierce devi that grants Siddhi in Yoga and hence called Jogulamba. This word Jogulamba is derived form of Yogula Amma in Telugu which means Mother of Yogis.
Nava Brahma Temples
According to a popular legend there was a great saint in 6th century called Rasa Siddha who had the power to convert base metal into gold and he was considered close to chalukya king Pulakesi II, instrumental in constructing nine temples called ‘Nava Brahmas’ at Alampur.
According to the legend, the nine names of Siva are actually the names of medicinal herbs put forth by Rasa Siddha and the nine temples that are built in line with that are – Swarga Brahma Temple, Padma Brahma Temple, Vishva Brahma Temple Arka Brahma Temple, Bala Brahma Temple, Garuda Brahma Temple, Kumara Brahma Temple, Veera Brahma Temple and Taraka Brahma Temple.
The Siddha Rasarnavam is a tantric work, which states that if upasana (worship) is performed as per the prescribed Tantra, then Mercury oozes from the Linga of Bala Brahma, Thighs of Subramanya, Navel of Ganapati, and Mouth of Mother Jogulamba, which can be converted into Gold by using certain medicinal herbs.
The uniqueness of this group of nine temples lies in their plan and design in the northern architectural style introduced by the Chalukyas somewhere around AD 650 and 750.
Papanasi Temples
Papanasi temples are a group of twenty three Hindu temples dated between 9th and 11th-century located in Papanasi village, 2.5 km to the south-west of Alampur. These temples were constructed a few centuries later to Navabrahma temples by the Rashtrakutas and Western Chalukyas. The Papanasi temples exhibit the Nagara architecture with a square plan. There are two main temples viz., Papanaseswara and Gurulingeswara in this temple complex along with the sub shrines of Ganesh and Saptamatrukas.
Sangameswara Temple
Sangameswara is derived from the word Sangam meaning confluence (i.e., meeting point of the rivers Tungabhadra and Krishna). This temple was originally located at Kudavelli village is also known as Kudavelli Sangameswara Temple. On the basis of a label inscription found in the temple, the temple is dated to pre-Pulakesin-II (r. 610-642 CE) time period and is the oldest of all the Chalukyan temples at Alampur.
This temple is shifted near to Alampur (2 km) in 1979 when the original site got submerged due to the construction of Srisailam dam.
Alampur, is located approximately 220 km from Hyderabad and can be reached through Hyderabad-Bangalore highway. Alampur road is the nearest railway station located at a distance of nearly 9 km. Kurnool city in Andhra Pradesh is the nearest town from Aalmpur located at 28 KMs distance.
Reference:
1. https://telanganatourism.gov.in/partials/destinations/divine-destinations/jogulamba-gadwal/alampur-jogulamba-temple.html
2. https://www.asihyderabadcircle.com/menu?menuid=19&l=1
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