Kolanupaka Someswara Temple (also known as Chandikamba Sametha Someshwaraswami temple) is a Shiva Temple located in Kolanupaka village (also called as Kulpak), Alair Mandal, Yadadri Bhuvanagiri district in Telangana State. The temple was built around 12th century by Kakatiya Kings. In this temple the murti of Shiva is found in human form unlike the common Linga form.
The main vigraha of the temple is Shiva in the form of Swayambu or Someshwara Swamy, and his consort is devi Chandika. There is a huge Saharsalinga inside one of the temple sanctums, which gives it the name of Veyi Lingala gudi (meaning in Telugu the temple of the thousand lingas).
The shrines in the complex include those of Renukacharya, Mallikarjunaswami, Chandeshwari, Kundamamba, Kotilingeswaraswami, Kala Bhairavaswami, Anjaneya, Rudranidraswami, Veerabhadraswami, Kumaraswami and the Ekadasharudra. The temple has Ganesh and Nataraja vigrahas and Mahavir in yoga posture of the Chalukya period that dates back to 12th century.
Temple History
Adorned with beautiful carvings and sculptures the temple is believed to have been originally built in Chalukyan style. Inscriptions found here indicate that the temple was constructed around 1070-1126 CE and the Chalukyan kings patronised the temple by donating land, gold, cows, etc. Historical evidence states Kolanupaka was the second capital of the Kalyani Chalukyas (also known as Western Chalukyas) during the 11th century. The Western Chalukyas ruled from Kalyani (modern Basavakalyan) from late 10th century until the end of the 12th century. People believe that the Kolanupaka temple is much older than 11th century going by puranas and was developed in phases by various rulers. Over a period of time.
Renukacharya
It is also believed that Kolanupaka is the birth place of ‘Renukacharya’. the great ‘Veera Saiva’ saint, who was said to be born said from the ‘Swayambu Linga’ found in this village, and was later said to be merged into it after he finished preaching Veera Saivam. Renukacharya was the founder of the Veerashaiva sect and he fought for empowerment of women and their equal rights in all spheres of life including entry into temples.
A statue of Renukacharya is present in the sanctum along with the Swayambu Linga in Someswara Temple, Kolanupaka. In front of the temple there is a four pillared mandapa with a Kakatiyan nandi sitting inside.
Veerashaivism
Veerashaivism is a sect of Shaivism that is part of Hindu Dharma. Veerashiavism is propounded by Panchacharyas and they are Renukacharya, Darukacharya, Ekorama, Panditharadhya and Vishwaradhya. Veerashaivism is first taught by Renukacharya to Saint Agastya, a Vedic seer. The preachings of Renukacharya to Rishi Agastya are recorded in Shri Siddhantha Shikhamani (estimated to be an 8th century work), which is regarded as an important holy book for the Veerashaivas.
The five peethas of Veerashaiva
- Veerasimhasana of Rambhapuri in Balehonnuru (Karnataka)
- Saddharma Shimhasana of Ujjaini (Karnataka)
- Vairagya Shimhasana of Kedar (Uttarakhand)
- Surya Shimhasana of Murtisailam (Andhra Pradesh) and
- Jnana Shimhasana of Kasi (Uttar Pradesh)
The philosophy of Veerashaivism is explained in Siddhanta Shikhamani. While the Veerashaiva-tradition follows Vedic elements, the origin of panchacharyas has been explained in Sivagamas, especially in Svayambhuva Agama, Suprabhedagama and Viragama. The earlier portions of Agama literature are the fundamental source of Saiva religion, while the latter portions are of special importance to Veerashaivism. However, Veerashaivism differs from Agamic Shaivism and Pasupata Shaivism in its philosophy and in certain ritualistic elements.
Veerashaiva Lingayats from Telangana, Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Maharashtra and other states visit the Kolanupaka temple in large numbers and celebrate Renukacharya jayanti annually.
Nyaya Lingam
The Nyaya Lingam in the Pramana Mandapam, located in front of the temple, was once a venue for settling disputes among the people, apart from fulfilling their wishes.
One of the unique features of the Kolanupaka Someswara Temple is its monolithic Nandi bull, intricately carved out of a single piece of black basalt. The Nandi idol is situated at the entrance of the temple and is considered a guardian deity. The vigrahas of Mahishasuramardani and Kosthapanjara (a niche decorated with a curved cage-motif) with Uma Maheswara of Kalyani Chalukya period (13th century) can also be found in the temple. This temple is a must visit archaeological site for heritage lovers in order to see the exquisitely carved sahasralinga and other murtis in the various sanctums inside, with its mixed Chalukyan and Kakatiyan architecture and art style. The famed sculptures at Kolanupaka include manasthambha (Pillar of Victory) of Tribhuvanamalla with an inscription mentioning the date 1076-1127 AD and Kodandarama statue of the 12th century Vijayanagara period.
Archaeological Survey of India maintains a museum in front of the temple at Kolanupaka.
The Murthis of Chamundi and Govinda of the Kakatiya period from the 13th century, statues of Nandi and Vajrapani, artifacts from the Chalukya and Kakatiya eras with more than 100 images that date back to the period between 10th to 14th century are displayed at the museum. This museum is a must see for the research scholars and historians.
Festivals of Someswara Temple
Being a temple dedicated to God Shiva, Mahashivratri is celebrated on a grand scale. Mahashivratri festival comes in the months of February or March every year and devotees including Veerashaiva Lingayats from both the Telugu speaking States and Karnataka and Maharashtra visit the temple in large numbers.
Besides the temples, the Kolanupaka also houses the mutts of 18 castes, which is unheard in other temples. They are Pedda Matam, Gaundla Matam, Kurva Matam, Medari Matam, Golla Matam, Padmashali Matam, Komati Matam, Kapula Matam, Madiga Matam, Mala Matam, Ganiga Matam, Meru Matam, Sangari Matam, Sakali Matam, Nakasha Matam, Vadrangi Matam, Mamaya Matam, and Dwala Matam. Some more mutts were subsequently established.
Though the inscriptions and sculptures in the Kolanupaka museum are preserved, the Someswara temple behind the museum is not well maintained. Some of the shrines inside the temple and the sculptures around the temple give a deserted look and lack proper maintenance. It is very unfortunate that the temple with such ancient history and importance is totally neglected.
Jain Temple
Within 1 KM distance from Someswara temple there is a famous 2000-year-old Jain temple. The main deities in this temple are : Rishabhanatha, Neminatha, and Mahavira. The image of Rishabhanatha, carved of a green stone has been historically famous as “Manikyaswami” and Jivantasvami. The interior of the temple is made by red sandstone and white marble. Rishabha, popularly called Adinath Bhagvan, was the first Tirthankar in Jainism. It is believed that the original deity of Adinath, known locally as Manikya Deva, has made Kolanupaka its abode.
There are eight Murthis of the other Tirthankars on both the sides of the main temple. The statue of Mahaveer is 130 centimetres (51 in) tall and is said to be made of a single piece of jade. Vigrahas of Simandar Swami ( a living tirthankar according to the belief of Jainism) and Mata Padmavati are installed on either side of the main temple. The temple also houses vigrahas of Shantinatha, Chandraprabha, Abhinandananatha, and Bhomyaji. A dharamshala is built around the temple.
A number of Jain antiquities have been discovered in Kulpakji (another name for Kolanupaka). Kolanupaka flourished as a Jain center during the Rashtrakutas period (753 AD-982 AD).
Inscriptions suggest that the Kulpak (Kolanupaka) was a major center of Mula Sangh (ancient monastic order). A grant mentioning a gift to a “Basadi”(i.e., jain temple) during the rule of Sanfkaragana in 9th century has been found at Akunur (Saidapur manadal, Karimnagar district, Telangana).
A 12th-century inscription found in the Kulpakji Jain mandir mentions Meghachadra Siddhantadeva who entered sallekhana (samadhi). There is a 151-line Kannada inscription issued by Someshvara III of Western Chalukya Empire in 1125 AD.
Vividha Tirtha Kalpa (14th century) written by Jinaprabha Suri has reference to Kulyapak Rishabhadeva Stuti and Kollapaka Manikyadeva Tirthakalpa. Jainism declined after 1276 AD in this region and re-established itself in 1711, when the temple of Manikyaswani was renovated and a boundary wall was built.
According to legends, the Manikyasami image was originally worshipped by Mandodari, the wife of Ravana. It is believed that this image was brought here by the ruler Sankar of Kalyana (Kalyani Chalukya kingdom).
According to some legends the main temple is said to have been built by Bharat Chakravarti (eldest son of Rishabanatha and Yasasvati Devi). Jainism was prevalent in Andhra Pradesh before the 4th century, and Kolanupaka was one of the prominent centres of Jainism from early times. The temple, was recently renovated (1988-2008) by employing artisans from Rajasthan and Gujarat.
In April 2022, during renovation in Someshwara Temple near the Kulpakji, two 4 by 1.4 feet (1.22 by 0.43 m) sculpture of ‘Maha Jaina Pada’ (foot) of Jain Tirthankara was discovered. Kulpakji is an important pilgrimage centre for Svetambara Jains of South India.
Kolanupaka is at equidistance from Hyderabad and Warangal (around 80 KMs) and 25 KMs from Yadagiri gutta. It is one of the important pilgrim places to be visited by the followers of Hindu Dharma and Jainism.
