Chaya Someswara Temple is a wonderful temple located at Panagal in Nalgonda district of Telangana. This is an interesting pilgrimage and historical site to visit from Nalgonda & Hyderabad.Chaya Someswara Swamy temple, also known by the name Thrikutalayam.It is a popular site during Sivarathri.
Shrine’s History
This temple was built during 11th and 12th Century AD by Ikshvaku dynasty. This temple was later renovated by Kunduru Cholas in 12th Century A.D.Temple walls are carved with the Epics from Mahabharata and Ramayana. Chaya Someswara Swamy Temple also called by Thrikutalayam which means three Garbha Grihas.
Architectural Relevance of This Shrine
The temple is known for its architecture. One of the garbhagrihas situated in the west and facing east contains a continuing shadow of a pillar throughout the day. This mysterious shadow is a huge attraction of the temple. The chaya that falls on the deity looks like a shadow of one of the pillars carved in front of the sacred chamber. But it is not actually the shadow of any pillar. The dark area is formed by the reflection of light through multiple pillars placed in front of garbhagriha and the shadow is a consolidated shadow of those four pillars. The pillars in the temple are strategically placed so that the light falls at the same place throughout the day. The pillars of the temple are decorated in great detail with a relief sculpture of episodes from Ramayana and Mahabharata. Several sculptures collected from this area are preserved at the museum constructed in the compound of Pachala Someswara Swamy temple. Some of the ancient shivalingas preserved in the museum were collected from a village called Yelleswaram, which was submerged during the construction of Nagarjuna Sagar Dam.
Shrine’s Map Location and How to Go There
By Road
The Direct bus to Nalgonda is available from Nalgonda with high frequency.
By Rail
The nearest railway station is at Nalgonda which is 2.1 km away. Direct Train to Nalgonda is available from all parts of the country.
By Air
The nearest International airport is at Hyderabad which is 117 km away. Next nearest is airport is at Vijayawada which is 203 km away.
Shrine Timings
6:00 am – 12:00 pm and 3:00 pm – 8:00 pm
Events Celebrated at This Shrine
Shivaratri
Extra Information About this Shrine
Scientific Reason behind the Shadow The shadow (Chaya) appears on the presiding deity is due to the distraction of Light on the pillars.