Alampur near Kurnool is home to the very ancient Navabhramma
temples dating back to the 7th century CE. Alampur is
located at a distance of 200 km from Hyderabad. Alampur
is considered to be the western gateway of Sree Sailam,
the revered Jyotirlinga Shivastalam in Andhra Pradesh.
The southern, eastern, and northern gateways are Siddhavattam,
Tripurantakam and Umamaheswaram respectively.
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The Tungabhadra and Krishna are
in confluence near Alampur, which is also known
as Dakshina Kailasam (as is Sree Kalahasti in
Southern Andhra Pradesh). Nine temples here referred
to as the Nava Bhramma temples are dedicated to
Shiva.
The Nava Bhramma temples were built by the Badami
Chalukyas, who ruled for about 200 years from
the middle of the sixth century onwards. The Badami
Chalukyas built several temples in Karnataka,
and the Alampur temples in Andhra Pradesh.
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The Alampur site preserves archeological remains in
the form of temples exhibiting a hybrid style of architecture
- dating back to the 6th-7th centuries CE. Some of the
images from this site are also housed in a museum nearby.
The Nava Bhramma temples were built by the Badami Chalukyas,
who ruled for about 200 years from the middle of the
sixth century onwards. The Badami Chalukyas built several
temples in Karnataka, and the Alampur temples in Andhra
Pradesh.The Alampur site preserves archeological remains
in the form of temples exhibiting a hybrid style of
architecture - dating back to the 6th-7th centuries
CE. Some of the images from this site are also housed
in a museum nearby.
The Nava Bhramma temples are Taraka Bhramma, Swarga
Bhramma, Padma Bhramma, Bala Bhramma, Garuda Bhramma,
Kumara Bhramma, Arka Bhramma, Vira Bhramma and the Vishwa
Bhramma. These temples are all enclosed in a courtyard
on the left bank of the river Tungabhadra.
The Bala Bhramma temple is the principal shrine of
worship. It dates back to the year 702 CE - per the
inscriptions seen here. Shivaratri is celebrated in
great splendour here.
The Taraka Bhramma temple is partly in ruins, and it
has no image in the sanctum. It bears telugu inscriptions
from the 6th-7th century CE. The Swarga Bhramma temple
with an imposing tower is considered to be among the
finest in Alampur, and is an excellent specimen of Chalukyan
architecture and sculpture. It contains several sculptures
in bas relief, and it dates back to the end of the 8th
century.
The Padma Bhramma temple partly in ruins, contains
a Shivalingam of clear stone with mirror like finish.
The Viswa Bhramma temple is among the most artistic
of the Nava Bhramma temples. The sculptural work here
depicts scenes from the epics.
Also in the enclosed courtyard is located the Suryanarayana
temple, dating back to the 9th century. This temple
has bas reliefs representing the incarnations of Vishnu.
There is also a Narasimha temple with inscriptions from
the period of Krishna Deva Raya of the Vijayanagar Empire.
Near Alampur, is Papanasam with a cluster of over 20
temples of varying sizes and styles. The most important
of these is the Papanaseswara temple
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