Chaya Someswara Swamy Temple
Chaya Someshwara Temple is well known for its architecture & mysterious shadow that falls on the deity. Here, Lord Shiva is worshiped as Someshwara Swamy. Because of the shadow, the temple is called Chaya Someshwara Alayam.
The temple has three Garbhagrihas that house three deities Brahma, Vishnu. and Maheshwara, hence it is also called as “Thrikutalayam”.
The Garbhagriha situated on the west and facing east is dedicated to Lord Shiva. We can see a constant and continuous shadow of a pillar on Shiva Lingam throughout the day.
There is another architectural wonder apart from this Shadow which falls on the deity of the temple. If one stands in front of Shiva Lingam in the inner sanctum, they will find their own shadow divided into two postures behind the wall of the deity.
Also, In Lord Vishnu garbhagriha, one can notice their hand waving when standing in front of the deity, it splits into 5 shadow postures.
The Chaya Someshwara Swamy Temple is widely known for its mysterious happenings. The deity presiding in the temple is famously known as the Chaya Someshwara Swamy. Chaya in Hindi means shadow. A vertical shadow reflected by the sculpture in broad daylight on the Shiva Lingam forms a lasting shadow of the pillar. The shadow cast upon is awe-striking and persistent. It is visible during the day, till sunset. The temple is also famous for its Shivratri celebrations.
History of Chaya Someswara Swamy Temple
The Chaya Someswara Swamy Temple was built by the Ikshvaku Dynasty between the 11th and 12th centuries CE. The name was given to the temple as it is assumed that there is an eternal shadow in the main temple on Shiva Lingam, all day. The Chaya Someshwara Swamy Aalayam is the epitome of grace, craft, and spectacle in the Nalgonda district. From its mystifying shadow or Chaya, the temple got its name. This impressive temple, built by the Cholas of Kunduru, is known as Thrikutalayam. It testifies to the architects’ fantastic imaginative thinking and style.
One of the temple’s Garbhagudis still experiences a shadow in the west and east of the Thrikutalayam and this mystery draws thousands of visitors to this temple.
Architecture of Chaya Someswara Swamy Temple
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 in the same place throughout the day.
The pillars of the temple are decorated in great detail with relief sculptures 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 Pachala Ramalingeshwara Temple lies 1.2 km from Sri Chaya Someshwara Temple in Panagal Village is another wonderful place that can be visited.
