At Hanamkonda near Warangal in Telangana stands the Thousand Pillar Temple, a jewel of Kakatiya architecture built in 1163 by King Rudradeva. Laid out in a star shape, it is a Trikutalaya — a triple shrine dedicated to Shiva, Vishnu, and Surya together — and takes its name from the many intricately carved pillars that support its halls.
The temple is famed for its finely polished black-stone pillars, its perforated stone screens, and a magnificent monolithic Nandi carved from a single block of stone. A masterwork of the Kakatiya golden age, still in worship after eight and a half centuries, the Thousand Pillar Temple is among the most treasured monuments of Telangana.
