At Vemulawada in Telangana stands the Sri Raja Rajeswara Swamy temple, one of the most revered Shiva shrines of the region, honoured as a Dakshina Kashi, a Kashi of the South. Here Shiva is worshipped as Raja Rajeswara — Rajanna to his devotees — amid a complex rich with many shrines.
A distinctive tradition here is the Kode Mokku, in which devotees bring a bull, sacred to Shiva as Nandi, and circle the temple with it in fulfilment of their vows. The temple's sacred tank, the Dharma Gundam, is believed to hold healing waters. Ancient in origin and richly developed over the centuries, Vemulawada draws great crowds, especially during Maha Shivaratri, and is among the foremost Shaiva pilgrimages of Telangana.
