About 5 kms west of the Rajiv Gandhi International Airport in Hyderabad is the unique ancient temple dedicated to Lord Rama. The Ammapalli Sita Ramachandraswamy temple is one of those rare Rama temples without the idol of Hanuman kneeling down in payer.
Though there are no inscriptions about this temple, it is said to have been built around 13th century by the Eastern Chalukya Kings who ruled the region between rivers Godavari and Krishna with Vengi as their capital. While the temple is nearly 800 years old, the idol is said to be over 1,000 years old.
The three idols of Rama, Sita and Lakshmana, about 4 feet tall, have a Makaratorana arch, all carved out of a single piece of rock. Furthermore, the Makarathorana sports small idols which are representative of Lord Vishnu’s 10 incarnations. Lord Rama being one of them.
The idol of the temple is that of Kodandarama, where Rama is seen holding the arrow in his right hand and a bow in the left. There are very few Kodandarama temples as they are built only in places where Lord Rama travelled or stayed during his 14 years of exile, as narrated in the Aranyakand of Ramayana.
Since Lord Rama and Lakshmana met Hanuman at Kishkinda (identified to be near present day Hampi) towards the end of their exile period, Hanuman is not part of the sanctum sanctorum. Instead the idol of Hanuman is outside the temple near the Dhwaja Stambh.
The gopuram inside the temple portrays multiple tales from Indian mythology including Venkateswara Kalyan, Gajendra Moksha , churning of the ocean etc.
The next significant attraction is the 90 feet tall 7 storeyed Gopuram at the temple entrance which is a blend of South Indian and North Indian architectural styles . The Rajasthani style Jharokas immediately capture one’s attention. Of course the Gopuram is a later addition to the temple complex, built some time during the 17th century.
The temple walls bear the stamp of Kakatiya architecture.
A large step well near the temple is another attraction. While across the road, spectacularly colourful large Hanuman Murthi has been built.
Ammapalli Temple has featured in over 300 Telugu movies and serials, earning it a sobriquet ‘Cinema Temple’. There is a belief that a film which includes some portion of it shot at this temple, never crashes in the Box Office. I could not independently verify whether film shooting is still permitted, but nevertheless this serene surrounding is very popular for photo shoots.
PS : ( The Gopuram at the temple entrance is presently under covers for repairs.)
Manish Desai
Image Courtesy : Phalguni Ravi.
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