Warangal - Poetry in stone

I got one extra day in Hyderabad on a personal visit. On googling the tourist attraction places around Hyderabad, I came across Warangal. These sites gave information on the 1000 pillar temple, the fort, Badrakali amman temple and also Ramappa temple at Palampet. The various sites talked about Hanamkonda, Warangal, Kazipet and nowhere they had mentioned that all these 3 places are within 10 km distance from each other.

Anyway, a request for a trip to Warangal to my cousin at Hyderabad was accepted with the condition that we should come back the same day.

We left Hyderabad by 6.45 am with a grand plan of having only fruit diet the whole day as we were just two adults ( without any children travelling with us - we wanted to enjoy the freedom of not packing food, water etc.)

By 9.30 we were in Hanamkonda and thought of reaching the APSTDC office - but we learnt that it will open around 11 am - a hoarding on Poonam Hotel approved by Tourism Dev.Corp attracted our attention and trying to reach that hotel, we reached another hotel on the way. Suprabha Hotel is a good one right on the main road with modern amenities ( I mean, a clean toilet with toilet paper and bidet with running water ) which we were not expecting in a tier II town!

We had pesarattu and Guntur Idlis and should say that we were not disappointed. We engaged the hotel manager in conversation and learnt that Hanamkonda houses the 1000 pillar temple. He told us that we should go to 1000 pillar temple, then to Badrakali temple, fort and then Palmpet in that order.

We drove upto the point where we saw arrow mark towards 1000 pillar temple. We went ahead and then realised that we are not in the right direction. On enquiry, we got a reply "chakkaga" and nothing else from an auto-driver. We went back and - the temple was right on the main road inside a small lane. We were expecting a huge complex where a temple with 1000 pillar can be housed. No, we were absolutely wrong. It was a temple and of course with pillars - but not 1000. Nobody knows how it got this name.

As usual, the tourist guide in the area tried to tell us stories that he had heard and he admitted that he says what he has heard from others and is not sure what he says is the right information.

To enjoy the beauty in the pillars, columns and the Nandi, no guide was needed. Very elaborately carved pillars with patterns of Rudraksha and garlands, dancing girls, percussion instrument players, floral designs were arranged in such beautiful order on the pillars that are still standing.