Alampur Jogulamba Temple I DAKSHIN KASHI OF INDIA I

Alampur is a sleepy town situated on the banks Tungabhadra River, in the state of Telangana.

Alampur, also known as southern Kashi, is one of the ancient towns in the Deccan plateau and is mentiond as ‘Halampura, Hathampura, Alampuram’, in the manuscripts of various kings and as ‘Hemalapuram’ in Sthala Purana.

The famous Jogulamba temple was built in the 7th century near the Brahmeshwara temple, but was demolished by Muslim invaders in the 14th century.

The villagers somehow saved Goddess Jogulamba’s idol in the Brahmeswara temple and kept offering her prayers.

To save temples from getting demolished, Harihara Rayalu, the king of Vijayanagara empire had sent his son Devarayalu to capture Alampur from foreign invasion, which was done in 1390.

It was only in the 21st century that the Jogulamba temple was rebuilt in the same place and the original idol installed here.

After the defeat of the Kakatiya dynasty, Muslim saints and pahelwans had come to propagate Islam in this region.

One of them was Shah Ali Pehelwan, who came along with his followers to Kurnool.

After coming to know about the greatness of the temples in Alampur, he decided to demolish them but during a fight with the villagers of Alampur, Pehelwan and his followers were killed.

His body was laid to rest close to the main entrance of Brahmeswara temple and every year, urs is held in this dargah.

Here the marvelous temple and remains of some ancient temple signify Badami Chalukyan architecture.

The region was ruled by many South Indian dynasties.
The principal deities at the Jogulamba temple are Jogulamba and Balabrahmeshwara.

Goddess Jogulamba is considered the 5th Shakti Peeta among 18 shakti peetams in the country.

Here Goddess Jogulamba is seen seated on the Corpse with scorpion, frog, and lizard on the head.

She is seen in a naked avtar with her tongue stretched outside, an avtar of fierce goddess that grants Siddhi in Yoga and hence called Jogulamba.

This word is a changed form of Yogula Amma in Telugu which means Mother of Yogis.

According to a popular legend there was a great saint in 6th century called Rasa Siddha who had the power to convert base metal into gold and he was considered close to chalukya king Pulakesi II, instrumental in constructing any temples called ‘Nava Brahmas’.

According to the legend, the nine names of Siva are actually the names of medicinal herbs put forth by Rasa Siddha and there are nine temples here.

They are the Swarga Brahma Temple, Padma Brahma Temple, Vishva Brahma Temple, Arka Brahma Temple, Bala Brahma Temple, Garuda Brahma Temple, and Taraka Brahma Temple.

The Siddha Rasarnavam is a tantric work, which states that if upasana is performed as per the prescribed Tantra, then Mercury oozes from the Linga of Bala Brahma, Thighs of Subramanya, Navel of Ganapati, and Mouth of Mother Jogulamba, which can be converted into Gold by using the medicinal herbs.

The popular temple stands as a testimony to Chalukya Art and Culture.

The Tungabhadra and Krishna are seen in a confluence near Alampur, and hence it is also known as Dakshina Kailasam.

It is also said that Brahma had performed a great penance at today’s Alampur for thousands of years, and he pleased Lord Siva who conferred the powers of creation for him.
Hence, the deity is also called Brahmeswara and the goddess as Yogini or Jogulamba, a synonym for mother Parvathi.


How to Reach:
Alampur is located about 215 km from Hyderabad and is well accessible by road through Hyderabad-Bangalore national highway. The nearest airport is Rajiv Gandhi International Airport at Shamshabad.