HANAMAKONDA / MULUGU: Union Minister G Kishan Reddy, on Friday, inaugurated the rebuilt Kalyana Mandapam, funded by the Union government and initiated in 2006, at the Thousand Pillar Temple in Hanamkonda on Friday.
Addressing the media, Kishan Reddy highlighted that the Tughlaqs had demolished the Kalyana Mandapam along with the Nandi statue in the temple premises.
According to the ASI, the temple complex, locally known as Veyi Stambala Gudi (thousand pillar temple), was likely the earliest structure raised by Kakatiya Rudra Deva (1162-63 CE). This temple, with a three-shrine complex, features an antechamber leading to a common Ranga Mandapa or Natya Mandapa with a long portico. A plain pavilion houses a colossal Nandi, now exposed to the sky. The temple sits on a star-shaped jagati (platform) with a semi-flat roof. A splendid hall of columns, known as the Kalyana Mandapa, lies south of the temple in alignment, as per the pillar inscription indicating completion during the time of Rudra Deva-I (1158-1195 CE).
Over time, the structural stability of the Kalyana Mandapa, with its 132 pillars, weakened due to various factors. Following dismantling, restoration work commenced in 2006, utilising original materials and adhering to the original plan. The base of the Kalyana Mandapa up to Adhisthana was completed in 2013, with reassembly of the superstructure and roof following suit.
Later in the day, Kishan Reddy inaugurated the transit campus of the newly established Sammakka Sarakka Central Tribal University (SSCTU) at Jakaram village in Mulugu on Friday.