Historic Shiva temple razed for building Young India School in Telangana

Heritage activists said that the temple came under the purview of Heritage Telangana Department, and no permissions were sought from either that department, or the endowments department before demolishing it.

Hyderabad: The Telangana government is set to spend hundreds of crores of public funds to renovate and expand the Omkareshwara temple on the banks of the Musi River in Manchirevula. The irony, however, is hard to miss, as on the other hand, an 800-year-old temple built during the zenith of the Kakatiya dynasty has been razed to the ground in Warangal district.

The Shiva temple, located within the premises of a fortified mud-wall enclosure dating to the 13th century AD, was admittedly in a dilapidated condition. But the reason for its demolition was to make way for a Young India Integrated Residential School, coming up near Ashok Nagar in Khanapur mandal.

Warangal, historically known as “Orugallu,” was the capital of the Kakatiya rulers. The demolished temple was constructed during the reign of Kakatiya ruler Ganapati Deva, between 1199 and 1262 AD.

According to S Haragopal, convener of Kotha Telangana Charithra Brundam, the temple housed stone inscriptions in which Ganapati Deva was referred to as “Maharaju”, or the king of kings.

Those inscriptions, along with the temple’s artistically carved pillars and other structures that likely took years to assemble and build, are now buried under rubble. Thanks to the bulldozer, it all came down in a single day.

“What obstacle did the presence of this temple pose inside the premises of the proposed school? Why wasn’t this heritage structure allowed to remain as it was? Whose sin is this? Why this curse on the temple?” Haragopal told Siasat.com.

Noting that the ancient Shiva temple fell under the purview of the Heritage Telangana Department, he questioned why steps were not taken to restore it to its former glory rather than demolish it.

“Local residents are expressing serious concern – questioning under whose protection the contractor is acting, and why the temple was levelled at his whims. No one is clarifying whether the minimum permissions from the Archaeology and Endowments Departments were even obtained,” he told Siasat.com.

The Young India Integrated School is being constructed on around 20 acres beside a Sainik School in the area. The temple itself occupied barely half an acre.

Adding to the outrage, not only was the temple demolished, the sanctum sanctorum was dug up as well. There is also a suspicion that the contractor, and those directing him, may have brought down the temple in search of treasure believed to be hidden beneath it.