Worship of Lord Brahma at Kaleshwaram Temple

Another little-known temple dedicated to Lord Brahma is found in Kaleshwaram, in the Jayashankar Bhupalpally district of Telangana. As in Alampur, this temple is one in a group of shrines predominantly dedicated to Lord Shiva. Kaleshwaram, also known as Mantrakuta, is located 130 kilometers from Karimnagar, in the thick interior forests of Telangana, at the confluence of the Godavari River and its tributary, Pranahita. The nearest village is Manthani, 32 kilometers away. 'Kaleswara' also refers to the Lord of Death, or Yamaraj.

The antiquity of Kaleshwaram is established in Puranic literature, and it has been a center of Vaishnava, Shaivite, and Jain worship over many centuries. The Skanda Purana mentions the importance of Kaleshwaram's placement at the river confluence.

Kaleshwaram Temple Complex

The most visited temple in Kaleshwaram is the Mukteshwaraswamy Temple, which is one of the three Jyotirlingas in Telangana. The temple is jointly dedicated to Mukteswara (Shiva) and Kaleswara (Yamaraja) and is famous for the fact that two Shivalingas reside here, situated on a single pedestal in the sanctum.

Alongside the Mukteshwaraswamy mandir are several smaller tirthas in the temple complex. Many of these, like the Brahma Temple, have fallen into ruin, with their deities or murtis eventually removed and placed in front of the main temple as free-standing murtis. In his book, "The History and Culture of Karimnagar," Dr. J. Ramanaiah describes the Lord Brahma deity.

“There are a large number of loose sculptures placed in two rows outside the temple and beside the southern compound wall. The figures of dancers, archers, horse-riders, Garuda, Mithuna, Arjuna’s Matsya Yantra, Gopikavastrapaharana, Skanda riding on a peacock, and a lion in action at the back of the elephant holding its upraised trunk, along with male and female devotees with folded hands, are depicted in different small panels.”

He goes on to describe the Brahmadev murti, a catur-mukha linga: "This linga is a fine sculpture in basalt with four faces carved on four sides. The linga is flat-topped and is now placed in the courtyard of the temple. Judging from its smooth polish and accuracy of carving, this sculpture resembles that of the Chaturmukha linga of the ruined Swayambhu temple, which is now placed in the courtyard of the Sambhunigudi in the Warangal fort. A similar Chaturmukha linga is also found at the Manikesvara temple in Kalahasti."

Lord Brahma Deity, Removed from Temple Ruins

The Shiva temple in Kaleshwaram is one of three Shiva temples noted as residing in Trilinga Desham (Land of Three Lingams), the region of the Telugu-speaking people of Telangana. Kaleshwaram forms one of the three corners of Andhra Desha, with the other two main temples being Draksharamam in East Godavari district and Srishailam in Kurnool. The site of the Brahma Temple marks the northernmost border of the Telugu nation.

Kaleshwar is also known as Dakshina Triveni Sangamam because of the confluence of the two rivers, which are said to meet with a third unseen flow of the Antarvaahini (part of the underground Saraswati River). It is said that a Vaishya once performed abhisheka to Kaleswara Mukteswara here with hundreds of milk pots, and the milk was produced by the sangam (confluence) of Godavari and Pranahita. Thus, it is also called Dakshina Gangotri.

Sacred Spots at Kaleshwaram

There are also a number of sacred spots along the Godavari River at Kaleshwaram, called AshtaTirthas, which include the Brahma Tirtham, Pichchuka Tirtham, Jnana Tirtham, Vayasa Tirtham, Sangama Tirtham, Narasimha Tirtham, Hanumath Tirtham, and Vyasa Tirtham.

Prior to 1975, access to Kaleshwaram was limited due to its remote location and the challenging terrain. It was surrounded by thick forest, and several streams had to be crossed along the way. Only a narrow cart track existed for foot traffic. Over many centuries, probably since the time the main temple was built by the Chalukyas, then renovated by the Kakatiyas during the 12th or 13th century, no effort was made to make Kaleshwaram more accessible. That only happened when a government grant allowed a temple committee to be formed in the mid-1970s, and they began temple renovations and created road access.

Today, three major festivals are celebrated in Kaleshwaram each year: Maha Shivaratri, Shiva Kalyanam, and Durga Navratri. Throngs of pilgrims come here during Kartikka. The hermitage of Saint Gautama and his Manthani temple are nearby, along with a famous Lord Nrsimhadev temple and another dedicated to Hanuman.

Seventy-eight kilometers from Karimnagar along the Godavari River is the 15th-century temple town of Dharmapuri, where King Bali Verma performed the Dharma Devta Yagna. A famous 13th-century Sri Lakshmi-Narsimha Swamy temple is located here, along with Sri Venkateshwara Swamy temple, the Sri Ramallingeshwara Swamy temple where Shiva and Vishnu temples exist side by side, and another Brahma deity that will be mentioned later.