Kaladarshana - Ancient and Medieval Historical Indian Architecture and Art

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Alampur
Situated about 250 km south of Hyderabad, this town has several Saiva temples from the 7th-8th c when it was an important religious settlement within the eastern reaches of the Badami Chalukya empire. This makes the site (called the Nava Brahma Kshetra) the most ancient Hindu complex in Andhra Pradesh. The temples are located within a large fortified area and laid out from north to south, all facing east to the Tungabhadra which flows southward here making its west bank auspicious for temple-building. The site was threatened by the Srisailam project (downstream from here) but a barrage was erected to save the temples. The architecture represents an evolved phase of the Badami Chalukya style and is characterized by curved towers with chaitya motifs, ribbed elements and amalaka finials, wall-niches with elaborate pediments, and large cardinal niches with pierced windows on the sanctuary walls.