Kamalapur near jammikunta

Kamalapur the headquarters of a mandal is a big village lying about 55 kms to the south-east of Karimnagar. It is near to Huzurabad and can be reached by bus. It was an important village during the medieval period as it lies on the way leading from the old forts of Elgandal and Mulanguru to Orugallu or Warangal fort. There are old temples in which the sculptures of Chalukyan and Kakatiyan times are noticed.

Ramalayam

This temple consisting of garbhagriha, antarala, sixteen pillared mandapa with a porch resting on two pillars appears tobe originally a Chenna Kesava temple but now it houses Lord Sri Rama. The beautiful sculpture of Garuda carved on a stone

slab of about six feet height is placed before the mukhamandapa.

The temple faces the east. The mandapa is enclosed by walls raised on pial leaving a passage in the east. The mandapa is flat roofed except the central part laid in Kadalikakarana process. The central square slab contains a full blown lotus in three tiers with its bud looking down from the centre. The temple contains

Vaishnava Dvarapalas on either side of the entrance. To the south of the Mandapa there is another shrine with Garbhagriha and antarala facing the north. Reportedly it was dedicated toJagannatha Swamy, a Vaishnava deity but now it is vacant.

Two Saivite shrines in a single enclosure

There are two single shrine temples dedicated to Siva in one and the same enclosure. Each shrine consists of garbhagriha and an antarala before it. One shrine faces the east while the other faces the north. Saivite Dvarapalas are carved on either side at the base of the entrance doorway of each mandapa. The

ceiling of the mandapas is flat. Each shrine has a Chalukyan Nandi of about 3 feet height before it with less ornamentation. Each garbhagriha contains a Linga placed on a pedestal.

There is a two handed Ganapati holding tusk in the righthand and Modakas in left hand on which the tip of the trunk rests. This sculpture is similar to the Ganapati noticed at Jammikunta which is very near to this place. There is another

sculpture of Devi placed in the south-west corner of the court yard.

A monolithic pillar of about 20 feet height stands before these Saivite shrines within the courtyard probably once surmounted by a miniature mandapa with Nandi in it. The whole temple complex may be assigned to 10th and 11th centuries A.D. There is a Telugu inscription of 9 lines on a stone set up in the floor near Sri Rama temple. It is in late characters mentioning only the words Raudri Magha Bahula Shasti Guruvaramu. It records some gift made by Jupalli Rangapati

Dharmaraya.

Sivalayam in the midst of the village

There is another ruined Sivalayam in the midst of the village about half a kilometre from Ramalayam. This is a single shrine temple dedicated to Siva containing garbhagriha and an antarala before it. There is a typical Chalukyan Nandi placed

before this shrine. A nude sculpture of Bhairava of about 3 feet height is noticed in the courtyard of the temple. This temple also may be assigned to the same Kalyani Chalukyan period.

Building in gadi Gadi walls and bastion

The strong gadi or fortalice with its walls and bastions built in stone during the Asaf Jahi period is noticed in the village. Kamalapur was the headquarters of a Fargana with 16 villages under its control. Adimulam Venkatarama Rao reportedly was the chief of this Fargana and one of his descendants Venkata

Sarath Kumar Rao administered this village as its Sirpanch continuously for twenty years. The beautiful residential building with five arches in the front standing within the gadi is reportedto have been built during the first quarter of the twentieth century.