A few kilometres away from the bustling district headquarters of Sangareddy, the 800-year-old temple to Shiva as Sri Kasi Visweswara in the village of Kalabgur has been a site of religious significance for decades. Apart from locals, pilgrims arrive here from neighbouring districts in Maharashtra and Karnataka.
But there is more to the temple than meets the eye. Till last year, only a portion of it was visible. Sustained and meticulous efforts by the Department of Archaeology and Museums (DAM) have resulted in the excavation of large portions of the temple buried seven feet under the earth.
“The temple belongs to the Kakatiyan period. Residents told us that abhisekam (ritual washing of the idol) water was not flowing outside the temple naturally. Our team found thatthe water wasflowing into a basement. This prompted us to begin the excavation,” says N.R. Visalatchy, Director, DAM.
A water spout led the archaeologists to the basement and enabled them to understand the level at which the original prakara could have been.
Excavations over a period of 17 months led to the discovery of the temple’s pradakshina pada (circumabulatory path) and adisthana (base of the temple).
The discovery of the base encouraged the team to look skywards, which led to the piecing together of other architectural elements such as thekosamattam and chandramattam. “This is the final portion of the roof. It was missing,” says Ms.Visalatchy.
Surviving roof patterns carved in stone were studied. Local artisans, under the observant eye of experts, were then entrusted with replicating and fixing these patterns.
Once this was done, the focus moved to the uphill task of removing alien structures added to the temple. The restorers knew well that this could not be achieved unless they won the trust and confidence of the locals.
“Residents had constructed a concrete pandal by spending a considerable amount of money. This had to be removed. We explained to them that the restoration work would increase the temple’s beauty. They understood and cooperated with us,” Ms. Visalatchy explains.
The director added, “We will now focus on plinth protection. This will include measures to contain water seepage. Further, work is underway to reduce the load on the structure.”
As old as the temple is its step-well, which is also being restored. It has three storeys, with one level designed to be a bathing area. Rainwater harvesting is also being planned for the temple complex.