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{{short description|Hindu temple in India}}
{{About|Siva temple in Pillalamarri village near [[Suryapet]]|other uses|Pillalamarri (disambiguation)}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=October 2020}}
{{Use Indian English|date=October 2020}}

{{Infobox Hindu temple|name=Erakeswara Temple|image=Erakesvara temple, Pillalamarri, Suryapet district, Telangana 02.jpg|alt=|caption=Pillalamarri Erakeswara Temple|map_type=India Telangana|map_caption=Location in Telangana|coordinates={{coord|17.169683|N|79.582198|E|type:landmark|display=inline,title}}|country=[[India]]|state=[[Telangana]]|district=[[Suryapet district|Suryapet]]|locale=Pillalamarri, [[Suryapet]]|deity=Chennakesava Swami|festivals=|architecture=Kakatiya architecture|website=|year_completed=c. 1208 CE}}

'''Erakeswara Temple''' is a [[Shaivism|Saivite]] Hindu temple located in the western side of Pillalamarri village, [[Suryapet district]] of [[Telangana]], [[India]]. The temple was built on the banks of the [[Musi River (India)|Musi]] river in {{circa|1208 CE}} by Erakasani, the wife of Bēti Reddi of the Recherla family who were the feudatories of [[Kakatiya dynasty|Kakatiyas]].<ref name=":3">{{Cite book|last=Rao|first=P. R. Ramachandra|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=HIvrAAAAMAAJ&q=Erakeswara|title=The Splendour of Andhra Art|date=2005|publisher=Akshara|pages=86|language=en}}</ref><ref name=":1">{{Cite web|title=Monuments - Archaeology and Museums|url=http://tsdam.com/monuments-in-nalgonda.html|access-date=2020-10-28|website=tsdam.com}}</ref><ref name=":4">{{Cite book|last=Rao|first=M. Rama|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=fF0GAAAAMAAJ&q=erakasani+pillalamarri|title=Select Kākatīya Temples|date=1966|publisher=Sri Venkatesvara University|pages=91|language=en}}</ref><ref name=":5">{{Cite book|last=Ganapathi|first=Racharla|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=SUNuAAAAMAAJ&q=erakasani|title=Subordinate Rulers in Medieval Deccan|date=2000|publisher=Bharatiya Kala Prakashan|isbn=978-81-86050-53-8|pages=155|language=en}}</ref><ref name=":6">{{Cite book|last=Kumari|first=V. Anila|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=FjpuAAAAMAAJ&q=erakasani|title=The Andhra Culture During the Kakatiyan Times|date=1997|publisher=Eastern Book Linkers|isbn=978-81-86339-15-2|pages=3|language=en}}</ref> Erakeswara Temple is one among the four prominent and intricately carved stone and granite temples located in Pillalamarri village—the other three are about 250 metres east of the Erakeswara temple. These include the double temples next to each other: [[Nameswara Temple, Pillalamarri|Parvati-Mahadeva Nameswara Temple]] and Trikuteshwara Temple (both Shiva); and the third being the Chennakeshava Temple (Vishnu) in ruins that is a few hundred feet southwest of the double temples. They are all from 12th to early 13th century period.

== Location ==
Pillalamarri is located at a distance of 8 km northwest of [[Suryapet]] town, off highway 65. Suryapet is located at a distance of 153 km from Hyderabad on the [[National Highway 65 (India)|National Highway 65]].

== History ==
The temple was built in the early 13th century (c. 1203-1208 CE)<ref name=":1" /><ref>{{Cite web|title=Telangana Protected Monuments List - Heritage Act 2017|url=https://heritage.telangana.gov.in/wp-content/uploads/2018/11/31-Districts-Protected-Monuments-ListHeritage-Act-2017.pdf|page=40}}</ref> by the Recherla chiefs who served as the feudatories of [[Kakatiya dynasty|Kakatiyas]]. One inscription notes that Erakasani, the wife of Bēti Reddi of the Recherla family built the temple in 1208 CE in Pillalamarri.<ref name=":3" /><ref name=":4" /><ref name=":5" /> The deity Erakeswara is named after her, meaning "lord of Eraka".<ref name=":6" /><ref>{{Cite book|last=Mukherjee|first=Amitabha|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=FWHaAAAAMAAJ&q=pillalamarri|title=Women in Indian Life and Society|date=1996|publisher=Punthi Pustak and Institute of Historical Studies|isbn=978-81-85094-97-7|pages=89|language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book|last=Suryakumari|first=A.|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=gzgdAAAAMAAJ&q=pillalamarri|title=The Temple in Andhradesa|date=1982|publisher=Sarvodaya Ilakkiya Pannai|pages=35|language=en}}</ref> The temple was vandalised during the raids of [[Alauddin Khalji|Alauddin Khilji]] into the Deccan region in the early 14th century. An inscription dated to 1357 CE records the re-establishment of Lord Erakeswara by a local feudatory chief serving Kapaya Nayaka of [[Musunuri Nayakas|Musunuri Nayaka]] dynasty.<ref>{{Cite book|last=Sarma|first=Mukkamala Radhakrishna|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=SSNUAAAAMAAJ&q=erakasani|title=Temples of Telingāṇa: The Architecture, Iconography, and Sculpture of the Cāḷukya and Kākatīya Temples|date=1972|publisher=Booklinks Corporation|pages=100|language=en}}</ref>

Prominent stone inscriptions in [[Telugu language|Telugu]] about the history of the temple and of Pillalamarri are displayed in the temple premises. One of the stone inscriptions is dated to 1195 CE (Saka. 1117) and mentions the rule of Pratapa Rudra I. Another stone inscription dates to 1208 CE ([[Shaka era|Saka]]. 1130) and makes a reference to the reign of Ganapati Deva.<ref name=":2">{{Cite web|title=PillalaMarri Temple, Telangana Tourism, TS.|url=http://tstourism.co.in/Nalgonda_PillalaMarri%20Temple.html|access-date=2020-10-28|website=tstourism.co.in}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book|last=Singh|first=B. Satyanarayana|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=SujVAAAAMAAJ&q=Erakeswara|title=The Art and Architecture of the Kākatīyas|date=1999|publisher=Bharatiya Kala Prakashan|isbn=978-81-86050-34-7|pages=84|language=en}}</ref>

One of the earliest archaeological surveys and documentation of this temple was completed over 1926 and 1927 by [[Ghulam Yazdani]] – an archaeologist and epigraphist, and published in 1929. In this study, the four temples at Pillalamarri were in ruined state and incorrectly named as:<ref>Ghulam Yazdani (1929), ''Annual Report of the Archaeological Department of His Exalted Highness the Nizam's Dominions for 1336 F (1926-1927 AD)'', Archaeological Department of Hyderabad, Baptist Mission Press, pp. vi, Plates I, II, V, VI</ref>
*Someswara Gudi (now identified as Erakeswara Temple or Yerakeswara)
*Narasimhadeva temple (now Nameswara temple)
*Mukandesvara temple (now Trikuteswara temple)
*Rameshwara temple (now Chennakesava temple)

[[File:Erakeswara temple plan, Pillalamarri Telangana.jpg|thumb|upright=1.4|left|Floor plan of the Erakeswara temple, Pillalamarri]]
According to Yazdani, the temple in the northwest part of the village (Someswara, now Erakeswara) has several inscriptions, but some were modern. The Hindu masons of the medieval period had miscalculated the weights and this, he proposed, was the cause of the ruins and sunken floors he witnessed. The local ruler, patron and the builder of this and two other temples in the village was the Namireddi family, a [[Shudra]] by caste according to the genealogy inscribed on the stone in one of the temples, states Yazdani.<ref name=yazdani3>Ghulam Yazdani (1929), ''Annual Report of the Archaeological Department of His Exalted Highness the Nizam's Dominions for 1336 F (1926-1927 AD)'', Archaeological Department of Hyderabad, Baptist Mission Press, pp. 1–3, Quote (p. 3): "The genealogy of Namireddi, who was a Sudra by caste, is given in the inscription on the pillar."</ref>

== Architecture ==
The architectural style of the temple is close to [[Ramappa Temple|Ramappa]] temple and [[Kota Gullu]], other Kakatiya era temples. The temple is placed on an ''upapitha'' and is [[cruciform]] in shape.<ref>{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=x1zt3Uv9rF8C&q=pillalamarri|title=Arch. Series|date=1960|publisher=Government of Andhra Pradesh, Department of Archaeology|pages=27|language=en}}</ref><ref name=":0">{{Cite web|last=Chatterjee|first=Saurabh|title=A jewel in a nondescript town|url=https://telanganatoday.com/a-jewel-in-a-nondescript-town|access-date=2020-10-28|website=Telangana Today|language=en-US}}</ref> It has three [[Portico|porticos]] in the east, north and south and a garbhalaya in the west. The [[Shikhara|sikhara]] on the inner sanctum ([[Garbhagriha|garbhagudi]]) is made of brick and lime and is decorated all over by miniature turrets. It is said that the stone used in temple construction has interesting acoustic properties. When the temple stone is tapped with a coin, it sounds like metal.<ref name=":0" /> The temple has intricately carved pillars and walls. The temple walls are painted with [[Fresco|frescoes]].

== Gallery ==
<gallery>
File:Erakesvara temple, Pillalamarri, Suryapet district, Telangana 03.jpg
File:Erakesvara temple, Pillalamarri, Suryapet district, Telangana 15.jpg
File:Erakesvara temple, Pillalamarri, Suryapet district, Telangana 20.jpg
File:Erakesvara temple, Pillalamarri, Suryapet district, Telangana 30.jpg
File:Erakesvara temple, Pillalamarri, Suryapet district, Telangana 26.jpg
File:Erakesvara temple, Pillalamarri, Suryapet district, Telangana 29.jpg
File:Sri Erakeswara temple in Pillalamari.jpg
File:Sculpture inside Pillalamari Temple - 2aef.jpg
File:Sculpture inside Pillalamari Temple.jpg
File:Erakesvara temple, Pillalamarri, Suryapet district, Telangana 16.jpg|Inscription pillar
</gallery>

==References==
{{reflist}}

== External links ==
*{{cite web|url=https://highwayonlyway.com/tag/pillalamarri-temples/|title=Pillalamarri Temples|access-date=2020-10-29}}
*{{cite web|url=https://tsdamblog.com/heritage-temple-cluster-of-suryapet/|title=Heritage Temple Cluster of Suryapet - Department of Heritage Telangana|access-date=2020-10-29}}
*{{cite web|url=http://www.mandirinfo.com/TempleDetails.aspx?HID=414|title=Pillalamarri Erakeswara Swamy Temple - Mandirinfo|access-date=2020-10-29}}

{{Hindu Temples in Telangana}}

[[Category:Shiva temples in Telangana]]
[[Category:Hindu temples in Telangana]]
[[Category:Suryapet district]]
[[Category:Hindu temples in Suryapet district]]

Erakeswara Temple, Pillalamarri - Revision history

>Ms Sarah Welch: rpl image, per MOS:IMAGES