‘Magnificent’ is the only word to describe the sixth, seventh and eighth century Nava Brahma temples dedicated to Shiva at Alampur, a small town in the Mahbubnagar district of Andhra Pradesh. Alampur is situated on the left bank of the river Tungabhadra and is known as ‘Dakshina Kasi’, Kasi kshetra and the Western Gateway of Srisailam, the famous Shaivite pilgrim centre, surrounded by the Nallamalai hills. In ancient times, Alampur was known as Halampura, Hemalapura, Hatampura etc. Brahmeshwara and Jogulamba are the principal deities at Alampur.

The Nava Brahma temples constructed during the rule of the Chalukyas of Badami, are only some of the gems between Bangalore and Hyderabad. The Satavahana-Ishvakus of Nagarjunakonda, the Chalukyas of Badami, the Rashtrakutas, the Chalukyas of Kalyani, the Kakatiyas, the Vijayanagara rulers and the Qutb Shahis of Golconda are principal dynasties that controlled Alampur.

As there are no Kakatiya or Vijayanagara style monuments, one feels that temple building activity ceased by about the 12th century A D. After the Muslim invasions, a mosque and Durgah were constructed near the gateway.

The Temples stand within a fort in Alampur town and the tremendous variety in architecture, sculpture and inscriptions indicate the antiquity of this important site of the Telengana region. We are lucky today to still be able to visit these treasures as the huge Srisailam dam created a lake which  threatened the site. A large embankment was constructed to protect the town and temples. So many beautiful towns, temples, monuments and forts lie under the submerged areas today.

V V Krishna Sastry, Director (Retd.), A P State Archaeology, informs us that the Swarga Brahmeshwara Temple is the most elaborately-ornamented temple with perfect proportions with its Rekhanagara vimana gradually ascending in ingeniously-devised storied arrangement of varying bands containing miniature kudus alternating with plain pattas and culminating in amalakas at the corners.

An inscription found above the Dwarapalaka image in the Swarga Brahmeshwara temple informs us that it was built by Lokaditya Ela Arasa in honour of the queen of Vinayaditya (681-696 AD). The Vishwa Brahmeshwara temple marks the culmination of the Chalukyan art and architecture at Alampur with an array of superfine sculptures. Though not much at variance in plan and elevation with other temples here, it is the most elaborate and highly proportionate from the base to the stupi.

The Bala Brahmeshwara temple is the only temple presently under worship and the Goddess Jogulamba who was originally housed inside a cave like shrine is now shifted to a modern Dravidian style construction nearby most unsuitable for the architectural ambience of the ancient Nava Brahma temples.

Taraka Brahmeshwara temple, Kumara Brahmeshwara temple, Padma Brahmeshwara temple, Arka Brahmeshwara temple, Veera Brahmeshwara temple, Garuda Brahmeshwara temple are the rest of the Nava Brahmas to be admired.

The Kudali Sangameshwar temple situated at the confluence of the rivers Krishna and Tungabhadra, is popularly known as ‘Kudali Sangam’ and in all probability constructed by Pulakesi I (540-566 AD). It is one of the grandest of the Chalukyan temples in Andhra. It was dismantled for fear of submergence under the backwaters of Srisailam dam and reconstructed on the outskirts of Alampur town. It is topped by a curvilinear vimana (Rekhanagara).
The unique feature of the temple is that the Prakara or the enclosure is constructed higher than the elevated basement with its exterior carved with niches supported by plasters enshrining some divine figures. Kostas and Salas, a typical Dravidian feature, top the Prakara. Thus the temple at the same time represents both the Nagara and Dravida types of temple architecture.  The doorway of the temple is flanked by Sankha and Padmanidhis respectively holding sankha and padma and seated in sukhasanas. The nidhi-purushas (personified treasures) are flanked on either side by Ganga and Yamuna. Yamuna shows a fine tribhanga attitude over a makara or crocodile caressing a tender baby to her right, while the figure of Ganga is missing and replaced by the re-builders (Archaeological Survey of India) with a perforated screen. 

The wonderful A P State Archaeology site Museum has several interesting and beautiful sculptures rescued from the floodwaters. The Papavinasini Tirtha temples located about a mile away to the south of Alampur town are completely different in style to the Nava Brahma temples and are certainly worth a visit.