Dichpally Ramalayam is a Lord Rama temple built in the 14th century by the Kakatiya kings. It is one of the oldest and most known temples in Nizamabad, Telangana. The temple is also called the ‘Khajuraho of Nizamabad’ due to the resemblance in its style and structure with ‘The Khajuraho Group of Monuments’. The Dichpally Ramalayam temple is one of the finest examples of the ancient stone architecture. The temple structure geometrically represents a chariot. The temple has a mandapa followed by the sanctum. The vimana of the sanctum is missing. It was built in white and black Basalt stone, and is embellished with idols of goddesses, mythological figures, animals, and also has Khajuraho style erotic structures engraved on each of its pillars, ceilings and door frames. Each carving on the walls inside and outside of the temple stands as strong reminders of the Kakatiya glory. The temple provides a panoramic view of the village and fields around the lake.
The Ramalayam is located on a small hillock in the middle of the village and has 105 steps which the visitors have to walk in order to offer prayers to the deity. For the convenience of old and challenged people, the temple also has a pedestrian subway. The entrance to the steps is graced by a decorative gateway which is richly engraved and bearing the Kakatiya style of architecture. Before the main shrine, there is a large fort-like entrance carved from a stone. There was a fort surrounding the temple earlier and that is why it is also called ‘Khilla Ramalayam’. Each year, during the monsoon season, the surrounding area of the temple is filled with water and at this time of the year, the temple assumes the look of an island. The temple is visited by thousands of devotees every year during the Rama Navami festival (around April). The temple was left incomplete and the idols of the primary deities Rama, Sita, Lakshmana and Hanuman were installed only in the year 1942. They were gifted to the temple by a local devotee named Gajawada Chinnaiah Gupta. To get to this holy place, one has to travel a distance of 27 Kms from Nizamabad on the way to Hyderabad.
-Venkatesh
