Alampur

In what became a whirl-wind tour, went to India for 2 weeks. Found time one of the days to visit Alampur. For those who don't know where it is, its a 30km away from my home in Kurnool.. and it took me this long to visit. I guess most of us are guilty of not exploring enough of our own places, while spending tons visiting exotic places.




The temples themselves were amazing and I was completely overwhelmed by their beauty. Built in the 6th/7th century, by the Badami Chalukyas, they were reeking with history.






The priest at one of the temples, a hereditary job that has been handed over to him by his father, and generations before him, took us around the place, explaining each work of art and its historical, religious and artistic significance.





Most of the sculptures were defaced by the Islamic rulers of the later age. The Nava-Bramha temples were in a decaying state, not unlike most of Indian archeological sites, for want of proper restoration.

The archeological museum at the site, with an entrance fee of Rs3! - yes really- 3 rupees, had some more beautiful sculptures from the same period.