Ghanpur (Mulug) is a village and a mandal situated in the Telangana state of India. It is located in the Warangal district of Telangana. According to historians, Ghanpur got its name from the illustrious King Ganapatideva who ruled from 1199 AD to 1260 AD. The village of Ghanpur is notable for housing a group of splendid temples and a beautiful lake with four canals. These ancient monuments are worth a visit owing to the architectural skills that they display.
Demographics of Ghanpur
The total area of Ghanpur is 997 hectares. Total population of the village is 3004 of which males constitute 1512 and females 1492. The local language is Telugu.
History of Ghanpur
Ghanpur was originally called Ganapavaram. This was named after the Kakatiya king Ganapati Deva. In turn it has been known as Ganapuram, Ghanapur, and now Ghanpur, taken from Station Ghanpur when Nizam State Railways constructed railway from Secunderabad to Kazipet via Ghanpur.
Ghanpur is well known for the temple of Mother. Every year lakhs of people visit this temple and worship the deity Mother. The mother is worshiped in the name of Agni Durga, one of the forms of Nava Durgas. People of Ghanpur believe that she will protect her devotees from all evils.
Ghanpur is also well known for Dr. Columbus, an Italian immigrant, who initially stayed here before building several educational institutions in a nearby village called Karunapuram.
Ghanpur in Warangal District was not very much known until Kadiyam Srihari had been elected from this constituency. He has done lots of development and so many good works which brought this constituency in the Map of Andhra Pradesh. Now this village is included in the Map of Telangana.
Geography of Ghanpur
Ghanpur is located in the semi-arid region of Telangana. Zaffergadh has a predominantly hot and dry climate. The summers start in the month of March, and peak in May with average high temperatures in the 42 degree Celsius range. The monsoon arrives in the moth of June and lasts until September with about 550 millimetres of precipitation. A dry, mild winter starts in late November and lasts until early February, when there is little humidity and average temperatures in the 22 degree Celsius to 23 degree Celsius.
Temples of Ghanpur
The village of Ghanpur is known for housing Ghanpur group of temples. The group, locally known as "Kota Gullu", looks like a huge open air museum. The locals are of the opinion that the group of temples were probably built by Ganapati Deva of Kakatiya dynasty in the early 13th century.
The complex comprises of about twenty-two temples which differ in size and design. The temples provide one an insight into the Kakatiyas in the field of architecture. They were built within a double walled stone enclosure. However due to exposure to the vagaries of nature and continuous battles, the temple complex is in a dilapidated condition.
There are six small Shiva shrines in the complex. Of all these, the main temple at the centre is most notable. It is built on a high star shaped platform with long collapsed roof.
The most striking feature of the temples is the Sabhamandapa porches. The porticos on the eastern and southern sides are adorned with various mythical figures of Gaja Kesari, Half human- Half Lion form riding on elephant, Horse-head Lion back on elephant. The temples have several mandapams or halls.
There is another temple to the north of the main temple dedicated to Siva. It is an exact replica of the main temple. To the south of the main temple is a pillared mandap whose central ceiling is adorned with different kinds of motifs. In addition to these, there are more than nineteen sub temples. The sub-temples comprise of a garbhgriha and antarala that are placed around the main temple.
Tourism around Ghanpur
Palakurthi is about 22 kilometres away from Station Ghanpur. While passing through this place, one can find Bammera the native place of Pothana, who translated Bhagavata Purana from Sanskrit language to Telugu Language. He was a Telugu and Sanskrit scholar.
Connectivity to Ghanpur
Ghanpur is well connected by roadway and railway. Hyderabad (33 kms away) is the nearest town to Ghanpur. Road connectivity is there from Hyderabad to Ghanpur. The closest railheads are Palatpotaram railway station and Brahmanpalli railway station.