Hemavathi is an ancient historic village of the South Indian states Andhra Pradesh. It is situated about 10 km from Amarapuram and 25 km from Madakasira. This village was prominent between the 8th and the 10lh century AD under the Nolamba Pallavas. There is an ancient Shiva temple here, where Lord Shiva manifests in the form of `Lord Doddeswara`.

During the Pallava rule, there was a town named `Henjeri`, which was later named as Hemavathi in the British rule. There is a beautiful temple here in Hemavathi. This ancient temple was styled with grand architecture. The wonderful sculptures found here reflect the sincere workmanship of the sculptors. The sculptures are made of natural exotic, hard found rocks. These are stunningly transparent and produce pleasant metal like sound when patted.

It is said that a Chola ruler named Rajendra Chola was very much attracted by the massive pillars here in the temple of Hemavathi. The intricate carvings influenced him so much and he had removed as many as 44 of them and adorned the temple at Thiruvedi with them. This fact is evident from the inscriptions. Captivating carvings can be found on the low roof made out of a large stone. A huge idol of `Nandi` can be seen in this temple. This idol is of 8 ft in length and 4 ft in height. Various beautifully carved human figures can be seen on the temple walls. The scenes from the two great epics `The Ramayana` and `The Mahabharata` can be seen on the pillars of the temple. The Shiva Linga here is 6ft in height.

There is another Shiva temple here in Hemavathi, which is dedicated to Lord Siddeswara, a variation of Lord Siva. Here, the Lord manifests not in the usual Lingam form but in a sitting posture absorbed in deep meditation or `Thapas`. A museum was established by the Archaeological Department here, which preserves the ancient idols, sculptures and carvings. This place has lot of historical importance. They generally go through the archives of the district and the monuments found here attract the archaeologists.

The glory of Hemavathi was increased a lot by the Kakatiya rulers. The Kakatiya ruler Ganapathi Deva built the Warangal Fort here. It is a fine example of creative construction. There are two walls of it and the outer one is built of mud whereas the inner one composed of rugged stone.

Hemavathi is well known for its temple of `thousand pillars`. Each pillar is decorated with diligent carvings and they are ancient specimen of architectural excellence. The Badrakali temple here is situated atop a picturesque hill, which reflects the grandeur of Chalukya architecture.

The Ramappa temple of Hemavathi was definitely constructed by a great connoisseur of art and architecture, as the structure is simply amazing. A Jain temple having 2000 years old origin is also found here. It is known from the ancient inscriptions that the region was in the middle of many historic events. The State Department of Archaeology and Museums has therefore carefully collected these ancient treasures and preserved them in a museum in a chronological order. The visitors can enter the museum and go through the items.