Chaya Someswara Swamy temple
| Chaya Someswara Swamy temple | |
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Sri Chaya Someswara Temple at Pangal
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.svg)
 Chaya Someswara Swamy temple
Location in Telangana
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| Name | |
| Other names | Thrikutalayam |
| Geography | |
| Coordinates | Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found. |
| Country | India |
| State | Telangana |
| District | Nalgonda |
| Location | Nalgonda |
| Culture | |
| Primary deity | Lord Shiva |
| Architecture | |
| Architectural styles | Ikshvaku |
| History and governance | |
| Date built | 11th–12th century |
Chaya Someswara Swamy temple, also known by the name Thrikutalayam, is a Hindu temple located in Panagal, Nalgonda district, Telangana, India.[1][2] It is a popular site during Sivarathri.
History
The temple was built in 11th–12th centuries during Kakatiya dynasty.
Relentless Shadow
The formation of relentless shadow of a pillar falls over the main deity of Shivalingam throughout the day.
Mystery explained
The so-called chaya (pillar like shadow) that falls on the deity looks like a shadow of one of pillars carved in front of the sacred chamber. But it is not actually the shadow of any pillar. It is a dark region inside the chamber where light does not fall. It is dark inside the chamber and light enters from two directions from the entrance. The gap where light doesn't fall looks like a pillar.
The local people thinks that the "chaya" is the shadow of one of the pillars constructed in front of it. They often stand beside the pillars to see their shadow inside the chamber. But it is not possible as the "chaya" is not the shadow of any pillar. They can only see a blurred shadow instead. If you want to see your shadow, you need to stand at the entrance (door sill) of the chamber.
The eleventh century architect might be aware of light diffraction and he constructed the temple in such a way that the light enters the inner chamber diffracting through two narrow passages on either side of the pillars in front of the chamber. The diffracted light enters the chamber making shadow of edges of entrance crisscrossing one with another leaving a gap between them. It may be noted here that Italian scientist Francesco Maria Grimaldi coined the word "diffraction" and was the first to record accurate observations of the phenomenon in 1660.
