Chaya Someswara Temple

Chaya Someshwara Temple stands among paddy fields at Panagal, about 4 kilometres from Nalgonda, near the 11th-century Udayasamudram reservoir. It is usually dated to the mid-11th century under the Kunduru Chodas, a branch of the Telugu Cholas, though some scholars place it in the early 12th, and later Telangana dynasties added to it. Panagal was a regional capital under several dynasties. The temple lay in ruins in the mid-20th century and has been partly restored.

It is a trikuta, three sanctums for Shiva, Vishnu and Surya sharing one hall, inside a wall of large stone blocks. The hall's pillars are richly carved in the Telingana style with Puranic scenes and episodes from the Ramayana and Mahabharata. The name comes from its best-known feature: pillars before the central Shiva shrine are set so that one shadow (chaya) rests on the linga through the day, whatever the sun's position. Maha Shivaratri draws many pilgrims, and the Pachala Someshwara Temple and an archaeological museum are about a kilometre away.