Telangana is a region where many religions have flourished since centuries, and one of them is Jainism. If you wish to explore the splendor of Jain heritage, then do not miss visiting the Mahavira Temple. Located close to Aler town, the two-thousand-year-old temple houses three idols of gods, namely Lord Rishabhanatha, Lord Neminatha, and Lord Mahavira. Jainism spread in Telugu states even before 4th century, while Kolanupaka was a prominent center of Jainism from the early times. The Kolanupaka Temple is believed to be more than 2,000 years old and many Jain antiquities have been discovered here. There is a grant mentioning a gift which was made to a basadi during the rule of Sankaragana in 9th century.

Kolanupaka had flourished as a key Jain centre during the period of Rashtrakutas. There are more than 20 Jain inscriptions found at Kolanupaka. There are many other inscriptions which suggest that the region was a major centre for KranurGana of the Mula Sangh. There is a manastambha with an inscription dating back to 1125 AD and also a 12th-century inscription found in this temple which mentions that MeghachadraSiddhantadeva had entered sallekhana. There is also mention of Kolanupaka in Vividha Tirtha Kalpa (14th century) of Jinaprabhasuri in the sections as KulyapakRishabhadevaStuti and KollapakamanikyadevaTirthakalpa. According to legend, Manikyaswami idol was worshipped originally by Mandodari, the wife of Ravana. It is believed to have brought here by the rulers of Kalyani dynasty.

Lord Rishabha, also popularly called as AdinathBhagvan, is the first Tirthankar in the Jain religion whose original idol, locally known as Manikya Deva, made Kolanupaka as its abode.The interiors of the temple were built using red sand stone and white marble. There are eight historic idols of the other Tirthankars which are located on both the sides of this main temple. The statue of Lord Mahavera is about 130 centimetres tall and it is believed to have been created from a single piece of jade. There are idols of Lord Simandar Swami and PadmavatiAmmavaru which have been installed close to the main temple.

The image of Lord Rishabhanatha, carved of a rare jade (green stone) has been historically famous as "Manikyaswami”. Kolanupaka is considered an important place of worship for Jains in the country. Kolanupaka was known by different names in the past like Bimbavatipuram, Kottiyapaka, Kollihaka, Kollipaka and Kolanpak.

How to reach

Kolanupaka is located about 80 km from Hyderabad on the Hyderabad-Warangal Highway NH 163. Tourists need to take a small deviation from Aler on Hyderabad-Warangal highway. Aler is the nearest railway station, to reach Kolanupaka.