The land of

Telugu people Telugu people ( te, తెలుగువారు, Teluguvāru), or Telugus, or Telugu vaaru, are the largest of the four major Dravidian ethnolinguistic groups in terms of population. Telugus are native to the Indian states of Andhra Pradesh ...

was referred during ancient times as ''Āndhra dēśa'' (country of Andhra) and ''Trilingadēśa'' (country of Trilinga). The word ''

Telugu Telugu may refer to: * Telugu language, a major Dravidian language of India *Telugu people, an ethno-linguistic group of India * Telugu script, used to write the Telugu language ** Telugu (Unicode block), a block of Telugu characters in Unicode ...

'' is ''believed'' to have been derived from ''trilinga'', as in ''Trilinga Deśa'', "the country of the three lingas". According to a

Hindu Hindus (; ) are people who religiously adhere to Hinduism. Jeffery D. Long (2007), A Vision for Hinduism, IB Tauris, , pages 35–37 Historically, the term has also been used as a geographical, cultural, and later religious identifier for ...

chronicle,

Shiva Shiva (; sa, शिव, lit=The Auspicious One, Śiva ), also known as Mahadeva (; Help:IPA/Sanskrit, ɐɦaːd̪eːʋɐ, or Hara, is one of the Hindu deities, principal deities of Hinduism. He is the Supreme Being in Shaivism, one o ...

descended as

linga A lingam ( sa, लिङ्ग , lit. "sign, symbol or mark"), sometimes referred to as linga or Shiva linga, is an abstract or aniconic representation of the Hindu god Shiva in Shaivism. It is typically the primary ''murti'' or devotional ...

on three mountains which marked the boundaries of the Telugu country, namely

Kaleswaram Kaleshwaram is a village in Mahadevpur Mandal in Jayashankar Bhupalpally district in the Indian state of Telangana. This name refers more broadly to the state of Telangana & Kaleshwaram Temple. Kaleshwaram is at the juncture of the rivers G ...

Telangana Telangana (; , ) is a state in India situated on the south-central stretch of the Indian peninsula on the high Deccan Plateau. It is the eleventh-largest state and the twelfth-most populated state in India with a geographical area of and 35 ...

Srisailam Srisailam is a census town in Nandyal district of the Indian state of Andhra Pradesh. It is the mandal headquarters of Srisailam mandal in Atmakur revenue division. It is located about from the district headquarters Nandyal, from Kurnool, and ...

Rayalaseema Rayalaseema () is a geographic region in the Indian state of Andhra Pradesh. It comprises eight south western districts of the State namely, Kurnool, Nandyal, Anantapur, Sri Sathya Sai, YSR, Annamayya, Tirupati and Chittoor districts ...

and Bhimeswaram, also known as Draksharamam, in

Coastal Andhra Coastal Andhra (South costal Andhra) also known as Kostha Andhra is a region in the state of Andhra Pradesh, India. Vijayawada is the largest city in this region. It was part of Madras State before 1953 and Andhra State from 1953 to 1956. ...

. It was also believed that the word Telangana derived from

Telingana Telingana is a genus of membracid tree hoppers found in Asia. They lay solitary eggs and the young do not aggregate as in some membracids. The genus was described by William Lucas Distant William Lucas Distant (12 November 1845 Rotherhithe ...

, Telinga,

Trilinga The land of Telugu people was referred during ancient times as ''Āndhra dēśa'' (country of Andhra) and ''Trilingadēśa'' (country of Trilinga). The word '' Telugu'' is ''believed'' to have been derived from ''trilinga'', as in ''Trilinga D ...

. In ''Andhra Kaumudi'', a Telugu grammar book, it was mentioned that

Andhra Vishnu Andhra Vishnu, better known as Srikakula Mahavishnu statue, was set up in Andhra in a pre-existing older temple. The previous deistic form worshiped in the temple is unknown. Āndhra Vishnu temple The deity of the temple is known as ''Andhr ...

, having built an immense wall connecting the three mountains with the Mahendra hills, formed in it three gates, in which the three-eyed Ishwara, bearing the trident in his hand and attended by a host of divinities, resided in the form of three lingams. Āndhra Viṣṇu assisted by divine angels having fought with the great giant Nishambhu for thirteen

yuga A ''yuga'', in Hinduism, is generally used to indicate an age of time. In the ''Rigveda'', a ''yuga'' refers to generations, a long period, a very brief period, or a yoke (joining of two things). In the ''Mahabharata'', the words ''yuga'' and ...

s killed him in battle and took up his residence with the sages on the banks of the river

Godavari The Godavari ( IAST: ''Godāvarī'' �od̪aːʋəɾiː is India's second longest river after the Ganga river and drains into the third largest basin in India, covering about 10% of India's total geographical area. Its source is in Trimbakesh ...

, since which time the Telugu country has been named Trilingam.A Grammar of Teloogoo Language - A D Campbell, introduction.

Temples

References

{{coord missing, Andhra Pradesh Hindu pilgrimage sites in India Shiva temples in Andhra Pradesh Hindu holy cities Hindu temples in Telangana Shiva temples in India