Location
Keesara is a small village some 30 kilometers from Hyderabad. On “Sivarathri‿ day, every year, the place becomes busy as many people throng to the temple here, the Keesara Gutta Temple. Archeologists believe that this place—called Gatika—was, in fact, an educational institution belonging to the third century, much in the veins of the present-day colleges.
The temple, also called Ramalingeshwara Temple, is recently renovated. Around this temple, there are a number of ruined shrines in the Gupta architecture, of fifth century. There are scores of meter-high lingas—the phallic symbol—around the main deity. To the Hindus, these lingas signify life and fertility. The base of these lingas is set in a base structure that signifies the womb.