Manthani or the `House of Vedas` is a village and Mandal headquarters situated in the Telangana state of India. It was once known as "Mantrakootam" or "Mantrakoota Sahasra Linga Sthanam". Manthani is a very ancient centre of Vedic learning. This village is still home to many scholars well versed in the ancient knowledge of the Vedas and Shastras. Manthani is believed to house a thousand Brahmin families or Sahasra Brahmana Gadapa.
Location of Manthani
It is located around 70 km from the district headquarters of Karimnagar. It is situated approximately 240 km from Hyderabad, the capital of Telangana state. The village is nestled on the right bank of `Dakshina Ganga` river Godavari.
History of Manthani
According to various learned personalities, Aadi Shankaracharya visited this village and was impressed to see the ceaseless recitation of Vedic Mantras in the village and recognized it as a Dharma-Pitham. The subjects like Vedas, Logic, Grammar, Astrology, Chandassu and Mimamasa are said to have been taught here by the scholars in Sanskrit.
Significance of Manthani
Manthani is home to a number of ancient temples that have archaeological, historical and religious significance.
Most of the Manthani temples are built during the Kakatiya period and they take one back to the early Buddhist and Jain culture. All these temples make it clear that Manthani was an important centre for Jainism and Buddhism. The Manthani temple enshrines Gautameswar or Lord Shiva as the main worshiped deity. Some of the well-known temples of this village are Laxmi Narayana Swamy temple, Mahalaxmi temple, Gautameswara temple, Vinayaka temple, Dattatreay temple, Saraswati temple and Ramalayam temple to name a few.
Attractions of Manthani
Shivaram Wildlife Sanctuary and River Godavari are the other attractions of this village. The Sanctuary is located 10 km from Manthani. This Riverine forest is home to marsh crocodiles of the river Godavari. The sanctuary also shelters leopards, sloth bears, black buck, cheetahs, pythons, and langurs.
Connectivity of Manthani
Manthani can be accessed via airway, railway and roadway. The nearest airport is in Hyderabad. Manthani has no train services to date however; there are plans to extend the proposed Peddapalli Nizamabad Railway line to Manthani. Tourists can avail Peddapalli which is the nearest railway station. Ramagundam is another railway station, which is at a distance of approximately 40 km.
Road is the suitable way to reach Manthani. People can book direct bus services of APSRTC from Hyderabad, Karimnagar, Warangal, Godavarikhani, Mancherial, Kaleswaram, Jagtial, Korutla, Nizamabad. An APSRTC depot is located at Manthani.
