Kashi Vishwanatha temple, Penukonda

Penukonda also called as Ghanagiri or Ghanadri was the second capital of Vijayanagara Empire. At the fort's eastern entrance there are several inscriptions of the walls and the language could be Kannada or Telugu. As per the inscriptions at the place king-Bukka I of Vijayanagar entrusted the province of Penukonda to his son Vira Virupanna Udaiyar in whose time the Penukonda Fort was built. In view of a huge incline, the huge and compelling fortress offers a breathtaking point of view of the town underneath. The fort built out of stone, mortar and lime is not in the best of state, but instead gives its visitors a gander of the grand past.

A good portion of Penukonda town is within the fort. Within Penukonda fort, which covers a large area on plains and hills, are several monuments of Vijayanagara period. It is traditionally believed that there were 365 temples at the place. Of these temples Lord Yoga 'Narasimhaswamy', Lord 'Kashi Vishwanatha' and Lord 'Yogarama' temples are important ones. Most of these seem to have destroyed. The numerous ruins and fragments of carved stones, which lie scattered both on the hill and on the plane recall the past glory of the place.

Kashi Vishwanatha temple lies by the side of Gagan Mahal, opposite the Thimmarasu jail. The temple is quite a simple one with conical Shikhara on its Garbhagudi, made of brick and mortar. Nandi, Shiva's vehicle with garland of bells and a chain on the neck is positioned on the platform in front of the main door. The external walls carry murals of Ramayana, Mahabharata and other Hindu legends.