Three temples belonging to the Vijayanagara era have been identified in agricultural fields and atop a hillock near Mallela and Kondapuram villages of Gorantla mandal in Sri Sathya Sai district of Andhra Pradesh.
These temples, now in dilapidated conditions, were the target of treasure hunters for nearly three centuries. The people have shunned them because they believe that the shrines might be sheltering evil spirits, said Gorantla-based journalist-turned-historian Mylaram Narayanaswamy, popularly known as MyNaa Swamy, who has identified the temple.
“The once glorious temples have become haunted places now. I have always been fascinated by these structures. My one-year-long search for clues about the historical significance of these structures yielded results when I found some inscriptions on the rocks nearby, corroborated by certain signs and symbols inside these structures,” said Mr. Narayanaswamy.
Siva and Vishnu temples, opposite Mallela village, eight kilometres from Gorantla, and another Vishnu temple at Kondapuram village, nine kilometres from Gorantla, were found in abandoned condition. Inscriptions on big boulders surrounding the temples revealed the history of these temples, the mode of administration, and information about the rituals performed here, and donations of the kings and nobles.
“The once glorious temples have become haunted places now. My one-year-long search for clues about the historical significance of these structures yielded results when I found some inscriptions on the rocks nearby, corroborated by certain signs and symbols inside these structures. ”Mylaram NarayanaswamyJournalist-turned-historian
Based on the architectural style and inscriptional evidence, it has been deduced that the three temples belonged to the Vijayanagara period. Mr. Narayanaswamy also unearthed a big ‘Hero Stone’ under a tree on the eastern side of Kondapuram. “There are figurines of heroes along with their wives, who had lost their lives in wars. An inscription found on the Hero Stone showed that it belonged to the Vijayanagara dynasty,” said Mr. Narayanaswamy.
Vijayanagara emperor Sadasivaraya’s inscription (1543 CE) at Kondapuram says about the land donation to the Chennakesava temple at Penukonda. The inscription was recorded by the British Archaeologists in 1917. “The inscription says that the Nayankara activist Dalavai Krishnanappa Nayaka donated the village of Chernur in 1543 CE to some Brahmin nobles. Nayankara Amaranayankara administration procedures, the names of Dalavai Krishnanappa Nayaka’s ancestors are described in the inscription. On the left side of the inscription are figures of the moon and sun. On the lower side are chakra and cone. A statue of Anjaneyaswamy is carved next to it. Kannada is the written language,” said Mr. Narayanaswamy.
The joint temples of Shiva and Vishnu are located on a 100-foot-high mound on the left side of the Gorantla-Kadiri Road, and the Vishnu temple is on the right side of the road. All three temples are covered by bushes and thorns. In the absence of patrons for generations, followed by the neglect of the governments, the structures had fallen prey to treasure hunters, who destroyed the structures to the point of collapse.
Mr. Narayanaswamy urged the authorities of the Andhra Pradesh archaeology and endowment departments to rebuild the temples.
According to a Telugu inscription on a big rock near the Mallela temples, Venkatapati Deva Raya II donated land to the temples in 1638 CE. As generations passed, it posed a challenge for the historians and the State authorities to identify its real owners.
Assistant Director (Department of Archelogy - Rayalaseema districts) V. Rajitha confirmed the findings of Mr. Narayanaswamy. “Last year, our department sent a team to these three structures to unravel the history. As a part of this initiative, we urged the local residents to protect the structures from treasure hunters,” Ms. Rajitha told The Hindu.
She said that due to the paucity of funds and staff, it became a Herculean task to protect the ancient temples. “We have sent proposals in this regard to the Centre and State authorities. We are expecting a positive reply,” Ms. Rajitha said.
