Twelfth century stone quarries were spotted at Mannanur in Nagarkurnool district, which are believed to be of Kalyana Chalukyas era.
E. Sivanagireddy, archaeologist and CEO, Pleach India Foundation, identified the quarries located a little away from the 12th century torana gateway, near Prataparudra fort, and close to Srisailam ghat road, at Mannanur on Sunday.
He discovered it when he was touring the area as part of his programme, Preserve heritage for posterity, in which he sensitises the local communities on the neglected heritage artefacts.
Based on the information provided by Telangana historian, Dr. Dyawanapalli Satyanarayana, who identified the torana as Sivapuradwara, mentioned in Parvatha Prakarana of Panditaradhya Charitra, written by Palakuriki Somanatha, is the torana standing on the left side of the ghat road, he said in a statement here.
Dr. Sivanagireddy adds that the torana and the fort were built using the stone extracted from these quarries 800 years ago. On the occasion, Mr. Reddy urged people to preserve these historical remains for posterity, and provide minimum amenities to attract the tourists heading to Srisailam temple town.
