InArchCenter ID:- IACBN0016
An ancient temple of hindu deity, Lord Nageshwar has been unearthed at Perumallapadu village, near Chejerla, in Nellore district on Tuesday. Villagers found the gopura (monumental entrance) and other parts of the temple.
According to local folklore, the temple was consecration by Lord Parshurama, an avatar of Lord Vishnu. The temple got buried into the Penna river as the river changed its course.
Archaeologists said the region was affected by a major cycloyne between 1850 to 1860, followed by heavy floods which likely submerged the temple.
Referring to this, a local from Perumallapadu said that this 200-year-old temple was quite popular among the villagers. He added the elders of their villagers told them that this shrine was filled with sand 75-80 years ago. He mentioned the temple was later ruined and the villagers also shifted to the other side.
"Officials of the Archaeology Department say that the temple may have started burying in sand after 1850 floods in the Penna river. The floods had submerged the village and the people relocated away from the river banks."
- Telangana Today
Regarding unearthing this 200-year-old temple, the resident added that one day a man from the village initiated to dig this temple out. The sanctum sanctorum is believed to be much deeper and the area in which it was found is Mukha Mantapam. He added that they are now planning to reconstruct the temple, yet they are still in a dilemma as to where it should be made. He emphasised that they need to check the condition and status of Lord Shiva’s Idol, and will seek advice from the elders and the priests.
It is believed that Sri Nageswara Swamy temple along with Kotiteertham temple and Sangam Sivalayam in the district were built 300 years ago.
Some youth, who had returned home from various places due to the lockdown, took up sand excavation to unearth the temple.
“This has been the dream of the villagers. We had heard about the ancient temple from our elders and since we were sitting idle home, we decided to start digging work to find it. Our dream has come true,” said one of the youth.
The group of about 35 villagers said they had taken permission from the local officials before taking up the work.
The villagers claimed that the temple had 110 acre land in various villages under the mandal. Since the temple was buried in the sand, the revenue from the lands was being deposited in the Endowments department. Stating that there are no accounts of the revenue earned from these lands, they demanded the authorities to come out with all details and take up restoration of the temple.
A local official of Endowments department said Rs four lakh earned as rentals from the 68 acres of land was deposited in the bank.
The Archaeology Department plans to hold talks with public representatives on the restoration of the temple.
Hindu religious leader Swamy Kamalananda Bharati also visited the temple on Wednesday. Swamy, who heads the Hindu Temples Protection Committee, demanded that the authorities immediately take up works to restore the temple.
Latest reports suggest that efforts are still on to bring this temple out from depths of the riverbed.
Members of the state endownments andarchaeology reached the spot to study the structure. According to source in the archaeology department, the temple is a classic example of Dravidian achitecture and dates back to the early 19th century.
Source: The Times of India, The Hindu, Telangna Times, Hindustan Times
Comments