Hyderabad: Historians have identified a rare sculpture representing Kakatiya emperor Ganapatideva and his wife Somaladevi at Thotapalli village of Siddipet district.
Dr E. Sivanagi Reddy, archaeologist and CEO of Pleach India Foundation, and Sriramoju Haragopal, convener of Kotha Telangana Charitra Brundam (KTCB), identified sculpture during a heritage survey and awareness programme titled “Preserve Heritage for Posterity” conducted on Sunday.
According to historians, the sculpture consists of three figures carved on a three-foot square granite slab in Kakatiya style. The central figures are believed to represent emperor Ganapatideva and his wife Somaladevi engaged in worshipping a miniature Shivalinga under the spiritual guidance of royal preceptor Visveswara Sivacharya.
Ganapatideva was the first Telugu king who unified most of the current Telugu speaking regions during his rule between 1199 and 1262.
Dr Sivanagi Reddy explained that Ganapatideva is portrayed as a Shaivite devotee, adorned with Rudraksha malas and wearing a distinctive bun-shaped headgear. Somaladevi is depicted with a dhammilla-style hair dress. The presence of royal parasols (chatris) above the figures helped scholars identify them as members of the royal family.
The historians noted that the sculptural features and the nearby Trikuta temple architecture belong to the regnal period of Ganapatideva and represent the characteristic artistic excellence of the Kakatiya era. They said that this is possibly the first confirmed identification of sculptures representing Kakatiya emperor Ganapatideva and his consort from Telangana.
Simhadri Venkatrama Reddy, the MD and CEO of Lanco Hills, Ahobilam Karunakar, Samaleti Mahesh, members of KTCB, temple priest Kailashpati, and local villagers were present during the survey.
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