15th Century Odisha Rulers’ Inscriptions Found in Guntur Temple

Visakhapatnam:A Telugu medieval inscription associated with the Gajapathi rulers of Odisha has been discovered on a stone pillar of the historic Lakshmi Narasimha Swamy Temple at Ramachandrapura Agraharam in Guntur city, revealing significant historical links between Odisha and the Andhra region during the late medieval period.

According to epigraphist Bishnu Mohan Adhikari, the inscription is engraved on both sides of a stone pillar in the temple mandapa. It refers to Kumaraguru Mahapatra, a steward officer serving under the Gajapathi King Purushottama Deva of 15th Century CE.

According to the temple priest Nadyala Yoganand, whose family has been worshipping the deity continuously for nearly 200 years across several generations, the idol of Lord Narasimha had been brought to Guntur from the Kondaveedu Fort following invasions of Mohammedans in the region. Likewise, the stone mandapa pillars had also been brought from Kondaveedu, after the temple priest received a swapnadesha (divine instruction received in a dream).

Interestingly, the Narasimha Temple at Kondaveedu itself preserves an Odia inscription of the Gajapati rulers, dedicated to Lord Narasimhanatha. In that inscription, one of the king’s officers, Srichandana Mahapatra, is recorded as having donated the village of Panapasa to the deity for conducting Amruta Manohi Seva, says Adhikari, who has deciphered hundreds of inscriptions in Odisha and Andhra.

Adhikari, who has documented inscriptions during his field research along with M. Sivasankar, noted that the mandapa inscription in Guntur had originally been dedicated to Lord Mulasthana Mallikarjuna of Kondaveedu. It relocated to the Lakshmi Narasimha Swamy Temple in Guntur along with the mandapa structure at a later date.

“The inscription mentions Kumaraguru Mahapatra, a name that also appears in records from the Kalinga region, particularly in present-day Ganjam and Visakhapatnam districts,” Adhikari explained. It stipulates offering milk to the deity during evening worship. It says cows meant for ritual service must be kept under the custody of Tammula and Ambicvaru, possibly pastoral communities, such as the Koyas.

According to Adhikari, the inscriptions from Kondaveedu and Guntur together reflect the Hari-Hara mode of worship practiced under the Gajapati rulers. They patronised both Shaiva and Vaishnava traditions across temple establishments in their territories.

Adhikari says such inscriptions of Gajapatis in medieval Andhra forts and temples provide valuable insights into the shared cultural and historical connections between Odisha and Andhra Pradesh.

Photo caption: 13Vzdc01: Epigraphist Bihnu Mohan Adhikari (left) seen with temple priest Nadyala Yoganand at the pillar of Lakshmi Narasimha Swamy Temple at Ramachandrapura Agraharam in Guntur city. The inscription was found on the pillar (Photo by Arrangement for KMP Story)