18th Century Inscription Talks Of Venkatapati Konda In Tukkuguda

Hyderabad: An 18th-century Telugu inscription, which was recently found at a Venkateswara temple at Tukkuguda, Rangareddy district, refers to the hillock as Venkatapati Konda and the deity as Tirupati Prasanna Venkatadri.

Kotha Telangana Charitra Brundam members identified the inscription in the temple premises. The team comprised president Sriramoju Haragopal, vice-presidents B.V. Bhadragirish and Vemuganti Muralikrishna, and executive committee members Boya Srinivas Reddy, Yadeswar Dandethkar and Kavali Chandrakant.

According to the team, the inscription was set up on Vikruti-nama Samvatsara, Magha Shuddha Dashami, corresponding to February 4, 1762, according to the ephemeris. It is a dharma-shasana commissioned by Ramaya Garu, a descendant of Lakshmikanthayya, Lakshmikomara Keshavayya and (Chan)draya Garu.

The temples at the site are one or two storeys high. One is dedicated to Venkateswara and the other to Shiva. Both are located inside caves. The temples and sculptures date to the period after the 17th century.

The four-pillared kalyanamandapam imitates the Rashtrakuta style. A satram and a ratham are located beside it. Further west, a half-relief of Vishnu, along with sculptures of Hanuman and Garudalvar, can be seen on boulders.

Inside the sanctum, which faces north, are the idols of Lord Venkateswara, Sridevi and Padmavati. As the idols cannot be viewed directly, devotees are offered darshan through a mirror placed opposite them. A similar arrangement can be seen at the Ranganayaka temple in Kukatpally.

Deeper inside another part of the cave are Shivalinga, Nandi and Vinayaka sculptures. Outside the temple is a half-relief sculpture of Virabhadra.

A half-relief of the temple builder and his two wives appears on a rock boulder along the path leading to the temple. Opposite this sculpture, another rock boulder along the stepped path bears a Telugu inscription dating to the 18th century.