The Hindu : Karnataka News : Stone elephant in peril LIVING HERITAGE

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Wednesday, Jan 23, 2008
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Karnataka

Karnataka

Stone elephant in peril LIVING HERITAGE

It was carved in 1294 AD to mark the victory of Rudramma Devi
of Warangal

— Photo: D.K. Kishan Rao

NEEDS ATTENTION: Kallane, the magnificent historical monument in Raichur.

The stone elephant, popularly known as Kallane, located at Teen-Khandil Circle in Raichur is one among the several historical monuments in the city. It has survived from the Vijayanagar period. Carved from a single granite rock, the life-sized Kallane that stands with two calves on either side attracts anyone who passes through the Teen-Khandil Circle. It is believed that the Kallane was carved near the Kati Darwaza (a gateway to the Raichur Fort on the east side) during t he period of Queen Rudramma Devi of Warangal (1294 AD) as a symbol of her victory over the Doab (the region between two rivers). In 1913, the administration of the Nizam of Hyderabad fenced the area around the monument for protecting the Kallane. Later, three kerosene lamps were erected opposite the Kallane to light up the area, thus giving the area its name of Teen-Khandil. In the last decade the monument has been in danger. A few years ago the protective railings around it were pulled off by the activists of the Kendriya Gajanan Samiti of Raichur when they thought of installing the statue of Ganesha on a makeshift platform atop the Kallane during Ganesha Chaturthi. Except giving a coat of paint to the Kallane during every Ganesha festival, the samiti has done nothing to protect the monument. The city municipal council, which made the Kallane its logo, has made no serious effort to protect the historical monument. A few years ago it passed a resolution to put up a protective railing around the monument and construct a platform atop it to help the samiti install the Ganesha statue during every Ganesha festival. However, it was forced to give up this plan owing to pressure from samiti activists.

Now the surroundings of the monument have become a garbage dump used by the owners of unauthorised petty shops that have come up in the area. Autorickshaws, cyclerickshaws and pushcarts jostle for space near it. Recently, waste water from a nearby drain seeped under the monument causing damage to its structure.

The Kallane urgently needs restoration and protection, a process that must start by clearing unauthorised construction around it.

Raghotham Rao, president of the Kendriya Gajanan Samiti, said that he would write to the department reminding it of its responsibility. A board should be erected nearby to explain its historical significance as the monument is the property of the Archaeological Department.

D.K. Kishan Rao in Raichur

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