The Hindu : Andhra Pradesh News : Ancient Ganesha idol lies in a state of neglect

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Tuesday, Aug 25, 2009
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Andhra Pradesh

Andhra Pradesh

Ancient Ganesha idol lies in a state of neglect

Correspondent

Monolithic sculpture said to be carved out around 1140 A.D.

denied attention: The idol of Lord Ganesha, work on which was left incomplete for centuries.

MAHABUBNAGAR: An ancient Ganesha idol sculpted on a big granite boulder is lying in a state of neglect since centuries in the district. Believed to be carved out around 1140 A.D. by a king of western Chalukya dynasty, the idol is located in an agricultural field at Avancha village of Thimmajipet mandal in the district.

Neither the Department of Archaeology nor the district administration initiated measures to protect the ‘rock Ganesha’ by according it heritage status.

According to eminent historian Kapilavai Linga Moorthy, the monolithic idol was sculpted by king Thylapudu, who ruled Avancha as its capital. King Vikramaditya of Badami kingdom, which is now called as Gulbarga district, belonged to western Chalukya dynasty. The dynasty ruled Telangana region for over 200 years. Vikramaditya had two sons – Someshwarudu and Thylapudu. The younger son Thylapudu was made ‘Samanta Raju’ (king to a particular province) of erstwhile ‘Kandoor’ as its capital. Thylapudu shifted his capital to Avancha in 1113 AD.

There was a huge Ganesha idol on a granite boulder which was 30 feet in height and 30 feet in width near Vathapi capital city of Badami kingdom. Thylapudu wanted to have a similar monolithic idol in his kingdom also. He found a 30-foot high and 25-foot wide granite boulder near his capital. He got sculpted Lord Ganesha on the rock in 1140 AD. According to the historian, in the same year his father king Vikramaditya died, which forced Thylapudu to rush to Vathapi.

Incomplete work

After the funeral of his father, there arose a dispute over sharing of kingdom between Someshwardu and Thylapudu. Due to delay in settling of the dispute, the Ganesha idol at Avancha was left incomplete without giving it final touches.

Since then the idol was left in limbo by successive kings who ruled this region.

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