Historians bat for makeover of medieval town Motupalli

Motupalli, an ancient port town in India, once flourished under the rule of Telugu kings. However, it lost its prominence due to advancements in transportation and natural calamities. Once a hub for Buddhist monks, major reformations, and great kingdoms, it has become an ordinary coastal village. Historians and locals urge the government and archaeology department to protect the village’s historical monuments and inscriptions.

Historical records and inscriptions trace Motupalli’s existence to the times of Buddha. European historians and sailors such as Hippalus, Ptolemy, Fergusson, Marco Polo, and Pliny referred to the Krishna river as Mysolus and Motupalli port as Maisolia. Some scholars refute the claim that Maisolia was Machilipatnam, arguing that the latter developed under the Bahamani Sultanate, long after Ptolemy’s travels. Ptolemy and Periplus’s writings confirm that Motupalli was an active port over 2,000 years ago.

Motupalli played a crucial role in maritime trade, exporting and importing masulin clothes, spices, oils, millet, cotton, diamonds, camphor, sandalwood, pearls, pepper, elephant trunks, copper, silk, and other goods. It hosted trade guilds with merchants from China, Japan, Burma, Cambodia, Java, Bosnia, and Sumatra.

Notably, during the Kakatiya rule, it became the first port to introduce maritime insurance for boats and sailors to facilitate trade. Dr Emani Sivanagireddy, CEO of Pleach India Foundation, highlights Motupalli’s prosperity under the Andhra, Chalukya, Kakatiya, Reddy, and Vijayanagara dynasties from 200 BC to 1500 AD.

Excavations in the 1970s uncovered neglected historical artifacts. Notable inscriptions include the Abhaya Sasanam by Ganapati Deva in 1244 and a decree by Anavotareddy in 1358. Recent discoveries of sculptures and inscriptions reaffirm that Motupalli was a thriving trade center from the 1st century BC to the 16th century AD. The Veerabhadra Swamy temple and Ramalayam are also part of its rich history.

Local activists, led by Ronda Dasaratha Ramireddy and the MotupalliParirakshana Samithi, demand the government develop Motupalli as a scenic beach and tourist destination. They propose establishing a museum to house ancient stone structures and broken statues of Veerabhadra Swamy and Nandi, currently scattered across various museums. They also seek measures to curb environmental damage and pollution in the area. In a recent meeting with historian Addanki Jyothi Chandramouli and Forum for Better Bapatla’s Dr. PC Saibaba, Bapatla District Collector J. Venkata Murali announced plans to develop Motupalli as a tourist site.

He promised the preservation of royal edicts from the Kakatiya and Chola dynasties by directing officials to draft proposals for a museum, and to retrieve 13 bronze idols currently housed in museums.