Rashtrakuta-era sculpture unearthed at Yanagandla

HYDERABAD: A rare Gajalakshmi sculpture dating back to the Rashtrakuta period (9th century CE) has been found lying neglected at Yanagandla village in Kulcharam mandal of Medak district, according to historians.

Based on information provided by Burra Santosh, a member of the Kotha Telangana Charitra Brundam (KTCB), senior archaeologist E Siva Nagireddy and KTCB convener Sriramoju Haragopal, accompanied by Gottipati Srinivasa Rao and Prof A Raghu, visited the site.

They said the sculpture, carved out of black granite, depicts Goddess Lakshmi seated in Padmasana, holding lotus flowers in both hands, while elephants anoint her.

A remarkable feature is the depiction of the churning of the ocean (Sagara Mathana) by gods and demons above the Gajalakshmi sculpture. Historians said this was a rare feature that had not been reported from either of the two Telugu states so far.

Another distinctive feature is a sculpture on the reverse depicting 12-armed Siva-Nataraja performing Ananda Tandava, flanked by Brahma and Vishnu seated with folded hands. According to the historians, the sculpture is a masterpiece of the Rashtrakuta period.

Siva Nagireddy and Haragopal appealed to the villagers to preserve the sculpture for posterity by erecting it on a pedestal.

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The Hans India