Idol dating back to 1794 found

An ancient bronze idol of Lord Venkateswara was found at the century-old Lord Sri Padmavati Venkateswara temple in Undi village of West Godavari district recently.

A TTD official team which was appointed to identify the ancient temples in the state visited this temple that claimed to be a century old. The team has asked the Temple officials to show relevant documents about the authenticity of the century-old temple.

The temple priest who submitted valuable documents to the TTD team has found the Bronze statue of Lord Venkateswara. The officials examined the statue and found that it was donated by a man named Denduluri Janaki Ramaraju in 1794 to the temple, during the Kings of Mogaltur Samsthanam.

This bronze idol was with the temple for over centuries. However, no one noticed the temple as it was placed in a corner of the Garbhalaya. On Sunday, the temple officials and priests explained the temple history to the devotees and the officials.

The temple Executive officer Shanmugam Natarajan said that the TTD official team has identified eight temples in the district which are over a century old and of which Undi was one of it. He said proposals worth Rs 80 lakh have been sent to construct Mandapam to the temple.

The oldest temple which was in a dilapidated condition was renovated by Kunaparaju Ramaraju. Speaking on the occasion the prime donor Kunaparaju Ramaraju, temple Committee Chairman and retired Engineer G Perayya said that in the ancient time, people of Kolleru villages visited villages and performed marriages in the Temple.

They said that there is a belief among the people in this area over the centuries that if a marriage performed in this temple, all is good for the newly wedded couple and the families.