Ancient historical sites found at Motupalli

Parchur: The Cultural Centre of Vijayawada and Amaravati (CCVA) CEO, an archaeologist and cultural activist Dr Emani Shivanagi Reddy identified important but neglected sculptures and inscriptions that were left unattended in the fields of Motupalli village in Prakasam district, on Thursday.

Shivanagireddy announced that the Prakasam district DCMS Chairman Ravi Ramanatham Babu informed him about the statues lying uncared for years in the fields. Ramanatham Babu requested Sivanagireddy to visit the villages and take action to preserve them under the heritage awareness program by the CCVA, a CSR wing of Malaxmi Group.

On Thursday, Sivanagireddy, Ramanatham Babu and a huge number of local people surveyed the lands around Rama temple in Motupalli and identified sculptures of Rama, Lakshmana and Seetha along with a life-size lithic torso of Vishnu.

They also found a stone structure of Kakatiya Ganapati Deva time, which records the gift of some lands to the Prasanna Kesava Swamy temple at Motupalli. These statues and scriptures dating back to the 16th century were shifted to the premises of Rama temple for safe custody with the help of locals.

Sivanagi Reddy sensitised the villagers of Motupalli and Rudramambapuram on the need to preserve these sculptures for posterity and explained on the brisk trade activity at the port town right from the 1st century B.C. to 16th century A.D. He reminded that a good number of bronzes, coins of the Chola and Chinese the affiliation was recovered from the excavations conducted during the early 70's, around that place. Ramanatham Babu appealed the officials of concerned government departments to initiate action to develop Motupalli as a heritage, eco, rural and beach tourism destination including the Pallipalem beach by providing connectivity and creating an eco-park, lighthouse and tourist amenities.

The local people requested the DCMS Chairman to bring back its glory to Veerabhadra temple by installing the idol of Veerabhadra as the broken but historical idol was shifted to the museum at Vijayawada long ago. They also appealed him to convince the government to order the endowments department to celebrate Ramanavami in Ramalayam and Sivaratri in Veerabhadra temple on a large scale.