Ganesa idol of 12th century unearthed at Motupalli

Chirala: A Lord Ganesa idol, dating back to the 12th century was unearthed in the fields of Motupalli village in Chinaganjam mandal on Thursday.

The stone idol was found when farmer Siripudi Venkateswarlu was tilling his agricultural field. The farmer informed about the idol to Ronda Dasaratha Ramireddy, secretary of the Motupalli Heritage Society, which is envisaging plans for the integrated tourism development and protection of the age-old inscriptions and history at Motupalli, the ancient port town in the State.

Learning about the idol, the archaeologist and CEO of Pleach India Foundation Dr Emani Sivanagireddy rushed to the spot and examined the sculpture in detail. He said that the idol measures 3'6"x2'-6"x1'-6" in size and carved out of a granite slab. He informed that the Ganesa is seen seated in the Padmasana on a lotus pedestal, holding a Danta and Modaka on the actual right and left hands respectively, but also has two additional broken hands.

He observed that the natural elephantine head is devoid of any headgear, but the god is wearing all other ornaments including the Nagayagnopavita on the potbelly.

Dr Sivanagireddy opined that based on the stylistic grounds and the Tamil inscriptions found on the nearby dilapidated Kodanda Ramaswamy temple, the idol dates back to the 12th century, during which period the place is under the active rule of Cholas. He appealed to the Motupalli Heritage Society to shift the Ganesa idol to the Kodanda Ramaswamy temple and safeguard it for posterity.

The Motupalli Heritage Society members Prithviraj, M Balaji Kumar, temple priest Seshatalpa Sai and other villagers also inspected the idol and clarified their doubts from the archaeologist.