This nondescript village was a capital city once

As part of a campaign to ‘Preserve Heritage for Posterity’, E Siva Nagi Reddy, CEO of Cultural Centre of Vijayawada and Amaravati (CCV&A), explored Gudimetta village on the left bank of River Krishna and found several sculptures dating back to the 11th to 16th centuries.

Speaking about his findings here on Saturday, he said Gudimetta located 14 km away from Nandigama mandal in Krishna district, served as a capital city of the Chagi chiefs in the 12th and 13th centuries. Chagi Poturaju (1150-1182 AD) fortified the village. After the rule of Chagis, the area was annexed by the Kakatiyas. The Viswanadha temple at Gudimetta was built in the typical Kakatiya architecture.

Kakatiya sculptures of Saptamatrika and Bhairava were found in the village. The Saptamatrika sculpture of granite stone bears the Seven Mothers Brahmani, Maheshwari, Kaumari, Vaishnavi, Varahi, Indrani and Chamunda flanked by Virabhadra and Vinayaka in seating posture. Another sculpture Bhairava was carved on a temple model in Tribhanga posture.

The two sculptures testify the Kakatiya occupation of the area, which was supported by an inscription found in a local mosque. The inscription dating back to 1268 AD of Kakatiya Queen Rudrama Devi regime, mentions the donations made to the Viswanatha temple by the then rulers. Several other sculptures, including Ganesha, Shanmukha, Mahishamardini, Anjaneya and Naga Devatas, two inscriptions and a copper coin of the Qutub Shahis were also found during the exploration. A Venkateswara temple of the 16th century AD is located nearby.

A few episodes from the epics Ramayana and Bhagavatam were carved on the exterior walls of the dilapidated temple, Siva Nagi Reddy said, underlining the need to preserve the rich heritage of Gudimetta for future generations. He was accompanied by Vijayawada Buddha Vihara general secretary Subhakar Medasani and some local people during his exploration of Gudimetta.