Ancient temple a sad case of irreverence towards heritage

Remnants of Kakatiya-era structure in Suryapet turned into dumpyard

The remnants of a 650-year-old Kakatiya-era temple have been turned into a haystack, a garbage dumpyard and truck parking bay in Suryapet town. Known to the locals as Rapollu Gullu, the machined pillars of the temple are still a sight but for the residents of the surrounding area, it is a potential site for encroachment. The result has been a continuous effort to build walls around it and one resident even built a grilled gate with his name on it. “It is sad that this rangamandapa supported by 48 pillars and having a pillared cloister (pradakshinapatha) representing the Kakatiya and post-Kakatiya temple architecture has been left to ruin. The pillars cover an area of 50x100 feet while the superstructure of the sanctum sanctorum is missing,” said E. Sivanagireddy, an archaeologist. According to him, the Vaishnavite temple was built in two stages. “The rangamandapa, which is still intact, shows a style that evolved during Rudramma Devi’s period and can be dateable to the 13th century. The collapsed portions show that it was built during 16th century, perhaps during Krishnadevaraya’s period,” says Mr. Sivanagireddy.