Historians urge chief minister to preserve the ancient Vaishnavite temple in Satya Sai region

The Sri Sajjaganta Ranganatha temple in Gudipalli in Sri Sathya Sai district calls for attention. The temple was built in 1299 by Hoysala King Veerballala III. |Picture source: Arrangement

Historian Mynaa Swamy has called on Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu to direct officials to develop a comprehensive master plan to develop and beautify the Sri Sajjaganta Ranganatha Swamy Temple in Gudipalli, Somandepalli Mandal, Sri Sathya Sai Sai District. “Although the temple has rich mythological and historical significance, it is still largely ignored,” he said.

Mr Mynaa Swamy visited the temple building of the Vijayanagara Empire, and after he visited the temple at a press conference on Sunday, Mr Mynaa Swamy shared an amazing discovery – an inscription dating back to 1299 CE, attributed to Hoysala King Veerballala III. The inscription located in Kannada is found on the bottom stone of the southern wall of the sanctuary.

The history of the inscription can be traced back to Salivahana Saka 1221, Pramadi year, Magha month – corresponding to January or February 1299 AD. The historian explained that under the rule of King Veeraballala III (1292-1343), Penukonda Seema was part of the Kingdom of Dorasamudram (currently Halebidu of Karnataka), the son of Veera Narasimha III. Based on this evidence, he suggested that the Sri Sajjaganta Ranganatha Swamy Temple might have been built during the reign of Veerballala III.

Mynaa Swamy is accompanied by Ramakanth Reddy, Chairman of the Temple Development Committee, and History Researchers Vangampalli Gopi, Gudipalli Ramesh, Penukonda Sridhar, etc. He expressed surprise at the architectural integrity of the temple, which included the sanctuary, Antechamber, Mukha Mandapam (vector), open-plan halls, towering gopurams, strong Ramparts and Sacred Pushkarini (Temple Pusphkarini (Temple Paspekarini) (Temple Paste).

He said: “Gudipalli was once the famous Vashnawit Center during the reign of the Hoysalas and Vijayanagara Empire and is considered one of the 108 important temples in South India.”

Regarding the Blindhawan (grave) located outside the temple complex, Swami said it was built in 1398 by a royal woman named Saamaayi, as documented in the inscription of Bahudhanya in Vaisakha in 1320. Brindavan was built by the Samadhi (the last resting place) of Sri Harideva, who was the presided over the pastor.