Telangana’s highest Ja-school idol is eager to pay attention and faces the threat of a quarry

Archaeologist Sivanagireddy and others in stone sculptures of Vardhaman Mahavira in the village of Nangunuru, Siddipet District.

Hyderabad

E. Sivanagireddy said that the tallest Vardhaman Mahavira Jain Tirthankar Stone sculpture in Telangana, located in the village of Nangunuru and Mandal in the Siddipet district, is threatened by quarrying activities.

Based on information provided by convener Sriramoju Haragopal and member of Kotha Telangana Charitra Brundam, Mr. Reddy inspected the Jana-chan sculpture on Monday. The sculpture stands upright on a low-lying hill on the south side of the village, 9.0 feet high and 3.5 feet wide, depicting the stiff (kayotsarga) posture of Mahavira, sinking it to the ground to the knee level.

Sivanagireddy added that the sculpture represents the Digambara sect of Jana and has Ushnisha (skull protrusion) on the head, which is a characteristic of the Tirthankara Iconography, dating back to the 9th century CE (Rashtrakuta period), Sivanagireddy added. During the inspection, he also noticed another sculpture of the little Mahavira carved on a flat plate at the foot of the hills, unattended in the bushes. In addition, the Janata sculptures in the houses of the local Anjaneya Temple show that the village of Nangunuru was an outstanding Janata centre during the reign of Rashtrakuta.

The existence of brick bats and boilers near the giant Mahavira sculptures suggests that the Janathan Basadi (monastery) once existed. Mr. Reddy was sensitive to the historical significance of the villagers and called on him to preserve it for future generations by halting the quarrying activities. Ahobilam Karunakar, Pawan and B. Sudhakar Singh accompanied Sivanagireddy.