800-year-old temple at Palnadu in ruins

A beautiful temple structure representing Palnadu heritage is in ruins and utter neglect, says Dr E Sivanagi Reddy, archaeologist and CEO, Pleach India.
As part of heritage awareness campaign ‘Preserve Heritage for Posterity’, he visited the ruins located on the outskirts of Jittagamalapadu village in Dachepalli mandal, Palnadu district, on Sunday and sensitised the villagers on the historical significance of the temple and dire need to preserve it for further generations.
Dr Reddy revealed that the place and the temple ruins have a historic connection with Nayakuralu Nagamma, of Palnadu War fame, supposed to have occurred in 1182 CE. Research found Jittagamalapadu village where Nagamma and her father Choudary Ramireddy lived before she was appointed as minister by Nalagamaraju, the ruler of Palnadu, and she won over Brahmanaidu in the war.
Legend has it that Nagamma, being a staunch Saivite, built there a temple for Channamallikarjuna and to pay homage to the great war heroine, the local people built a temple for Nayakuralu Nagamma close to the temple built by her, which is now in ruins.
Sivanagi Reddy observed that Nagamma temple has a Garbhagriha, Ardha Mandapa and a Maha Mandapa with opening towards south. The remains of the super structure are found collapsed upto the basement level and found scattered all around. The Chenna Mallikarjuna Temple was restored by the government a decade ago and the ruins of Nagamma temple are left uncared for. Dr Sivanagi Reddy, who is also a Sthapathy (temple architect) assured the villagers that if they come forward to rescue it, he would render technical support in sorting out the dislodged temple parts.
He also appealed to the district administration to look into the matter.