900-year-old Chola temple a monument for neglect

A 12th century Chola temple with beautiful architectural features is in a state of utter neglect at Mundlapudi village, on the outskirts of Tirupati in Tirupati district says Dr E Sivanagi Reddy, archaeologist and CEO, Pleach India Foundation.
He visited the temple along with BV Ramana, a Tirupati-based Heritage activist, and found that the temple locally called Krishna temple consists of a ‘garbhagriha’, ‘ardha mandapa’, and ‘mahamandapa’ devoid of the superstructure on its roof.
According to him, the temple was raised on an adhisthana, the walls decorated with Koshtas with Makara Toranas and miniature Shrines and kumbha panjara pillars topped by entablature and there are a few sculptures of Nataraja, Krushna as Venugopala, musicians and dwarfs in typical Chola style.
It is interesting to note that the name of the village Mundlapudi was referred as Munaipundi and Muniyapundi and also called as Sivapadasekharanallur (after the title of Rajaraja Narendra) in an inscription of  Vikramachola ( 1118-35 CE) engraved on the mouldings of the temple basement. It also records that the income of Mundlapudi was donated to light the lamps at Parasurameswara temple at Jogi Mallavaram near Tiruchanur.
He says that there is no Krishna idol in the Sanctum Sanctorum of the temple and the villagers are worshiping the photo frames of lord Krishna.
Dr Sivanagi Reddy, reveals that the temple which bears a lot of Archaeological and architectural significance is in a state of utter neglect as the adhisthana, the basement is buried to half of its height, and concealed by a cement road on its northern side, crevices developed on the walls which have gone out plumb and seen with the growth of rank vegetation, this spouting the beautiful of the temple
Dr Reddy and BV Ramana appealed to the villagers of Mundlapudi to restore the Chola temple by dismantling and reconstructing it on strong modern foundations to preserve it for posterity.