: An ancient mantapam dating back to the 14th Century surfaced in the Srisailam reservoir, with the depletion of water level due to discharge of an average of 5,000 cusecs a day to cater to the drinking water needs of coastal Andhra and Telangana.
The historic mantapam said to be been built by Vithalamba, wife of Harihararaya II, a Vijayanagar king, between 1393 and 1396 AD, totally resurfaced after a gap of two decades, drawing curious crowds to the place. It has a stairway to enable pilgrims to have a holy dip in Pathalaganga. Several temples and vintage structures had submerged during construction of the Srisailam reservoir.
Additional stairway
There is an additional stairway to Pathalaganga and resting places, built by the Reddy kings. Some historic structures were surfacing periodically during alarming depletion of water, while some others remained submerged, according to archaeologists. With a discharge of 5,537 cusecs downstream on Friday, the present water level in Srisailam reservoir is 779.40 feet, as against the full reservoir level of 885 ft.
