Temple surfaces after water level dips

Move to shift and rebuild theancient shrine. The authorities inspected the temple recently as it resurfaced owing to water level going down in the reservoir.

Director of Archaeology and Museums, Telangana, is planning to shift Sri Shambulingeshwara Swamy temple, built in 11-12th Century AD, that was submerged under Udyasamudram reservoir a decade ago at Panagal in Nalgonda district soon.

The authorities inspected the temple recently as it resurfaced owing to water level going down in the reservoir.

Assistant Director of Archaeology and Museums, P. Nagaraju, said that they have taken the issue to the notice of Director, N.R. Visalatchy, who asked him to shift all the loose sculptures found at the site immediately to Panagal Museum.

He said she also directed the Engineering Department to visit the site and prepare proposals for shifting the temple.

The entire Lord Siva temple will be dismantled before shifting it to another location. Despite being submerged for over a decade, the temple has remained intact. However, the archaeology officials have also found 12 pillars of another temple, which might have collapsed some centuries ago.

They have also found some loose sculptures at the site which include a Nandi, Lord Vinayaka and others.

The temple was located on the outskirts of Chandanapally village which was displaced after the reservoir was built. According to some inscriptions that were found in the past, Kunduru Cholas had constructed both the temple and Udyasamudram tank during 11th or 12th centuries AD.