A pottery kiln said to be that of the age of Kadamba dynasty has been unearthed near the historical Pranavalingeshwara temple in Talagunda village in Shikaripur taluk recently.
The kiln is 8 ft high. The diameter of its base is 3 ft while that of the upper portion is 6 ft.
The kiln was unearthed in a field owned by one Sumatindra Rao at survey number 255 in the village. When the work of levelling of the agriculture field was undertaken here for cultivation of ginger, the workers stumbled upon a brick structure. After the mud around the structure was cleared, the kiln emerged. Few broken bricks, pots and earthen utensils have also been found near it.
Following the incident, a team of archaeologists from Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) and the Department of Archeology, Museums and Heritage visited the village. Ramesh Hirejambur, historian from Shikaripur, said the bund for the Pranavalingeshwara pond near the temple in Talagunda was constructed during the rule of Kadamba king Kakutsavarama in 5th century A.D. The bricks used for the construction of the bund resemble those found near the kiln.
It may be mentioned here that, in 2012 and 2013, a trial excavation was conducted by ASI near the Pranavalingeshwara temple, said to be constructed by Satavahana kings and renovated by Kadamba rulers. During the excavation, two sets of copper plate charters (dated 12 century C.E.) belonging to Kakatiya dynasty and eight gold coins issued by Ganga ruler Sivamara-1(regnal year 679 CE to 726 C.E.) were found here. Near the north side of the balustrade of the mahamantap near the temple, a stone inscription datable to 370 CE to 450 CE was also found. It is a dual inscription that has both Kannada and Sanskrit words. The seven lines of the inscription are written in Brahmi script.
The second inscription found in southern side balustrade is a copy of the first inscription. The main deity of Pranavalingeshwara temple is referred as Mahadeva in the inscription. The findings have been recorded in ASI’s Indian Archeology Review of the year 2013-14.
Speaking to The Hindu, M. Naveen Kumar, president, Kannada Samshodhane Abhivrudhi Pratishthana, an organisation striving for preservation of monuments in Talagunda said, the findings during the excavation undertaken by ASI, the unearthing of the inscriptions belonging to the age of Vijayanagara and Keladi kingdoms here last year and the unearthing of the kiln recently testify that, Talagunda was an important administrative centre during the rule of Satavahana, Kadamba, Kakatiya, Hoysala, Vijayanagara and Keladi dynasties. As Talagunda is a place of historical importance, further excavations should be undertaken here, he said.
