Rare idol of Matysa Vallabha an attraction at Kolanupaka

The five-foot idol of Lord Anjaneya’s son was discovered in 2002, and believed to belong to the 15th or 16th century

Once thought to be an idol of Lord Anjaneya, the Matsya Vallabha statue at the Kolanupaka Archaeological Museum in Nalgonda district has a curved rear, like that of a mermaid.– Photo: Singam Venkataramana

A five-foot-high idol of Matsya Vallabha, the son of Lord Anjaneya, located on the premises of the Kolanupaka Archaeological Museum here could be a special attraction to visitors.

Archaeology Department officials say such an idol has not been found either in Telangana or Andhra Pradesh. Deputy Director at the Department of Archaeology and Museums J. Vijay Kumar said he had found the idol on the premises of a temple in 2002 at Kolanupaka. His seniors had marked it as an Anjaneya idol, but had also put a question mark on it.

Mr. Vijay Kumar said he had observed the idol for days together and come to the conclusion that it was that of Matsya Vallabha since the rear of the statue was curved, like that of a mermaid’s back. Surprisingly, though Kolanupaka is famous for Shaivite temples, the rare idol belonged to the Vaishnavite sect, Mr. Vijay Kumar said.

He said the idol could belong to the 15th or 16th century. He added that he had found a Matsya Vallabha idol on the wall of a Ranganayaka mandapa inside the Sri Venkateswara Swamy Temple in Tirumala.

The legend

According to legend, Deergadehi, a fish or a mermaid, swallowed a drop of sweat from Anjaneya’s body while he was flying across the sea, and gave birth to Matsya Vallabha.

Matsya Vallabha later became an associate of Mahiravana and kept the gates of the latter’s kingdom when he had had a fight with his father. They came to know about their relationship during the fight.

The five-foot idol of Lord Anjaneya’s son was discovered in 2002, and is believed to belong to the 15th or 16th century