Youtube Link: https://youtu.be/IitZGOjDjoI
Missed Places of high importance, because couldn’t trace
1)
Devinigutta
Temple,Kothur
Location:
“Devunigutta
temple, 428P+2VR, Kothur, Telangana 506352”
till the village, then trek
2)
Megalithic
Tombs in Tadvai forest: Dolmen’s crematorium
Devinigutta Temple, Kothur
Location: “Dameravai
Dolmen Burials, Dameravai Village Rd, Dameravai, Telangana 506344”
“Dolmens
megalithic burial stones, NH163, Telangana 506344”
Reference:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Devunigutta_Temple
There are two places which are must visit, but we
couldn’t visit. We go through them one by one and one also explain the reason
why we couldn’t visit.
1) Devinigutta
temple at Kothur is a Shiva temple near Kothur village in Mulugu district.
Unfortunately, we went till Kothur and found that we need to walk up the hill
for minimum 1 hour through jungle to the temple and a local guide there asks
for huge amount of money. With infant in the car, I wasn’t able to leave my
wife and daughter there and go, but I request anyone going till Laknavaram to
must visit this temple as it is worth visiting. I would request to hire an auto
and make a contract with him, study about the place and do a self-trek to the
temple.
Located in a remote
forested plateau, the temple was probably built c. 6th century CE by
the Deccan 3rd century Vakatakas dynasty. It was first recorded in 2012,
in an abandoned state, by the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI); however,
it did not come to wider attention until images were posted on social media in
2017.
The temple now consists of a square sanctuary with
a shikhara or vimana tower, with
the sanctuary open to the interior of the tower, and a low wall enclosing an
entrance court. An unusual profusion of relief sculptures, though very worn,
are located both inside and outside. Visiting international scholars, as
well as local people, have expressed concern about the condition of the building.
Local voluntary groups cleared the vegetation growing on the actual
structure, although by 2020 much had regrown. In late 2019 the
Archaeological Survey of India was ready to restore the temple, but was
awaiting permission from the local authorities.
A German art historian, Corinna Wessels-Mevissen, who
saw the temple in 2018, said “The temple is a unique blend of styles visible
in Udayagiri and Scandagiri in Odisha and
also a bit of Amaravati like
(Andhra Pradesh) architecture.
A British expert, Adam Hardy,
who visited the temple in 2019, described it as "a unique temple with a
rare architecture full of imagery and a depiction of a heavenly vision in
sculpture", though he dismissed claims of resemblance to Angkor Wat,
saying Devunigutta was in any case older, probably from the 6th century. He
was reported as saying "It’s high time the Archaeological Department take
the necessary steps to protect the temple which is beginning to collapse."
Please
refer to online accounts for the unique architecture features of the temple, I
was really upset that I couldn’t visit the temple. In future when I do, I will
post a video.
2)
Megalithic
tombs in Tadvai forests of Telangana
There are two locations for the Dolman’s cemetery and
the megalithic tombs called dolmens, that are shown in map. One on the left
side of the highway and one on the right side. The left side is by the name
Dolman’s megalithic burial stones while the one deep inside the jungle in the
right side by the name Damervai Dolman’s Burials.
We were unaware of the second one and we tried to
enter into the jungle on the left side, following
the google path, but couldn’t trace the location. We kept on going through our
vehicle in and in and ultimately fearing we might get stuck, we didn’t proceed.
In case you are visiting anywhere near Bogatha caves, do try to explore this as
this is a must visit.
Talking a bit about the place, deep inside the thick
Tadvai forests, near Dameravai village, megalithic tombs called dolmens can be
found on a hillock named Suragun-daiah Gutta. They are believed to be 5,000
years old, and provide an opportunity to learn more about pre-historic man.
Local archaeologist Reddy Ratnakar Reddy brought the dolmens, which consist of
two or more thick structures supporting a huge horizontal capstone, to the
notice of officials. There is a small gap on one of the sides, like an
entrance.
Inside is a sarcophagus. Some have two or three, probably indicating a family.
A compound wall like stone arrangement can be seen around it. How these
structures were built is yet to be understood. “These dolmens would help us
understand ancient funeral rites. We can say these belong to 3,000 BC. People at
that time used to burn the dead, place the bones inside a sarcophagus and close
it with a large stone. That way they believed the dead would rest in peace,” Mr
Ratnakar explained.
The site was explored by officials of the forests, archaeology and tourism
departments. The archaeology department had spotted it two decades back but the
site wasn’t recognised perhaps due to its location. But now there is good road
connectivity to visit the place. The site is going to be developed into a
tourist location. Sarpanch Jaggeri Nagesh said they found the tombs long ago
but did not know that they belonged to the megalithic era. The Centre has
sanctioned 'Rs 6 crore for fencing around the tombs, solar lights, pathway, an
education centre and a mini theatre.
Here is the location:
