Mantapas unearthed from lakebed may belong to Kempegowda era

BENGALURU: Two stone mantapas, said to belong to the era of Kempegowda, the 16th century founder of Bengaluru, unearthed during desilting work in Hosakerehalli lake on Monday drew hundreds of curious onlookers a day later.
One of the 20-foot-tall stone mantapas, locally known as Gangammana Thottilu (the cradle of Ganga), was damaged by an earthmover during the work.The mantapas are essentially four-pillared structures holding together the roof and floor which are essentially stone slabs. The structure is adorned by floral carvings. The rooftop with a depression does appear like a cradle.
Legend has it that Hosakerehalli lake was built by Kempegowda. Desilting was taken up as part of works to develop and rejuvenate the lake.
Workers alerted social worker R Ramesh about the structure they had run into while digging. On Monday, the entire structure was unearthed at a depth of 25 feet. “Hosakerehalli Lake was built by Bengaluru founder Kempegowda. When it used to fill up, villagers would go to the mantapa in a coracle to perform puja. The mantapa could weigh about 20 tonnes. The archaeology department should protect it for future generations,” said Ramesh.
Lakshmaiah N M, 70, resident of the area, recalled witnessing puja offerings at the mantapas. “Youngsters used to dive into the lake from the tower. When the nearby Channammanakere Lake got damaged many decades ago, a lot of muddy water and silt entered Hosakerehalli Lake, spread over 56 acres. I think that was when the towers got submerged in silt,” he added.
Hosakerehalli corporator Rajeshwari Cholaraj, who visited the spot, said: “There was a practice of building such towers at the lake centre in earlier days. Whenever the lake got filled up, villagers used to go in coracles and do puja at these towers by offering baagina.”
Rajeshwari, however, said only archaeologists can throw more light on the origin of the mantapas.
When asked about the development, R Gopal, director, State archeology department, said, “We got to know about the development. Our officials will visit the lake site on Wednesday. We will get to know more details on the history of the towers only after spot inspection. The structure need to be washed and we need check whether there are any inscriptions so that their age can be found out,” he added.