Nidigonda temple ‘not original Muppeswaralayam’

Hyderabad: A historical clarification over the identity of the Muppeswaralayam in Nidigonda of Jangaon district brought renewed attention to the town's temple record, with Sriramoju Haragopal, convener of Kotha Telangana Charitra Brundam, stating that the existing Trikuta Shaiva temple is not the original Muppeswara Devara temple built in AD 1104. Citing inscriptions published in the Warangal District Inscriptions Volume, Haragopal said the temple now standing in Nidigonda was constructed later, in AD 1219, by Kundamamba, sister of Kakatiya Ganapati Deva, and that continuing to identify it as Muppeswaralayam would amount to a historical error.Inscriptional record points to two temples. Nidigonda, described as a settlement with evidence of human habitation from prehistoric times to the medieval period, features Jain, Shaiva, and Vaishnava religious centres, sculptural remains, and inscriptions. According to the material cited by Haragopal, three inscriptions from Nidigonda were published in the Warangal District Inscriptions Volume, while other short and long inscriptions remain unpublished on Patagutta.
Among the published inscriptions, one is a land donation record without a date or details. Another states that during the reign of Chalukya emperor Tribhuvanamalla Deva, Natavadi ruler Duggabhupati and his wife Muppamambika built the Muppeswara Devara temple. It records that on Uttarayana Sankranti in AD 1104, mandalika Duggirasa donated 20 marturulu lands behind Rattasamudram, along with Ketabarani, to Gundanibandeya Nerapu Kunta for the temple's daily rituals and angabhogas.The Kundamamba temple was built in AD 1219. Haragopal said the third inscription makes it clear that in AD 1219, Kundamamba, the sister of Kakati Ganapati Deva and wife of Natavadi Rudra, installed Shiva lingas in the names of her husband, her father Mahadeva and her brother Ganapati, along with Madhava and Surya deities, and made land donations in Kundapura Seema.He said the uncovered and unrestored temple now standing in Nidigonda is this Shaiva Trikuta temple established by Kundamamba, and not the Muppeswaralayam built by Muppamambika. He noted that the structure reflects the Kakatiya architectural style and drew attention to its proximity in time to the Rudreshwara temple at Ramappa, which was completed in 1213. The Nidigonda temple, completed in 1219, came up just 6 years later and shows similarities in sculptural features, he said.Call to correct a long-standing mix-up. Haragopal said the confusion appears to stem from the later temple being identified locally or in some writings as Muppeswaralayam, despite inscriptional and architectural distinctions between the two shrines. He said the original Muppeswaralayam of AD 1104 would have belonged to the Kalyani Chalukya tradition, not the later Kakatiya style.He further noted that the earlier temple underwent several renovations over time and that its original form and features changed. Based on the sculptures now available, he said the remains can be identified with a Kalyani Chalukya-style temple. With a gap of 115 years between the two constructions, he said equating Kundamamba's 1219 Trikutalaya with the earlier Muppeswaralayam was incorrect. Haragopal also acknowledged that the same mistake was made in the past in writing about the site, and said the record now needed correction to prevent the error from hardening into accepted history.