JAGTIAL: Carvings of a Tirthankara (a Jain monk) and a set of footprints were discovered on a large boulder at Pata Gudur in Jagtial by a teacher.Sameena Parveen, a teacher, was in the area in Velagatoor mandal as part of a research tour of historical sites when she discovered the carvings. She also discovered an abandoned well, locally known as ‘Savatula Bavi,’ in the vicinity of the carvings.
Sameena works at the Elkathurthy Government High School in Warnagal Rural district. She has visited nearly 300 historical sites as part of research and study tours, in the last couple of years. “I had gone to Pata Gudur to see a local stream called Pedda Vagu. While returning, I saw the carvings and recognised that they belonged to Jainism and represented a Tirthankar,” Sameena said.
She said the Archeology Department needs to conduct excavations in the area to uncover more such historically important findings. Such findings create awareness about history among the current generation, she said.It may be recalled that the first capital of the Satavahana kingdom was near Pata Gudur. In the past, several sculptures, idols, and other historical findings have been discovered in villages surrounding the areas.
Sameena said the Archeological Department should develop these places as tourist destinations on the lines of Amaravati in AP, which was an important pilgrimage site for Jains. In the recent past, idols of Tirthankaras were discovered in Karimnagar district. SN Sharma, a historian, said if the government excavates these areas, several such historically important findings could be discovered.