HYDERABAD: An 800-year-old Nandi sculpture dating back to the Kakatiya period has been found neglected among bushes along a roadside at Jakkileru village in Makthal mandal of Narayanpet district.
Archaeologist and Pleach India Foundation CEO Dr E Sivanagireddy visited the site on Monday after heritage activists K Bhaskar Goud and Dr G Mahendar Reddy alerted him about the sculpture.
Sivanagireddy said the black basalt sculpture was originally placed inside the Rangamandapa of a 13th-century temple complex comprising three shrines. It was reportedly broken into two pieces by miscreants and thrown out of the temple. Since then, it has remained unattended among the bushes.
The sculpture measures five feet in length, three feet in width and 3.5 feet in height, he said. Sivanagireddy added that it reflects the craftsmanship of Kakatiya sculptors, particularly in the detailing of the bull’s anatomy and ornamental patterns.
Sivanagireddy appealed to villagers to move both pieces back into the temple, place the sculpture on a pedestal and install a plaque explaining its historical significance. The appeal was made as part of the ‘Preserve Heritage for Posterity’ awareness programme.
