Metro India News | Hyderabad 

Telangana’s tallest Vardhaman Mahavir Jain Tirthankar stone sculpture, located in Nangunuru village, Siddipet district, is at risk due to ongoing quarrying activities, alerts Dr. E. Sivanagireddy, an archaeologist and CEO of Pleach India Foundation. 

Acting on information from heritage researchers Sriramoju Haragopal and Ahobilam Karunakar of Kotha Telangana Charitra Brundam, Dr. Reddy inspected the 9-foot-tall, 3.5-foot-wide granite sculpture of Mahavira, which stands in the Kayotsarga posture on a low-lying hillock south of the village. He observed extensive quarrying activity encroaching on the statue, which has sunk into the ground up to the knee level. 

The sculpture, representing the Digambara sect of Jainism, features an ushnisha (cranial protrusion) and dates back to the 9th century CE, from the Rashtrakuta period. During the inspection, Dr. Reddy also found a smaller Mahavira sculpture carved on a slab near the hillock, abandoned in the bushes. Another Jain sculpture was discovered within the premises of a local Anjaneya temple, further indicating Nangunuru’s historical significance as a Jain center during the Rashtrakuta era. 

Traces of brick fragments and pottery near the site suggest that a Jaina basadi (monastery) once stood in the area. Understanding the importance of this heritage, Dr. Reddy urged local villagers to safeguard the sculptures from quarrying activities to preserve them for future generations.  Heritage activists Ahobilam Karunakar, Pawan, and B. Sudhakar Singh participated in the awareness program, emphasizing the urgent need to protect this invaluable historical site.