Bommalagutta

Bommalagutta (also known as Siddhula Gutta, Bommalamma Talli Gutta and Vrushabhadri Hill) is a Jain centre situated near Kurikyala village of Karimnagar district in Telangana. This Jain center is situated 3 km from another famous Jain center Kulpakji.[1]

Bommalagutta
బొమ్మలమ్మ గుట్ట
Bommalagutta
Goddess Chakreshvari relief on Bommalagutta
Religion
AffiliationJainism
DeityChakreshvari
FestivalsMahavir Jayanti
Location
LocationKarimnagar, Telangana
Geographic coordinates18°33′13″N 79°00′55″E
Architecture
StyleDravidian
CreatorJina Vallabha
Funded byArikesari II
Date established945 CE
Specifications
Temple(s)1
Monument(s)1
MaterialsRock cut

Etymology

Bommalagutta means "Hill of figures" in Telugu. It is named in reference to the Bommalu (figures) carved on this hillock.[2] As per an inscription, the site was originally known as Siddhasila or Siddhula Gutta meaning "Hill of the enlightened". It was named in reference to the Siddhas carved on the hillock.[3][4][5]

History

Bommalagutta was constructed during the reign of Arikesari II of Vemulavada Chalukya. According to an inscription dated 945 CE, poet Jina vallabha, brother of noted Kannada poet Adikavi Pampa, installed stone images of Bharata, Bahubali and Rishabhanatha. The famous trilingual inscription is a 25 feet (7.6 m) inscription having 11 lines as a tribute to the kingdom for recognising poets. The inscription has verses composed in Kannada, Telugu and Sanskrit.[6] This inscription is of utmost importance to Kannada and Telugu languages. It is written in three languages viz Kannada, Telugu and Sanskrit. The Kannada portion contains invaluable information about Pampa. The Telugu portion is the oldest Telugu Kanda Padya. They are one of the important historical evidences, submitted to the Centre, for securing classic language status to Telugu.[7][8][9] The inscription also mention the construction of Tribhuvanatilaka Basadi by Jina vallabha.[10] The top of the hill was used by Jain monks for meditation.[11]

Architecture

The temple is famous for stone carving image of Chakreshvari with eight arms under two Bahubali images.[11][8][2] Her iconography here includes Garuda. The bas-reliefs and the inscription have been painted over in red by the state officials in recent years for preservation and highlighting it.[12] There is a total of eight Tirthankaras carved on the hillock. The hill still preserves a few small Jain caves without any carvings.[3]

Tribhuvanatilaka Basadi exists near the Jain reliefs of Bommalagutta. This temple houses idols of Rishabhanatha and Mahavira. A tank called Kavitagunarnava and a garden named Madanvilas is also part of the temple premises.[10][4]

Preservation

Over the last 100 years, Jain statues and reliefs are discovered from the area, are preserved in the Karimnagar museum.[12][13][14]

See also

References

Citations
  1. Ceremilla 2016.
  2. Department of Heritage Telangana 2017.
  3. Jawaharlal 2002, p. 57.
  4. Nandi & Venkataramanayya 1966, p. 99.
  5. The Hans India 2016.
  6. Suryanarayana, p. 551.
  7. "Bommalagutta". Telangana360. 10 January 2016.
  8. Nanisetti 2017.
  9. Tallam 2019.
  10. Suryanarayana 1993, p. 14.
  11. Miryala & Gade 2016, p. 105.
  12. Balgoori 2013, pp. 167–177.
  13. Dayashankar 2020.
  14. Tallam 2020.

Sources
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