4th Century Ganesa Idols Unearthed At Kaja Village

: According to Dr E. Sivanagi Reddy, archaeologist and CEO of Pleach India Foundation, two Ganesha idols believed to date back to the 4th century AD (common period) were unearthed at Kaja in Mangalagiri mandal in Guntur district.

The idols were discovered by farmer Simhadri Venkatarama Reddy while plowing his field. Dr Sivanagi Reddy visited the site on Thursday and inspected the artefacts. He determined that the idols belonged to Anandagotrin, named after the Ananda Gotra dynasty that ruled the region for about 100 years from 335 AD.

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The dimensions of the miniature idols carved from red sandstone are 5 x 3 cm and 4 x 2 cm. Both depict Lord Ganesha with two hands holding a ‘modaka’ in his left hand and a broken tooth in his right hand. The idols have natural elephant heads with bulging bellies, no headgear, and are depicted in ‘lalitasana’.

Dr Sivanagi Reddy said the idols are very similar to the limestone Ganesha image from the same period discovered at Chejarla, the erstwhile capital of the Anandagotrins. He also mentioned the limestone ‘Sivalinga’ on which the image of ‘Ardhanarisvara’ is engraved, which is now preserved in the Anandeswara Temple in Pedakanduru, as another relic from the same period.

According to him, the discovery suggested that the region around Kaja was once under the rule of the Anandagotrins, who replaced the Ikshvakus and later shifted their capital from Chejarla to Kanthene, about four kilometers from Kaja.

Also in the field is Dr. Red, black and tan pottery sherds dating to the Satavahana, Ikshvaku and Anandagotrin periods were also found, Sivanagi Reddy said, indicating the archaeological importance of the site.

He urged the landowner to protect the idols, citing their historical and cultural significance.