Medieval Gajapathi Inscription Found in Guntur Temple

A medieval Telugu inscription linked to the Gajapathi rulers of Odisha has been discovered on a stone pillar at the historic Lakshmi Narasimha Swamy Temple in Ramachandrapura Agraharam of Guntur city. The inscription offers valuable insights into the political and cultural connections between the Odisha region and coastal Andhra during the late medieval period. Scholars believe such records highlight the administrative presence and religious patronage of the Gajapathi dynasty in parts of present-day Andhra Pradesh.

Inscription linked to Gajapathi King Purushottama Deva

According to epigraphist Bishnu Mohan Adhikari, the inscription is engraved on both sides of a stone pillar located in the temple mandapa. The text refers to Kumaraguru Mahapatra, a steward officer serving under the Gajapathi ruler Purushottama Deva, who ruled in the fifteenth century CE. The record provides evidence of the administrative network of the Gajapathi kingdom extending into the Andhra region during that period.

Temple artefacts traced to Kondaveedu Fort

Local temple tradition suggests that the idol of Lord Narasimha at the Guntur temple was brought from Kondaveedu Fort following invasions in the region during medieval times. The temple priest Nadyala Yoganand noted that the stone pillars of the mandapa were also transported from Kondaveedu after a divine instruction received in a dream. Interestingly, the Narasimha temple at Kondaveedu itself contains an Odia inscription of the Gajapathi rulers that records donations made for ritual worship.

Details on temple service and cattle management

The Guntur inscription was originally dedicated to Lord Mulasthana Mallikarjuna of Kondaveedu before being relocated along with the mandapa structure. It instructs that milk be offered to the deity during evening worship and specifies that cows used for ritual purposes should remain under the care of designated communities such as Tammula and Ambicvaru, possibly pastoral groups like the Koyas. The mention of Kumaraguru Mahapatra also appears in inscriptions from the Kalinga region, including present-day Ganjam and Visakhapatnam districts.

Important Facts for Exams

• The Gajapathi dynasty ruled large parts of Odisha and coastal Andhra during the medieval period.
• Purushottama Deva was an important 15th-century ruler of the Gajapathi kingdom.
• Kondaveedu Fort in present-day Andhra Pradesh was a significant medieval political centre.
• Hari-Hara worship refers to the combined reverence of Shiva and Vishnu traditions.

Evidence of cultural links between Odisha and Andhra

Scholars state that the inscriptions found at Kondaveedu and Guntur together illustrate the Hari-Hara mode of worship promoted by the Gajapathi rulers. The dynasty supported both Shaiva and Vaishnava traditions across temple establishments within their territories. According to researchers, such epigraphic discoveries help historians understand the shared cultural heritage and administrative interactions between Odisha and the Andhra region during the medieval period.