Hyderabad: A rare sculpture representing Kakatiya Emperor Ganapati Deva and his wife Somala Devi is identified at Totapalli village, Bejjanki mandal in Siddipet district, said E Siva Nagi Reddy, Archaeologist and Sriramoju Haragopal, Historian & Convenor, Kotha Telangana Charitra Brindam (KTCB).

The sculpture was noticed by them during their survey and awareness program on Preserve Heritage for Posterity on Sunday. According to them the three sculptures of the panel represent Kakatiya Ganapatideva as a Saivite devotee wearing a typical head dress in a bun shape and Rudraksha malas on his body with his wife wearing a Dhammilla type of hairdress, both engaged in performing worship to a miniature Shiva Linga under the spiritual guidance of Visveswara Sivacharya , the royal preceptor.

Dr.Reddy and Haragopal said that the Royal Parasols (Chatris) on their heads denote the Royalty and facilitated the historians to identify the sculptures as Ganapatideva , Somaladevi and Visveswara Sivacharya. Carved on a 3.0 ft square granite slab, all the three sculptures and the Trikuta temples are in typical Kakatiya style datable to the Regnal period of Kakatiya Ganapatideva, and it is for the first time to identify Kakatiya Emperor Ganapatideva and his wife from Telangana,they added.

Simhadri Venkatrama Reddy , MD & CEO,Lanco Hills, Ahobilam Karunakar , Samaleti Mahesh , members of KTCB, temple priest Kailashpati , villagers Beerayya, Sampathi and Ilesh participated in the program.