Keesaragutta has medieval Nandi, sati memorial stones, historian says
KEESARAGUTTA: Two pairs of stone pillars at Keesaragutta in Medchal-Malkajgiri district may mark the burial sites of medieval Shaivite warriors and their wives, according to historian Sriramoju Haragopal.
The pillars are located at two places near Shahikaman. Each pair stands on a separate stone platform.
A veeragallu, or hero stone, near one pair has been identified as a sati stone. The sculpture shows a warrior facing north and holding a sword and shield, with his legs placed forward. Two women are shown behind him.
One of the women is holding a kamandalu, or water pot. According to the interpretation, the two women were the warrior’s wives who followed him in self-sacrifice after his death in battle.
The warrior’s topknot, known as siga, his attire, described as veerakase, and the clothing of the two women suggest that the sculpture dates to the 14th–15th centuries, Haragopal said.
One pillar in the first pair has a carving resembling a temple vimana, or tower, on its upper portion. The second has a Nandi carved on top. Both pillars stand on a rectangular platform made of stone slabs.
The arrangement is interpreted as a memorial to the warrior and his wives. Since they were Shaivites, a Nandi stone was placed over the burial site, according to Haragopal.
The second pair also has Nandi carvings on the upper portions of both pillars. Half-sculptures of a warrior and his sati are carved on the middle portion of one pillar.
This sculpture has also been identified as a sati stone. The interpretation is that the Shaivite husband and wife were buried at the site and Nandi pillars were erected as memorials.
A Banalinga has been installed between the two pillars. According to Haragopal, Nandi stones were traditionally associated among Shaivites with teachers, or acharyas, and rulers, or prabhus.
Similar Nandi stones are also found at Tripurantakam, he said.
The observations were made during a field visit by Sriramoju Haragopal, Tribhuvana Vikramaditya, Nalla Madhusudan Reddy, Ramakrishna, Ramesh and Sai.
Haragopal, president of Kotha Telangana Charitra Brundam, provided the historical interpretation.
