E. Sivanagireddy, Sriramoju Haragopal and members of Kotha Telangana Charitra Brindam with the sculpture panel believed to depict Kakatiya emperor Ganapati Deva and Somala Devi at Totapalli village in Siddipet district on Sunday.
A rare sculpture believed to depict Kakatiya emperor Ganapati Deva and his wife Somala Devi has been identified at Totapalli village in Bejjanki mandal of Siddipet district, said archaeologist E. Sivanagireddy and historian Sriramoju Haragopal.
The sculpture was noticed during a heritage survey and awareness programme on preservation of historical monuments conducted by the Pleach India Foundation and Kotha Telangana Charitra Brindam (KTCB) on Sunday.
Sivanagireddy, who is also CEO of the Pleach India Foundation, and Mr. Haragopal, convenor of KTCB, said the sculptural panel consists of three figures representing Ganapati Deva, Somala Devi and Visveswara Sivacharya, the royal preceptor of the Kakatiya rulers.
According to them, the emperor is portrayed as a Shaivite devotee, wearing a distinctive bun-shaped headgear and rudraksha malas, while the queen is depicted with a ‘Dhammilla’ style hairdress. Both figures are shown worshipping a miniature Shivalinga under the guidance of Visveswara Sivacharya.
The historians said the royal parasols carved above the figures indicated their royal status and helped identify the sculptures. The panel, carved on a three-foot square granite slab, and the nearby Trikuta temples exhibit typical Kakatiya architectural and sculptural features dating to the reign of Ganapatideva.
They claimed that this was the first time sculptures identified as those of Ganapati Deva and Somala Devi had been found in Telangana.
Published – May 24, 2026 07:07 pm IST
