Telangana: Two square pillars with Jain Tirthankara sculptures and inscriptions, which provide evidence of a Jain monastery in the vicinity during the 9th-10th centuries CE, were recently unearthed in a village on the outskirts of Hyderabad. Eminent archaeologist E. Sivanagi Reddy, a former government official, inspected the Enikepalli village in Moinabad Mandal of Ranga Reddy district, following information provided by P. Srinath Reddy, a young archaeologist and heritage activist.


According to the PTI report, Sivanagi Reddy explained that the two pillars, one made of granite and the other of black basalt, showcased the four Jaina Tirthankaras -- Adinatha, Neminatha, Parsvanatha, and Vardhamana Mahavira -- depicted in a meditative posture on each side.


The pillars were adorned with 'Keerthimukhas' on the top.


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The slabs featured inscriptions in the Telugu-Kannada script, but due to their integration into the masonry walls of the village tank sluice, they could not be deciphered without removal. The visible section of an inscription referred to a 'Janina Basadi' (monastery) situated near Chilukuru village in the Mandal, which was a prominent Jaina center during the Rastrakuta and Vemulawada Chalukyan periods (9th-10th centuries CE).


Sivanagi Reddy noted that the complete details could only be determined once the slabs were extracted from the sluice. He affirmed, "Yes, we can confirm the existence of a Jain monastery near Chilukur about 1,000 years ago," speaking to PTI.

Sivanagi Reddy suggested that the Jaina Tirthankara slabs were likely sourced from a local dilapidated Jain temple and placed in the sluice around a century ago. Given the archaeological significance of the Jaina sculptural pillars and inscriptions, Sivanagi Reddy appealed to the villagers to safeguard them by removing them from the sluice and installing them on a pedestal with appropriate labeling and historical information.


Meanwhile, Kolanupaka village in the Yadadri district is home to a celebrated Jain shrine. Situated approximately 77 km from Hyderabad, the temple is believed to be over two thousand years old.