FREELANCE ARCHAEOLOGIST RAHUL VARANASI : May 2016

Saturday, 21 May 2016

GUTTIKONDA BILAM, GUNTUR DISRTICT

PLEASANT ATMOSPHERE IN WAY TO GUTTIKONDA BILAM WITH GREEN FIELDS SURROUNDED BY SMALL AND BIG MOUNTAINS. BILAM MEANS CAVE OR BIG HOLE.

A SMALL BRIDGE IN WAY TO BILAM.

IN ENTRANCE OF BILAM THERE IS A ASHRAMA WHERE THE SAINT OF BILAM RAMAYOGI TATA LIVED ONECE UPON A TIME AND ATTAINED SAMADHI.

MAIN ENTRANCE OF GUTHIKONDA BILAM.

STEPS IN WAY TO THE CAVES

CAVE TEMPLE IN SIDE THE BILAM.

THE MAIN GOD SRI OMKARESWARA SWAMY

STEPS IN THE CAVE TOWARDS THE RENUKA BILAM (HOLY LAKE)

STEPS IN THE CAVE TOWARDS THE HOLY LAKE

THE FRESH WATER LAKE IN SIDE THE CAVE (RENUKA BILAM)

GRAVE OF BALACHANDRA SON OF PALANATI BRAHMA NAIDU WHO DIED IN PLANATI WAR.

SWORDS OF WAR SOLDIERS FOUND IN A CAVE.

YOGINI PERIMAMBA'S STATUE IN THE TEMPLE PREMISES
.

SRI VENKATESH GARU, WHO EXPLAINED EACH AND EVERY THING ABOUT GUTTHIKONDA BILLAM.

TEMPLE PRIEST IN GODDESS TEMPLE

GODDESS SRI RAJA RAJESWARI TEMPLE.

TEMPLE GOD IS ALSO CALLED AS CEKATI MALLYYA IN TELUGU CEKATI MEANS DARKNESS. NAME OF CAVES (BILAMS) IN GUTTHIKONDA ARE
1. RENUKA BILLAM ( LAKE )
2. NAGA BILLAM
3. BRAHAMA NAIDU BILAM (PLACE WHERE THAT SWORDS WERE FOUND)
4. VISHNU BILAM
5. LINGALA BILAM

AND MORE BILAMS WHICH HAVE NO NAMES.
THERE IS GREAT RELATION BETWEEN THIS PLACE AND GREAT " PALNATI WAR "
AT THE END OF PALNATI WAR TRAGEDY NAGAMMA GARU LEAVED HER LAST BREATH IN THIS PLACE AND PALNATI BRAHMA NAIDU AFTER MAKING HIS SON BALACHANDRA SAMAHDI HE ALSO LEAVED HIS LAST BREATH UNDER A CAVE WHICH IS KNOW CALLED AS BRAHMA NAIDU BILLAM.

IDOL IN MEMORY OF PALNATI NAGAMMA GARU AT THE FOOT OF THE GUTTHIKONDA BILAM

ONE MORE IMPORTANT THING TO SAY IS, THE TEMPLE SEVAKAS ASK US TO TAKE MEAL AFTER MAHA NIVEDANA TO GODDESS RAJA RAJESWARI. IT IS A VERY NICE MEAL I HAVE TAKEN THERE WHEN THEY ASKED TO WAIT FOR SOME TIME. THE PEOPLE IN THE TEMPLE SHOWED VERY AFFECTION TOWARDS ME. AND IT IS A NICE EXPERIENCE TO ME.

Friday, 20 May 2016

VICTORIA JUBILEE MUSEUM, VIJAYAWADA

THE MUSEUM WAS CREATED AS A PART OF THE CELEBRATION OF THE GOLDEN JUBILEE OF QUEEN VICTORIA IN 1887.

VICTORIA JUBILEE MUSEUM IN VIJAYAWADA HAS A GREAT IMPORTANCE IN HISTORY OF INDIA. IT IS THE PLACE WHERE MAHATMA GANDHI ACCEPTED OUR TRI COLOUR FLAG OF OUR NATION WHEN IT IS SHOWED BY PINGALI VENKAYYA GARU.

IT WAS CONVERTED IN TO AN ARCHAEOLOGICAL MUSEUM BY DEPARTMENT OF ARCHAEOLOGY AND MUSEUMS, ANDHRA PRADESH IN 1962.

CHEBROLU EXCAVATIONS

AFTER READING THE NEWS IN THE NEWS PAPER ABOUT FINDING BUDDHIST AGE SCLPUTES UNDER A TEMPLE IN CHEBROLE I WENT TO CHEBROLE TO VISIT THE SITE. THERE I MET SENIOR FREELANCE ARCHAEOLOGIST MR. KADIYALA VENKATEWAR RAO GARU. I PARTICIPATED IN CHEBROLU EXCAVATIONS WITH ARCHAEOLOGIST MR. KADIYALA VENKATEWAR RAO GARU. I AM VERY PLEASED WITH HIS FRIENDSHIP AND INTEREST SHOWED TOWARDS ME. I LEARNED BASICS IN HOW TO IDENTIFY HISTORICAL SITES AND COLLECTED SOME HISTORIC POT SHELLS FROM THE SITE. I AM VERY THANK FULL TO MR. KADIYALA VENKATESWAR RAO GARU

MARBLE SCULPTURES FOUND IN EXCAVATIONS SCATTERED IN THE PREMISES

MARBLE PILLARS FOUND IN EXCAVATION WHICH ARE MAY BE USED AS PILLARS FOR MANDAPA OF BUDDHIST STUPA.

A LARGE BRICK WHICH IS USED IN CONSTRUCTION OF BUDDHIST STUPA ON WHICH THE PRESENT CHATUR MUKHA BRHAMAESWARA SWAMY TEMPLE WAS CONSTRUCTED

OTHER ITEMS WERE SHIFTED TO "BUDDHA SRI ARCHAEOLOGICAL MUSEUM " IN GUNTUR .

Thursday, 19 May 2016

ALLURU BUDDHIST SITE, KRISHNA DISTRICT

ALLURU IS A SMALL VILLAGE AT A DISTANCE OF LESS THAN ONE HOUR FORM KANCHIKACHELA, KRISHNA DISTRICT.

IT IS ONE OF THE VERY IMPORTANT BUDDHIST SITE BECAUSE AN INSCRIPTION OF SRI EHUVALA CHANTAMULA WAS FOUND HERE. HE WAS THE 3RD KING OF ANDHRA IKSWAKU DYNASTY ,WHO RULED KRISHNA ,GUNTUR AND SURROUNDING REGION.