The Alampur Museum: A Journey Through Time and Heritage
- CIKS Anaadi
- 5 days ago
- 6 min read
CIKS fellow Dasi Yoga Rakshitha explores the history of the Alampur Museum, sharing a brief history and snapshots of the rich architectual heritage which lies within this complex. Read the second blog in her series on the temple town. The blog is accompanied by a gallery of images taken by the author in the temple complex.
Introduction
The town of Alampur in the Gadwal district of Telangana boasts a rich cultural heritage in terms of temples and sculptures with unique iconographic elements. Devotees across the state and beyond come here to seek the blessings of Goddess Jogulamba Devi, regarded as the 5th Shakti peetham among the Devi Shakti Peethas. There are beautifully carved red sandstone Shaivite temples dating back to the period of Badami Chalukyas, adorning aesthetically pleasing intricate carvings. The tangible aspect of the skillful mastery of ancient artisans in shaping these architectural marvels and the intangible spiritual essence attached to these architectural marvels bring in people from different walks of life to explore the region as per their personal interests. Though Alampur is located in Telangana, it shares borders with Kurnool district of Andhra Pradesh. Kurnool District and its villages boast the richest archaeological zones of Pre-historic sites in India. Jogulamba temple, along with the Nava Brahma complex, is situated on the banks of the Tungabhadra River.
Establishment of the Museum
Many visitors to the area explore the temples, and considerably few of them visit the museum situated on the right-hand side of Bala Brahmeswara shrine. The museum's presence is also difficult to distinguish because it isn't a structure of the present day and is located in the mandapa region, attached to the temple premises. There are no sign boards or indicators to create awareness among the people of the museum's presence, except an Archaeological Survey Board. As per the museum manager, Mr. Sanjeeva Naidu, the mandapa on which the present-day museum stands is known to be the 'Siddhula mandapa.'
This mandapa might have been a part of the temple complex, and in recent years, it was used to safeguard and exhibit the antiquarian and archaeological wealth of Alampur. This is evident through the looks and the stone pillars of the mandapa. During the visit to the museum, it was observed that there is also a door jamb attached to the wall, which seems to be carved from black basalt, located opposite the museum's entrance doorway within the museum's premises. The stone frame features the motif of Gaja Lakshmi with minor decorative carvings. The entrance doors are made of wood, a modern addition, and are locked from outside.
It was around the 1950s the museum was established; as per the museum manager, Dr. Sarvepalli Radha Krishna had a role to play in the founding of the Alampur Museum. It is maintained by the Archaeological Survey of India. The Museum of Alampur features a collection of ancient and distinctive sculptures, along with Inscriptional evidence, that is considered the primary source of evidence in history, archaeology, and epigraphical studies. Most of these predominantly belong to the timeline of the 6th to 16th centuries. The book 'Stone Sculptures of Alampur Museum' states that the museum has 147 stone sculptures and 35 epigraphs (Khan, Abdul Waheed. 1973, p. vii).
On an interaction with the museum manager, it was said that there are nearly 200 sculptures with some of the loose idols. Some of these loose sculptures were unearthed during the archaeological excavations and others would have been discovered during agricultural or construction activities in and around the region of Alampur and other parts of the Gadwal district.
Salvage Archaeology & Srisailam Project
A variety of historical sculptures and other artifacts were uncovered following the initiation of the construction of the Srisailam project. The sanction of the Neelam Sanjeeva Reddy Srisailam Dam Project, constructed on the border of Mahabubnagar and Kurnool districts on the Krishna River, threatened the existence of various ancient historical temples along the river bank. The state government of Andhra Pradesh (before the bifurcation of the Telugu states) undertook the Salvage Archaeology project between 1962 and 1972 to protect the ancient temples from submergence (Reddy et al., 2021). Salvage archaeology, commonly known as Rescue archaeology, comes into play when there is a threat to a particular heritage site. This process includes exploration, excavation, detailed documentation, dismantling, and reconstruction of heritage structures. A similar approach was taken up in the salvage archaeological operations of the Srisailam project. The State Archaeology carried out a village-wise survey of archaeological remains within the radius of a submersible area. Krishna River and its tributaries, Bhima and Tungabhadra, have been centers for human civilization since ancient times. There are many Pre, Proto, and Early historical sites, rich with archaeological ndings like Megalithic burials, Stone Age sites, and Satavahana structures, and many were found in the regions that had posed a threat of submergence (Sastry, 1990, p. 761-782). In an interaction with retired State Archaeology Deputy Director Sai Bhaktakesava, he mentioned that during the disassembling and transplantation of the Kudali Sangameshwara temple, the archaeologists uncovered brick structures beneath the temple structure along with some artefacts. They speculate that these might date back to the Satavahana period. Various antiques discovered during the salvage operations were either transferred to the nearby state museums or transferred to the newly established ones (Sastry, 1990, p. 761-782).
Artefacts, also consisting of some of the loose sculptures from the transplanted Papavinasi and Kudali Sangameshwara temples at Alampur, are housed in the Alampur Museum.
Photo Gallery: Some unique and ancient artefacts of the Alampur museum
Click the photo slideshow below to see the images with their descriptions. All images are courtesy the author.
Conclusion
To date, the artifacts continue to be displayed in the mandapa-converted museum. Unfortunately, no specific building has been officially designated for the proper management and display of these unique and ancient antiquities.
The lack of a dedicated facility can limit the preservation efforts and public engagement, embodying the historical signicance and the values associated with these treasures. According to Mr. Baktakeshava, the locals strongly desire to keep the artefacts of Alampur within the Museum of Alampur. For them, these age-old relics foster a sense of pride in terms of rich historical narratives and the values associated with them. Alampur temples and the museum are a must-visit for anyone exploring the spiritual, historical, or artistic evolution of ancient Indian art and architecture in the Telugu-speaking states of South India.
Credits:
I would like to express my gratitude to Dr. D Surya Kumar for his invaluable insights and Dr. Srinivasulu and Dr. Rama Chandra Reddy for their support in sourcing reference material and providing guidance.
I would also extend my thanks to State Archaeology Deputy Director Sai Bhaktakesava and Mr. Sanjeeva Reddy, Alampur Museum Manager, for generously sharing their insights.
References:
1. Khan, Abdul Waheed. (1973). Stone sculptures in the Alampur Museum / by Abdul Waheed Khan ; edited by N. Ramesan. Hyderabad : Government of Andhra Pradesh
2. Presidential Address: Recent Trends in Archaeology of Andhra Pradesh on JSTOR. (n.d.). www.jstor.org. https://www.jstor.org/stable/44148332
3. Reddy, P. B., Rao, K. P., Prabhakar, V. N., & Singh, R. N. (2021). Public Archaeology and Salvage Archaeology. In Sri Venkateswara University, Tirupati, University of Hyderabad, Hyderabad, Archaeological Survey of India, New Delhi, & Banaras Hindu University, Varanasi, Indian Culture [E-Text]. https://epgp.inibnet.ac.in/epgpdata/uploads/epgp_content/S000829IC/P0016 88/M024817/ET/1510306268P07-M08-PublicArchaeologyandSalvageArchaeol ogy-ET.pdf
This blog has been created as part of the CIKS Summer Fellowship 2024. Each fellow will share a series of blog posts summarizing their projects from the fellowship. Keep an eye out for the exciting work the fellows are doing.
About the Author: Yoga Rakshitha
Rakshitha is a graduate in the field of Life Sciences (Microbiology, Genetics, Chemistry). She has keen interest in Indian Heritage, Culture, Folklore, Ancient Indian Knowledge Systems,and Traditions, with a focus on Temple Architecture, Iconography and Ancient Indian history. She is also an incoming student at the Center for Heritage Management for the Masters program in Heritage Management at Ahmedabad University, Ahmedabad, Gujarat.
