Bommalagutta cries for attention
Despite its historical significance, the place has not been converted into tourist spot
By : DC Correspondent
Update: 2014-09-26 06:16 GMT
Karimnagar: The 1,055-year-old Bommalagutta hillock, also known as Bommalamma Talli gutta, a famous Vrishabhadri Jain centre situated near Kurikyal village in Gangadhara mandal, cries for attention.Despite its historical significance, neither the tourism nor archaeology deparments have laid focus on it to convert the place into a tourist centre.
There is no approach road to reach the 200-mt high hillock. One has to sweat it out to climb up as there are no steps, an experience which will certainly be nightmarish. Tourists need to creep through the gaps of gigantic rocks, in order to have darshan of the Jain deities, which are carved out in 945 A.D.
Considering the importance of the site, the government had sanctioned '10 lakh for constructing the steps and providing other facilities. However, the works have not begun yet, putting the devotees to a lot of inconvenience. At the same time, the hillock is prone to lose its prominence with granite quarrying, which is rampant in the area.
A trilingual inscription and many images of Jain deities can be noticed on a gigantic flat rock located atop the hillock. According to the trilingual inscription, it was Jinavallabha, brother of Pampa, who was keen on construction of Jain temples.
Images including those of Jinavalla-bha’s family deities, the Adyanta (the first and last), Charakes-hwari and other Jain deities including Vrishabhadri, the first thirthankara, were carved on the rock. The inscription has many verses in Sanskrit, Kannada and Telugu.
The last three verses in Telugu are considered to be the earliest of their kind in the language. They are one of the important historical evidences, submitted to the Centre, for securing classic language status to Telugu.