Vijayawada: An inscription slab dating back to 1518 AD, from the time of the Vijayanagara emperor Sri Krishnadevaraya was found lying upside down on a street in Tadigadapa, a village on the outskirts of Vijayawada.
Based on the information provided by the villagers, archaeologist-cum-epigraphist and Cultural Centre of Vijayawada and Amaravati (CCVA) chief executive officer Dr E. Sivanagi Reddy rushed to the spot and dug out the slab with the help of the locals.
After careful examination, Dr Reddy said the inscription was issued by Rayasam Kondamarusayya, a military general of the Kondapalli Kingdom to Sri Krishnadevaraya, who had seized the fort from the Gajapathis of Odisha in 1516 AD.
The inscription records the digging of a well by Kondamarusayya to provide a source of drinking water to the village in order to acquire merit for his mother Sangoyamma.
The slab was once affixed to a wall in the Venugopala Swamy temple.
In view of its historical and archaeological importance, Dr Reddy appealed to the AP department of archaeology and museums to take measures to protect and preserve it.
