1613 CE Inscription, Sculptures Show Hidden Heritage at Vellulla Tank

HYDERABAD: A centuries-old irrigation tank in Telangana's Jagtial district is emerging as an unusual heritage site where an early-17th-century Telugu inscription, medieval sculpture and traditional water infrastructure survive together outside a formal archaeological complex.

The remains are located on the outskirts of Vellulla village in Metpalli mandal, where historian and heritage researcher Karipe Raj Kumar documented archaeological material associated with the historic tank.

Among the most significant features is a Telugu inscription installed beside the sluice on the tank bund. According to Raj Kumar's reading, the inscription records construction of the sluice on April 15, 1613, corresponding to Vaishakha Shuddha Panchami in Shalivahana Era 1535.

The inscription states that Minnayya, identified as belonging to the Munnuru community, constructed the sluice as an offering to Lord Narasimha. It further records that the work was undertaken under the patronage of Dalapati Rayudu, described as an administrator serving Padmanayaka ruler Vengala Jagadeva.

Mounted above the sluice is a weathered sculpture identified by Raj Kumar as Kala Bhairava and stylistically dated by him to approximately the 12th century. If the stylistic dating is correct, the sculpture predates the 1613 sluice inscription by several centuries.

Raj Kumar also documented a sculpture of Ellamma on the outskirts of the village, which he attributes to the Kakatiya period. He has called on authorities to collect and conserve Vellulla's sculptures, inscriptions and hero stones and suggested creating a common heritage location where the material could be protected.

The discovery highlights a broader preservation challenge across Telangana. Archaeological remains outside formally protected monuments can survive for centuries in agricultural fields, temple compounds, village tanks and roadside locations with little public awareness of their historical importance.

For Telugu readers in the United States, sites such as Vellulla offer a different perspective on Telangana's past and demonstrate that the state's heritage is not confined to famous destinations.