Project Punarjeeva: TORCH recreates damaged sculptures from Kakatiya Dynasty

Hyderabad: Anyone visiting some of the heritage temples and locations in Telangana might have seen that some of the sculptures are damaged or have lost their original shape. But have you ever wondered how they look in their original shape?

Aiming to preserve the Culture of Telangana, the TORCH (Team of Research on Culture and Heritage), led by historian and founder Aravind Pakide, started an initiative titled ‘Project Punarjeeva.’

What is Project Punarjeeva?

Project Punarjeeva is aiming at recreating damaged sculptures from the Kakatiya Dynasty. With around 1,600 places in the Kakatiya Dynasty, there are at least 4,000 sculptures in many temples and heritage structures in Telangana.

Under this project, the team – Aravind, Emani Shiva Nagi Reddy (retired archaeologist); Yeluri Seshabrahmam (eminent artist); Raghuveer (stapathi); Rakshith (artist); and Himansee (dancer) – picked up around 100 damaged sculptures and started sketching and making cement sculptures.

“We started the project six months ago. Many monuments have been damaged over the years. However, many have imagined how the sculptures would look if they had not been damaged. As we could not touch the original sculptures, we sketched the artwork and carved it in cement. So far, we have finished 30 sculptures,” said Aravind speaking to NewsMeter.

“There are many instances of people shedding tears after seeing sculptures that have been neglected for hundreds of years in historical temples. In the Kakatiya period, each sculpture took at least six months to carve. Kakatiya sculptors have spent their entire lives making thousands of sculptures. Sadly, such magnificent works of art were unfortunately destroyed during the invasion. So far, no research has been done on the true nature of the ruined sculptures. If these are neglected like this, the few traces will disappear. In this context, Project Punarjeeva came to me,” said Aravind.

Picking up heritage structures

Some of the sculptures picked are from Warangal Fort, Ramappa temple, Chandravalli temples, Nagulapadu, Kusumanchi and Dhanteswari.

When asked why Aravind has decided to take up this project, Aravind said, “To define or rewrite history, there will be inscriptions, coins, written evidence like books and folklore. I believe that history can be shown through sculptures, and we aim to show to the people what the damaged sculptures look like.”

“The Ramappa temple built by the Kakatiyas is the only one selected as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The Nagini and Madnika sculptures, Rangamandap pillars, and Yali and Gajakesari sculptures carved on the black granite stone stood as a testament to the skill of the artists of that time and contributed to the recognition of UNESCO. However, these sculptures have lost their original shape due to invasions and natural calamities. They stood as silent witnesses to history. We will be identifying and recreating more than a hundred famous sculptures made while the Kakatiya kings ruled,” said Arvind, who stated that it is the first-of-its-kind project in Telugu.

Exhibitions in Jagdalpur Raj Mahal

According to Aravind’s research, descendants of the Kakatiya Dynasty are currently in Chhattisgarh. So, they plan to exhibit these 100 sculptures in the Raj Mahal, which will soon be converted into a museum.

“Before permanently placing these sculptures in the palace, we will also exhibit them in a few locations in Hyderabad and Warangal for the common public to view,” said Aravind.

After the fall of the Kakatiya Empire in Orugallu, the Kakatiya Empire was established in Bastar in Chhattisgarh. To celebrate 700 years of completion this year, these sculptures will be exhibited during the Dasara festival in Warangal, the former capital of Kakatiyas. Later, they will be displayed permanently in the Raj Mahal, which continues the legacy of the Kakatiya Dynasty (Bastar Empire).

What is TORCH?

It was established to preserve Telangana’s cultural glory, heritage and arts. Efforts are being made to restore the historic structures on the verge of extinction on war footing. Their motto is ‘Documentation-Promotion-Conservation’.

The team has already completed many projects with the Department of Language and Culture of the Telangana Government. The team periodically collects information about dilapidated ancient buildings, stupas, tombs, arches, step-wells, rock art, and monuments and documents them.

The founder, Arvind, travelled throughout Telangana State and documented hundreds of buildings. He, who grew up watching Kakatiya sculptures, was also involved in the restoration of the Yadadri temple.

Maharaja Kamal Chandra Bhanjdev Kakatiya, a descendant of the Kakatiyas, is the honorary chairman of the Team of Research on Culture and Heritage (TORCH).

Some of the sculptures on the list

Kirti Mukha: This monstrous face-like figure with bulging eyes adorns the inner entrance of the sanctum sanctorum in many Hindu temples. It is treated as the face of fame.

Lord Ganesh: This is a sculpture of Lord Vinayaka in a temple built by Prataparudra’s brother Annamadeva in 1324 at the famous Shakti Peetha Danteshwari Ammavari temple in Dantewada in present-day Chhattisgarh state. In this sculpture, Lord Ganesha wears a snake as Yajnopaveta.

Dance pose of Shivapriya: Ramappa temple has hundreds of dance sculptures. Along with Perini, Kolatam and other sculptures, Shivapriya’s dancing posture with three human beings and four legs is the head of Ramappa. In this sculpture carved on the pillar on the southeast side of Ranga Mantapa, three women are dancing on four legs. The woman in the middle has her right leg as the left leg of the woman on her right, while the woman on the left has her left leg as her right leg. The sculptor expresses the feeling that it appears in three forms.

Ranga Mantapa roof of the temple: On top of the Kapali stone above the Ranga Mantapa of the temple is a work of art with Nataraja and Ashta Dikpalaku in the middle.

Chaturmukha Shivlingam: The rare mukhalingam currently in the Shambhu temple in Warangal Fort has four faces carved in four directions. They are called Sadyojata, Vamadeva, Aghora and Ishana.

Kakatiya Toranam: This rare four-faced lingam is seen in different forms from each door and is unique in the Kakatiya Empire.

Temple pillar: This is the temple pillar of Trikuta on the Ramappa lake embankment in Palampet village. It has become worn over time.