Home » , » Archaeological Museum, Chandragiri

Archaeological Museum, Chandragiri

Museum - Chandagiri
Archaeological Museum, Chandragiri
(District Chittoor, Andhra Pradesh)

Chandragiri is located 14 km south of Tirupati, the famous Hindu pilgrimage center popularly known as Balaji. Tirupati is well connected by Air (Renigunta Airport) and train. Regular government and private buses ply between Tirupati and Chandragiri.

Chandragiri, denoting the ‘Hill of the Moon’, is traditionally associated with Chandra the Moon god who performed penance at this place for pleasing Lord Siva. Punctuated with fertile lush green fields and hillocks this picturesque place attained prominence during the medieval times. It has many a religious structure like temple of Raja Rajeswari, Venugopala, Kartikeya, Siva and Hanuman at the entrance of the fort as guardian deity, ponds, tanks, sculptured, mandapas besides a well built fortification at the summit and at the foot of the hillock.

Museum established in the Raja Mahal, within the fort, in the year 1988-89 exhibits rich collection of stone and metal sculptures and other cultural vestiges retrieved from other historical places like Gudimallam, District Chittoor; Gandikota, District Cuddapah and Yaganti, District Kurnool.

The museum houses a number of stone and metal sculptures of Saiva, Vaishnava and Jaina affinity. The replica of the Savedika Siva Linga (c. 2 century BC), with the robust relief of Rudra on its frontal facet from the Parasuramesvara temple of Gugimallam is also displayed. The other artifacts retrieved from the excavations conducted around the Siva Linga in the sanctum of the said temple are also displayed.

A tidy collection of excellent bronzes of the late Chola, Vijayanagara and Post Vijayanagara times like Umamahesvara, Vishnu as Venugopala Srinivasa, Kodandarama and the Devis like Sridevi, Bhudevi and Parvati bespeak the high watermark achieved by the metal artisans of the respective times. Decorated bronze plates, lamps and other minor objects are also displayed in the same gallery.

Befitting the name Raja Mahal (kings’ palace) several life size replicas of metal and stone status of Vijayanagara rulers like Krishnadevaraya and his consorts-Chinnadevi and Tirumaladevi, Venkatapatiraya and Srirangaraya along with their respective queens are exhibited in the Durbar Hall gallery as an eloquent tribute to the mighty rulers. Medieval weaponry like swords and daggers, coins and paper documents are on display in one of the galleries. Scaled models of the famous Parasuramesvara temple at Gudimallam and the picturesque valley of Chandragiri including the environs of the fortification and structures within are also exhibited.




Share this article :

0 comments:

Post a Comment

 
Support : Mana Illu | Recipe Table | LLM Projects
Copyright © 2013-15. AP Heritage - All Rights Reserved
Template Created by Creating Website Published by Mas Template
Proudly powered by Blogger