Padmanabha cave temple in Guntur under threat

UNDAVALLI (Guntur): With unearthing of the gold and diamond ornaments at Ananta Padmanabhaswamy temple in Thiruvananthapuram, a cave temple of Ananta Padmanabhaswamy in Undavalli has gained prominence. However, miscreants hoping to find hidden wealth, are proving to be a threat to its existence.People visiting in large numbers to the Undavalli caves are therefore urging authorities to provide proper security at the temple.K Eswara Reddy, a local said proper research should be done on the caves as there was a threat to the temple, on the belief of hidden treasure in the caves.The cave temple, said to be built during the reign of of Chalukyas in the 6th or 7th century, has a single stone 25-feet long and five feet wide Ananta Padmanabhaswamy idol on the second floor of the four-storeyed temple. Former sarpanch of Undavalli Jonna Sivasankara Rao said, “The caves were taken over by the archaeology department in 1958,” the sarpanch said.Prof P Ramalakshmi, head of archaeology department, Acharya Nagarjuna University said there was no chance of hidden treasures in the cave shrine, as it had no patronage.“As the Thiruvananthapuram temple had continuous patronage of kings for centuries, the hidden treasures were unearthed,” she added. She said the caves belong to the reign of Vishnukundin.“The precious idols should not be defaced in name of a treasure hunt and necessary protection arranged for the temple,” Ramalakshmi observed.