Rare statue of Kakatiya emperor Ganapati Deva found in Siddipet

E. Sivanagireddy, Sriramoju Haragopal and members of Kotha Telangana Charitra Brindam with a sculptural panel believed to depict Kakatiya emperor Ganapati Dev and Somala Devi at Totapalli village in Siddipet district on Sunday.

A rare statue believed to depict the Kakatiya emperor Ganapati Deva and his wife Somala Devi has been identified in Totapalli village in Bejjanki mandal of Siddipet district, archaeologist E. Sivanagireddy and historian Sriramoju Haragopal said.

The statue was spotted during a heritage survey and awareness program on preservation of historical monuments by Pleach India Foundation and Kotha Telangana Charitra Brindam (KTCB) on Sunday.

Sivanagireddy, who is also the CEO of Pleach India Foundation, and Mr. Haragopal, convener of the KTCB, said the sculptural panel consists of three figures representing Ganapati Deva, Somala Devi and Visveswara Sivacharya, the royal preceptor of the Kakatiya rulers.

According to them, the emperor is depicted as a Shaivite devotee with a distinctive bun-shaped headdress and rudraksha malas, while the queen is depicted with a ‘Dhammilla’ style hairdo. Both figures are shown worshiping a miniature Shivalinga under the guidance of Visveswara Sivacharya.

Historians have said that the royal parasols carved above the figures indicated their royal status and helped identify the statues. The panel carved on a three meter square slab of granite and the nearby Trikuta temples show typical Kakatiya architectural and sculptural features of the reign of Ganapatideva.

They claimed that this was the first time that statues identified as Ganapati Deva and Somala Devi were found in Telangana.

Published – 24 May 2026 19:07 IST