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A newly - discovered 390 – year old Deepastambham (lamp post) on the edge of River Krishna in Nalgonda district of Telangana.
It casts a fresh light on trade ties in the region in early medieval times.
Archaeologists working in the area found the 20-foot tall pillar with hollows for lamps and a multi-lingual inscription in Mudimanikyam village of Nalgonda.
The pillar and a small flat roofed structure near it was found by Ashok Kumar of Public Research Institute for History, Archaeology & Heritage.
It is on a slope from the village leading to the river bank.
We have not found anything like this in the Krishna river valley.
Purpose of Deepastambham (lamp post)
While Dhwajasthambam (flag pole) is part of temple architecture, lamp posts are rare in the Deccan while they are common in temples in the west coast, including Goa.
Based on the inscription engraved on the lamp post near the ruined Śiva temple.
The pillar can be dated to June 1635 and it is written in Telugu mixed with Tamil language.
It is dedicated to Kasi Viswanatha and because of its height, it would have served as a lighthouse on the riverine trade route.
The village is about 180 kilometres from Hyderabad which was ruled by the Qutb Shahi rulers at that time.
European travellers, including the French diamond trader Tavernier who made five trips to the Hyderabad kingdom in the same period, describe land trade routes.
But make reference to riverine trade.
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