Another inscription has been brought to light at the Kondaveedu fort in Palnadu district, and examination suggests that it is a continuation of an inscription discovered earlier on the same hilltop.

Kondaveedu Fort Development Committee convener Kalli Siva Reddy, along with locals Ganta Koteswara Rao, Goraka Kannareddy and Kondeboyina China Venkateswarlu, reached Rudrapada Sikharam (a peak with Siva’s footprint believed to be there, two and a half feet in length and depth and nine inches in width), one of the highest peaks at Kondaveedu, on Monday (September 21, 2026).

The newly found inscription on the right-hand doorway pillar of the ruined Siva temple at Kondaveedu, dusted with powder to bring up the lettering.

Special Arrangement

The latest inscription was found on the right-side doorway pillar in front of the sanctum of a ruined Siva temple on the hill, also locally referred to as Adam Shafi Bodu (hillock). The pillar had earlier been partly obscured by another stone. The team moved the stone aside, cleaned the pillar and photographed the inscription.

In June, the committee had identified an inscription on the left-side doorway pillar of the same shrine. Its text was sent to Archaeological Survey of India Director (Epigraphy) K. Muniratnam Reddy for deciphering. The new inscription has been sent to him for an accurate reading.

Mr. Muniratnam Reddy told that the reading indicated that the inscription recorded a grant of four putlu of wetland, with specified boundaries, to teachers or gurus associated with Tapanacharyulu, the land being granted for permanent enjoyment.

Rudrapada Sikharam has two Siva temples, one ruined and the other still standing. The ruined shrine retains only its sanctum, with two doorway pillars.

The Kondaveeti Kaifiyat (local chronicle) describes Kondaveedu as a group of 42 hills. The hill (Rudrapada Sikharam) is surrounded by Bollumora Venkateswara Swamy Bodu (local name for the Venkateswara temple), Gurralabodu and Vankabodu. The Kaifiyat records donations by the Reddy ruler Pedakomati Vema Reddy to temples in the area.

Based on its architectural features, the Siva shrine is believed to date to the 14th or 15th century. The development committee has previously brought four inscriptions to light at Kondaveedu, including one from the reign of Pedakomati Vema Reddy.