Two 4th century Ganesha idols found in a field at Kaza near Amaravati

Two small Ganesha idols dating to the 4th century CE, carved out of red sandstone, surfaced in an agricultural field during ploughing at Kaza village in Mangalagiri mandal of Guntur district, according to archaeologist and Pleach India Foundation chief executive officer E. Sivanagireddy.

Acting on information from Simhadri Venkatarama Reddy, a farmer of the village, Mr. Sivanagireddy visited the site on Thursday (July 23, 2026) and examined the idols. Measuring 5 cm by 3 cm and 4 cm by 2 cm, the idols have two hands, holding a modaka in the left hand and a danta (broken tusk) in the right. They have pot bellies and elephant heads without headgear, and are seated in lalitasana, reflecting the iconography and artistic style of the Ananda Gotrika period. The idols resemble a limestone Ganesha image of the same period found at Chejarla, the capital of the Ananda Gotrika dynasty.

Mr. Sivanagireddy said a limestone Sivalinga bearing an incised image of Ardhanarisvara Siva, preserved at the Anandeswara Temple in Pedakonduru village in Duggirala mandal, also belonged to the same period, indicating that the area around Kaza was under Ananda Gotrika rule. Potsherds of red, black and tan wares of the Satavahana, Ikshvaku and Ananda Gotrika periods were also found. He asked the landowner to preserve the idols for posterity.