The New Indian Express ·
Mammai Devi temple offers clues to Telangana’s ancient iron trade
KARIMNAGAR: Between the villages of Peddakalvala and Chinnakalvala lies a temple that holds clues to Telangana’s ancient iron industry. Dedicated to Mammai Devi, the deity of the Vishwakarma community, the temple houses stone sculptures believed to date to the 16th or 17th century and stands in a region with traces of a once-thriving iron trade.
The villages are also located close to Peddabonkur, an important Satavahana settlement.
The Mammai temple houses a stone sculpture of the goddess worshipped by the Vishwakarma community. Based on its sculptural style, the idol is believed to belong to the post-Kakatiya period, possibly the 16th or 17th century CE. A modern idol resembling the sculpture has also been installed beside it.