Vontimitta (
Telugu
Telugu may refer to:
* Telugu language, a major Dravidian language of India
*Telugu people, an ethno-linguistic group of India
* Telugu script, used to write the Telugu language
** Telugu (Unicode block), a block of Telugu characters in Unicode
S ...
: ఒంటిమిట్ట) or Ekasilanagaram, is a village in
Kadapa district of the
Indian state
India is a federal union comprising 28 states and 8 union territories, with a total of 36 entities. The states and union territories are further subdivided into districts and smaller administrative divisions.
History
Pre-indepen ...
of
Andhra Pradesh
Andhra Pradesh (, abbr. AP) is a state in the south-eastern coastal region of India. It is the seventh-largest state by area covering an area of and tenth-most populous state with 49,386,799 inhabitants. It is bordered by Telangana to the ...
. It is located in the Vontimitta
Mandal of the
Kadapa revenue division
Kadapa revenue division (or Kadapa division) is an administrative division in the Kadapa district of the Indian state of Andhra Pradesh. It is one of the 4 revenue divisions in the district which consists of 10 mandals under its administration. ...
.
The village is well-known for the
Kodandarama Swamy Temple, Vontimitta, famous for its architecture and art. French traveler
Jean-Baptiste Tavernier
Jean-Baptiste Tavernier (1605–1689) was a 17th-century French gem merchant and traveler. Tavernier, a private individual and merchant traveling at his own expense, covered, by his own account, 60,000 leagues in making six voyages to Persia ...
described the temple as ,''“one of the grandest pagodas in the whole of India”.'' The temple is considered to be a centrally protected monument.
Etymology
The name of the village ''Vontimitta'' is said to be derived from the names of two persons ''Vontudu'' and ''Mittudu.'' These two helped a king named ''Kampana,'' who camped with his army at this place, by showing the water of Ramatirtham to quench the king and his fellowmen’s thirst. Then the king pleased at them and built a village after their names. King Kampana may be the
Kumara Kampana
Kumara Kampana, also known as Kampana Udaiyar, was an army commander and the prince in the Vijayanagar Empire. He was the son of king Bukka I. Kumara Kampana led the successful invasion of the Madurai Sultanate. His exploits form the subject of ...
, son of king
Bukka Raya I
Bukka Raya I (reigned 1356–1377 CE) was an emperor of the Vijayanagara Empire from the Sangama Dynasty.Phrof A V Narasimha MurthyRare Royal Brothers: Hakka and Bukka He was a son of Bhavana Sangama(Unofficial).
Background
The early life of B ...
''.'' Vontudu –Mittudu later became “Vontimitta”. Kampana also built a temple of Rama here.
Another version is that the village is called Ekasilanagaram (lit. City of one stone) because the idols of Rama, Sita and Lakshmana are carved out of a single stone with a common pedestal.
The village is situated on a risen ground by the side of a small hill. The village might've got its name from the hill which in
Telugu
Telugu may refer to:
* Telugu language, a major Dravidian language of India
*Telugu people, an ethno-linguistic group of India
* Telugu script, used to write the Telugu language
** Telugu (Unicode block), a block of Telugu characters in Unicode
S ...
is Vontimitta. (vonti=single, mitta=hill).
Geography
Vontimitta is located at .
It has an average elevation of 151 meters (498 feet).
See also
Kodandarama Temple, Vontimitta
Kodandarama Temple is a Hindu temple dedicated to the god Rama, located in Vontimitta town in Vontimitta Mandalam of Kadapa District in the States and union territories of India, Indian state of Andhra. The temple, an example of Vijayanagara a ...
References
{{Kadapa district
Villages in Kadapa district