Sannati: Ancient Buddhist web site lastly in aim just after 20 decades

Left virtually unattended to for 20 decades soon after it came to gentle by the excavation by the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) among 1994 and 2001, the historic Buddhist web-site on the financial institution of Bhima river around Kanaganahalli (forming element of Sannati web-site) in Kalaburagi district, has eventually received some consideration.

The ASI has now arrive up with a prepare for the conservation of the web-site at a value of ₹3.5 crore and get the job done has just begun. ASI Regional Director (South) D. Maheshwari and Circle Superintendent (Hampi) Nikhil Das are tenting at the web-site checking work.

Until now, some items of antiquity found all through excavation have been saved in 3 tin sheds in the exact same website, though several remained scattered in the open up.

Concentrate on Maha Stupa

The conservation job taken up now envisages the resetting of the remains of Maha Stupa retrieved in the excavation to their primary positions devoid of substantially ornamentation and reconstructing of fallen portions of the Ayaka platforms utilizing recently-fabricated bricks of the same size, form and texture.

“The stupa was created with regionally accessible limestone. Most of the dome slabs, drum slabs, inscribed sculptures and other structural continues to be ended up in a broken point out when they had been retrieved. We will get started with the removing of main filling from the drum part and then carry on to reset stone blocks to their first position. The moment the consolidation of the complete stupa is finished, we will go for railings and other peripheral function,” Mr. Das advised The Hindu.

It is a very long-phrase challenge that could consider 2-3 several years. “There experienced been conservation makes an attempt in the past also. Some of them failed and some other people ended up not sustained,” Mr. Das additional.

The conservation perform underneath way at the Kanaganahalli ASI website close to Sannati in Chittapur taluk of Kalaburagi district on Thursday.
| Picture Credit history: ARUN KULKARNI

Accidental discovery

Sannati and Kanaganahalli were being modest and normal villages on the financial institution of Bhima until 1986 when the Kali temple at the Chandralamba temple sophisticated in Sannati collapsed. In the process of clearing the debris, they uncovered an Ashokan edict which set the villages on the earth map and opened new avenues of historic investigate on Mauryan Emperor Ashoka and Buddhism in its early a long time. It prompted the ASI excavations at Sannati and close by Kanaganahalli and attracted historians throughout India and further than.

The Kanaganahalli excavation opened up many marvels – an ‘abandoned well’ in the eyes of area villagers turned out to be the superb Maha Stupa, which was referred to as Adholoka Maha Chaitya (the Great Stupa of the netherworlds) in the inscriptions and, far more considerably, the stone-portrait of Emperor Ashoka, surrounded by his queens and female attendants. Even though the Stupa is thought to be just one of the greatest of its time, the stone-portrait is considered to be the only surviving graphic of the Mauryan Emperor which experienced the inscription ‘Raya Asoko’ in Brahmi on it. This impression of Ashoka is presently in a person of the tin sheds. It was only six months ago that this historically considerable obtain obtained a glass cover.

The Maha Stupa is considered to have been developed in 3 constructional phases – Maurya, Early Satavahana and Later on Satavahana periods stretching from 3rd Century B.C. to 3rd Century A.D. The Stupa is thought to have been wrecked in an earthquake.

The recoveries included all-around 60 dome slabs with the sculptural rendering of Jataka stories, Portrait of Ashoka, Shatavahana monarchs and particular unique depictions of Buddhist missionaries sent by Ashoka to distinctive pieces 72 drum-slabs adorned with a range of Dharma-Chakras, Stupas, the initially sermon, Bodhi-tree, Naga Muchulinda, Viihara complexes over 10 inscribed sculptures of the Buddha, in excess of a dozen Buddha-Padas fragments of Ayaka pillars, umbrella stones and shafts, components of sculptures of Yakshas and lion and 250 Brahmi inscriptions with varied paleographical features.

Ms. Maheshwari suggests that a good deal of perform is still to be done to discover the hidden historic treasures in and close to Sannati, which was Ranamandal about 2000 yrs back.

“The Karnataka authorities has provided 25 acres of land which incorporated the excavated area. The remaining region is to be utilised for producing tourist features. At existing, our precedence is to restore the Maha Stupa to its initial position. Just after that, we can feel of excavating other web sites and connecting them into a storyline,” she reported. 

Could be UNESCO web-site

“The ASI web-site in Sannati is value staying a UNESCO Earth Heritage Web site. We are preparing a thorough report on the historical importance of the site to post to UNESCO. It is a lengthy method,” Mr. Das stated.

Nevertheless, as of now, there are not even well-made streets to Sannati and Kanaganahalli which have the opportunity of attracting vacationers from all about the globe, in particular from international locations with sizable Buddhist populations like China, Thailand, Japan, Myanmar, Sri Lanka and Vietnam. Barring a number of events of visits by a handful of investigate students, historians and lovers, the ASI internet site wears a deserted glance through the yr with armed guards at its gate.

A museum prepare languishes

There ended up also ideas to maintain the historically treasured finds at Sannati risk-free in a museum and create the region into a significant vacationer and pilgrimage vacation spot. The Point out govt set up Sannati Advancement Authority for the objective.

By means of Housing Board, it also designed a museum creating, dormitories, team quarters and a compound wall all over the 18-acre plot at a cost of ₹3.52 crores in close proximity to the excavated web site in 2009. Nonetheless, matters did not move ahead as for each plans. The museum constructing has not been handed above to ASI even 10 several years immediately after its development. Deserted for a lengthy time with no any maintenance, the setting up has made cracks and the whole premise turned out to be a wasteland entire of weeds and thorny bushes.

“The ASI was completely ready to just take the museum constructing into its fold and hold the excavated antiquities there. But, the State authorities did not hand it above to ASI. But now, we do not will need it as we have prepared the resetting of Maha Stupa and positioning all the excavated antiquities in their first positions,” claimed ASI Circle Superintendent (Hampi) Nikhil Das.