ASI also seeks to include Salihundam, Lepakshi, Nagarjunakonda museum in proposal to Unesco
The Buddhist Heritage sites at Salihundam (Srikakulam district) and Sankaram near Anakapalle in Visakhapatnam district, in addition to Lepakshi (Anantapur district) and the Nagarjunakonda International Museum (Guntur district) are likely to find a place in the list of Unesco World Heritage Sites.
The Archaeological Survey of India (ASI), New Delhi, sought a proposal from its Hyderabad unit on March 17, for sending it to the Unesco World Heritage Centre for tentative listing.
On March 3, national secretary of All India Panchayat Parishad, New Delhi, and chairman of Amaravathi Development Authority, Andhra Pradesh, J. Veeranjaneyulu, wrote to the Prime Minister seeking inclusion of these sites in the world list.
Interesting feature
Sankaram, also known as Bojjannakonda, was excavated under the aegis of Alexander Rim in 1906. A gold coin belonging to the Samudragupta period, copper coins of the Chalukya king, Kubja Vishnu Vardhan, coins of Andhra Satavahanas and pottery were discovered at the site.
An interesting aspect of the Bojjannakonda finds is that they feature all the three phases of Buddhism: Hinayana, Mahayana and Vajrayana. A stairway leads to a large double-storeyed cave on a hill. The rectangular cave has a doorway and is flanked by ‘dwarapalakas' on either side.
There is a rock-cut stupa, standing on a square platform, at the centre of the cave. A series of rock-cut caves and monolithic structures standing on rock platforms are seen on the northern side of the hill.
The upper cave has a rectangular doorway, flanked by figures of the Buddha on either side. The imposing figures of the Buddha in a seated meditative posture and the stupa are the main attractions for tourists at Bojjannakonda.
To the west of Bojjannakonda is another hillock, Lingalakonda or Lingalametta, where a number of monolithic and structural stupas can be seen. “A Dwarapalaka with a ‘kapala mala’ around his neck and a tummy (‘bojja’ in Telugu) like Lord Ganesha, was wrongly identified as Ganesha, and hence the site acquired the name ‘Bojjannakonda’. Dwarapalas like this can be seen at Buddhist sites in Indonesia,” says Assistant Director of Archaeology and Museums K. Chitti Babu.
“The caves at Bojjannakonda and those in Takshasila are similar. The word ‘Sangrama’ was in use at Takshasila but was never used in Andhra Pradesh. These two features suggest that Bojjannakonda was influenced by Buddhist practices in northern India,” he says.
“These sites deserve to be included in the World Heritage List and it would be matter of pride for A.P. and India. But, the Unesco norms are very stringent and I hope that they fulfil the same,” says a member of the Indian National Trust for Art and Cultural Heritage, Edward Paul.
Source: THE HINDU-20th March,2017
