c

 


    



Dr. D. Dayalan
Archaeological survey of india

Being the homeland of Buddhism, India has many sacred centres of this faith which
are either directly or indirectly associated with Lord Buddha. The places associated with
Buddha are many; and some of them gained great renown in subsequent days as leading
centres of Buddhism. Of them, the Four Great Places namely Lumbini where the Buddha was
born, Bodh-Gaya which witnessed his Enlightenment, Sarnath where the First Sermon was
delivered and Kusinagara where he passed away are embellished with monuments of varied
kinds. Four other places though of a somewhat lesser importance in Buddha¶s life, namely,
Sankisa where he descended from the j

 
heaven, Sravasti where he performed
miracles in order to confound the six heretical teachers, Rajgir where he tamed Nalagiri and
Vaisali where he was offered a bowl of honey by a monkey also became the scene of
monumental activities. Every spot associated with Buddha are immortalized and turned into a
centre of pilgrimage by his followers who erected, generation after generation, structures in
the hollowed memory of the master. This resulted in the establishment of large number of
Buddhist centres all over India.1
The recent exploration followed by excavations at Kanganhalli and its surrounding
area inKarnataka State by the Archaeological Survey of India has brought to light the most
outstanding discovery of Buddhist establishment which is in fact unique in the history of
Buddhist art of India in general and of Karnataka in particular. The excavation has laid bare
a 
complex constructed in highly sculptured lime stone slabs. The area was taken up for
Intensive explorations to define the archaeological potentiality and also to work out
modalities to salvage them, if found worthy as the whole region is going to be submerged
once the construction of the dam across the river Bhima, one of the tributaries of Krishna
river under an irrigation project at a distance of 1.5 km north-east from the famous temple of
Chandralamba and about 3 km from the present village Sannati is over.
Sannati, the famous early historic site of the region is already known for its vast
fortified mound spreading in an area of about 80 hectares. Two major rock edicts of Ashoka
(273 B.C. - 236 B.C.) were also discovered in the Chandralamba temple at Sannati in the year
1989. 2 Therefore it seems that the original settlement at Sannati dates from the Mauryan
period.Sannati could perhaps be one among the thirty fortified towns of South
India mentioned by Megasthenese.
The intensive exploration of the submergence area throw a flood of light on pre-
historic, proto-historic, early historic and medieval cultural assemblages and on art and
architectural activities prevalent in the region particularly between 1st- 2nd century A.D. and
18th century A.D. Amongst the sites discovered during exploration, Sannati, 3 Hasargundgi
and Kanganhalli on the right bank and left bank of the river Bhima respectively yielded the
vestiges of Buddhist affinity..
Kanganhalli (Lat. 16 51¶ 10´ N and Long. 76 56¶ 20´E) is situated on the left bank of
river Bhima in Chitapur taluk of Gulbarga district. Nalwar, the nearest Railway station on the
Mumbai ±Bangalore railway line lies 19 km north- east of Kanganhalli. The excavated site
here is located 2.5 km south-east of the famous Chandralamba temple of Sannati and about
half a km south-west of the village Kanganhalli. The mound rises to a height of 5 meters from
the ground level.
The trial excavations conducted in the year 1994-95 yielded part of a lime stone
carved railing, paved





and inscribed narrative panels of a large 
The
interesting result of the trial excavations prompted for major excavations which uncovered an
outstanding  


the unique manifestations of Buddhist art and architecture hitherto
unknown in Karnataka and its neighbourhood.
The major excavations carried out from 1996-97 and up to 2000-01 has brought to
light the layout of the s
proper which spread to an area of 2500 sq. metres.4 The s
is
built of lime stone members and the core is filled with mud, brick bats and rubble stones. Its
extent remains, shorn of all its aura and grandeur, just consist of the lower and upper 
 (a
high circular battered terrace; drum) of the 
 the paved






(circumambulatory path) and the circular alignment of the railing. Originally, mounted
on a circular drum, was the hemispherical superstructure (


), crowned by a
railed 

and a 

(umbrella). The dome (


) is now missing. At the cardinal
directions ., east, south, west and north of the railing is provided with offset entrances with
ornated 



and pedestals to accommodate probably the sculptures of a Yaksha.
Evidences to mutilated Yaksha sculptures are encountered at the northern and southern
entrances.
The s
proper is of 22 metres diameter enclosed by the railing of 3 metres high
with a diameter of 28 metres. The railing, typical to the s
architecture is composed of a
series of 

 

(upright pillars) and (cross-bars). Each 

is placed at
a distance of 40-44 cm and have lenticular sockets of 38 cm to accommodate of
lenticular cross section of nearly 36 cm to 38 cm on their lateral sides. Four  are
provided in between the 

 with interspaces of 8 cm. There are also corner

 with
sockets on two sides near the entrances. While the interior of the 

 are absolutely plain
and well dressed except in some cases where inscriptions are noticed, the exterior is treated
with half and fully bloomed lotus medallions. The space in between the medallions of
the 

is fluted. The of 45 cm length are treated with fully bloomed lotus
medallions at the exterior, projected slightly away from the lenticular body with sufficient un-
carved lateral edges so as to fit into the sockets of the

. The 

 are held in position
by convex  
(copings) which are also decorated meticulously with animal and floral
motifs. The p





running all along the s
disturbed at places is found laid
between the inner edge of the railing and the outer edge of the lower 
i with more or less
uniform square or rectangular slabs. The p





is found chocked with disturbed
members of the


-platform, collapsed railings, heavily leaning lower 
 slabs and
collapsed upper
 and


units.
As discussed elsewhere, the drum of the 
is divided into two tiers ., lower and
upper
 encased with exquisitely carved panels. The lower
hashuge sculptural
panels depicting the




monastic life,
models, 




 
and 



, as encasing members. Each panel is positioned with edge to
edge locking system stand to a height of 1.20 metres and has a width of 1.20 metres. Each
panel is carved with two slender pilasters at the borders which have the sculptures of s
,
tree in railing, elegant sculptures of female 
 bearers, etc. Some of them are in-situ at
few places whereas majority of them are disturbed and the core of the lower 
 built of
lime stone has been exposed.
The excavations revealed the existence of


platform which measures 3.20 x 2.60
x 1.50 metres at the cardinal directions of the lower 
projecting outward corresponding
to the entrance The


platform, a feature quite common in the 
-architecture of the
Andhra Pradesh, carried originally five


-pillars, representing symbolically the five
important episodes of Buddha¶s life, ., Birth, Great Renunciation, Enlightenment, First
Sermon and Extinction. Interestingly the eastern


platform of Kanganhalli has





 The


platforms especially at north and west have exquisite rendering
of 



and




and
 
 Some of the sculptured panels are
inscribed in Brahmi characters of 1st to 3rd centuries A.D. recording the donations of people
from all walks of life. The


platform had accommodated colossal sculpture of standing
Buddha at least on the north, in addition to elegantly carved Buddha


. The






too had seated sculptures of Buddha at equal intervals and Buddha


. The
pedestals of the standing and seated Buddha have sculptural friezes narrating the events
pertaining to life of Buddha viz. the birth, the great renunciation, the enlightenment, the first
sermon and the
  

. Many of these sculptured friezes, Buddha images,


pillars
carry the inscriptions of the Satavahana rulers like Yajna Sri Satakarni, Gautimiputra
Satakarni, Sri Satakarni and Pulumavi indicating the active royal patronage towards the cause
of this Maha Chaitya. Even people from far off places like Vakataka 

i.e. northern
Maharashtra, Himalaya region have made contributions.
There is an offset of 75 cms above the lower
 over which the upper 
rises.
The upper 
too has sculptured panels having a height of 2.80 metres and a width of 1.20
metres. These panels are held in position by a collar and a cornice at the bottom. The cornice
has a fluted top surface containing inscriptions. The front face of the panels is decorated with
railing motif. The lotus medallions, lion,  

are some of the motifs used to decorate the
cornice. Only a few sculptured slabs of the upper
 are in-situ, whereas most of them are
broken into many fragments. These upper
 slabs interlocked similar to that of the
lower 
slabs are carved in three panels and are magnificently treated with key events of
a popular


stories like 


























, 
 



, 









etc.5 Some of

the 


 are also labelled with inscriptions in 1st-2nd century A.D. Brahmi characters.
Apart from the 


mentioned, the panels also contain the portrait sculptures of
important kings of the Satavahana dynasty like Sri Satakarni, Pulumave, Simuka and most
interestingly the portrait of Raya Ashoka of Maurya dynasty with a label inscription below it.
The




and 

parts of the
are disturbed and the architectural
members of these portions are found scattered all over the





and beyond the
railing all around the s

The excavation has laid bare many Buddha


, sculptures of seated Buddha,
fragments of
 , inscribed pillars, animal friezes and pillar capitals of different types.
The excavation also laid bare many later structures in the form of brick built 

 and
votive s
 outside the perimeter of the railing.


More than one hundred and seventy inscriptions engraved on different architectural
units of the 
right from the railing members to the 
, 

pedestals, 






, pillars, floor slabs, sculptured friezes and cornices are found in the excavations. All
these inscriptions are in Brahmi script and paleographically assignable from 1st century B.C.
to 3rd -4th century A.D. They vary from short label inscription to five line inscription. They
are of various types  (a) donatory, (b) labels referring to the contributions to the s
in
the form of a part or sculpture (d) referring to the


 and (d) names of some of the kings
and royal portraits.
The short inscription mentions only the name of the donor, the object of donation and
other such details. Some elaborate ones mention the place of his origin and the object
donated. Some of the lengthy inscriptions record the name of the ruling king in relation to the
official status of the donor. Two of the inscriptions record the regnal year, the season, the
fortnight and the day during the reign period of the king are specified, but omit the specific
references to the actual day, month, year etc.
The names of the kings mentioned in the inscriptions include Sundara Satakarni,
Goutamiputra Satakarni, Pulumavi, Simukha, Vasishthiputasa Satakarni, Matariputasa
Pulumavi and Sri Yajna Satakarni. One of the label inscriptions mentions the name of Raya
Ashoka. Among the places mentioned in the inscriptions Dhanyakataka (near Amaravati,
Andhra Pradesh), Erana (Eran, Madhya Pradesh), Isila, Kopana, Kotura, Vakataka Visaya
(Maharashtra region) and Himalaya are highly significant.6 Some of the donor/donee are
referred to in the epigraphs with their religious affinity like Bhiku, Samana, Upasika, Atavasa
etc. Terms indicative of the official or social status like Rathika, Gahapati, Vaniya etc are
also found mentioned. Terms like Maha Chaitiya, Gola, Aya, etc referring to the s
and its
parts occur in a few instances.


Apart from the architectural members and inscriptions, the most important findings in
the excavations are the sixty coins all of Satavahana period. It is very important to note that
all the sixty coins belong to the three arched hill type with the name of the king who issued
them. The obverse of the coins contains the Ujjain symbol either with a pellet and an orb or
without it, whereas on the reverse it has the depiction of three arched hill with a crescent
above. Majority of the coins found at Kanganhalli Stupa site belong to Sri Satakarni. Five
coins belong to Pulumave, Four coins belong to Siva Sri Pulumavi and five coins belong to
King Yajnasri Satakarni. The excavations in the mounds SAN-1, SAN-2, SAN-3 and SAN-8
all in Sannatl also yielded seventy-nine coins made of copper alloy, silver and lead. The three
arched hill symbol occurs on the obverse of the majority of these coins with the legend
around the periphery. 7

 
On the basis of the available inscriptions, numismatics and art and architectural style,
it is considered that the s
at Kanganhalli, referred to as Hama Chaitya in inscriptions was
constructed in  
1st century B.C and remained under intensive patronage up to 3rd -
4th century A.D. The Kanganhalli
was patronized by people from both
the 


and  



sects. The
is exclusively 


in its first phase of
construction and later has the contribution by the Mahayanis. It is, therefore, certain that
the 
-complex must have undergone several renovations and additions from time to time.
The introduction of


-platform, the art form of Buddha images, installation of the
sculptures of Buddha on pedestal over the





flooring and the





are certainly the influence of Buddhism from the lower Krishna valley particularly
from Amaravati and Nagarjunakonda, the epicentres of Andhra Pradesh. It is worthy to
mention here that the Maha-Chaitya at Amaravati came into existence some time in the
second half of the third century B.C. when the Mauryan emperor Ashoka launched upon a
career of propagating the Buddhism ideals. In the pre-Christian times with the advent of
Satavahanas, the Amaravati School of Art made deep impact on the sculptural and
architectural forms of Kanganhalli region. The relief±sculptures with emphasis on landscape
and animal motifs found at Kanganhalli are the manifestation of the central Indian art-
tradition represented by Bharhut and the early phase of Sanchi which reached here through
Amaravati. But it did not take much time for the local artists to outgrow the original forms
and conventions. Soon there ushered in a new form of artistic expression rich in technical
skill and plastic beauty. This was indeed a period of great artistic efflorescence that gave
the 



here the most impressive form unsurpassed in the history of 
-
architecture in the southIndia. The sculptured panels of the 
are distinctly of native
creation. The skill of making two dimensional sculptures and the carving of typical animal
motifs are also of indigenous nature. The sculptural panels found at Kanganhalli s
are of
paramount importance as they exhibit a transition phase between the early phase of
Amaravati sculptural art and the elaborately sculptured panels of Nagarjunakonda. The
mastery of the artist of Kanganhalli in carving the floral motifs, geometric patterns, dress and
ornamentation of the contemporary times and the concept of composition of the subject
matter in the large sculptured panels speak volumes of their improvement over their
Amaravati counterparts. The sculptured panels also throw a welcome light on the socio-
economic of the contemporary society. The Kanganhalli Maha Stupa is the veritable gallery
of eminent rulers of the bygone times and contemporary times. King Ashoka, who was
responsible for the propagation of Buddhism within India and abroad and the Satavahana
rulers like Simuka, Pulumavi and others are immortalized by depicting their portraits here.
Although the portrait of emperor Ashoka is said to have depicted on the 

of Sanchi,
Madhya Pradesh, there is no inscription as found at Kanganhalli to authenticate it. (Plate)
Notwithstanding the Amaravati
is famous worldwide, its extent remains just
consists of the drum,





and the circular alignment of the railing. (Plate) The
full form of the
at Amaravati is visualized only on seeing the depiction
of 
representation on the drum slabs.(Plate) At Kanganhalli up to the


portion of
the 
is available, although majority of the architectural members and the sculptural panels
are dislodged from the original position. The Archaeological Survey of India is trying its level
best to identify the original position of the architectural members and the sculptural panels and
to fix them properly. The department has also engaged in the task of identifying and fixing
together the several fragments of the same panel scattered here and there. Since the limestone
which was used for the construction and for making the sculptural panels is a weak sedimentary
rock, it is difficult to handle them. The conservation cum restoration work of the 
is in
progress now.(Plate)

A  ! 
"
1. Jataka Arijamiya
2. Jatakam Vithurapunakiyam
3. Jataka satiniya
4. Jataka sukasomiya
5. Suka jataka
6. Jataka Vasantariya
7. (i) Tusa jataka
8. Jatakam jagara«sa
9. Mahakapi jataka
10. Jatakam Sadjantha
11. Jatakam Campeya

 # !
 
"

1. Raya Govida
2. Raya tayan
3. Raya Pudumavisa
4. Raya Asoko
5. Raya Chagravarti
6. Raya ..ri Satakarni
7. Raya siri Cimukha
8. Siri pulumavi
9. Gotamaputasa
10. Siri Yajna Satakarni
11. «canaya raya
12. Raya cakavati satara dano


?