A campaign to save Visakhapatnam’s 2000-year-old Buddhist site of Thotlakonda
The HinduIt was a sultry summer morning at the ancient Buddhist site of Thotlakonda in Visakhapatnam where a group of heritage enthusiasts recently gathered, to celebrate World Heritage Day. Subsequently, a partial excavation of the site by the State Archaeology Department found ancient pottery such as tan ware, black red ware, coins from the Satavahana period and Roman coins, labels with Brahmi inscriptions, inscribed Chhatra pieces, terracotta and glass beads, bangles, stuccos and stone sculptural remains at the site. “It gave a clear indication that the area housed remnants of a flourishing monastery, practising Hinayana Buddhism, which was most active for 400 years from 200 BCE to 200 CE,” says Jayshree, who has been conducting heritage walks in Visakhapatnam and is at the forefront of the campaign to save Thotlakonda from commercial exploitation. Pointing out the possibility of ancient ruins being spread across other parts of Thotlakonda, he says, “Unless we join hands and actively protect our heritage sites, these precious parts of history will be long forgotten.”
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Environmentalists demand restoration of ancient Buddhist site in Thotlakonda
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