Kondapur non buddhist site in damuru shape
Discovery of remains throw light on Vedic religion
The remains of a huge urn excavated at Kondapur.
Does Kondapur, one of the well-known, early, historic Satavahana sites in Medak district, also represent the Brahmanic culture in addition to Buddhist culture? This is what recent excavations at the site, approximately spread over 81 acres, suggest.
The excavations have been continuing here for the past one year, headed by G. Maheswari, Superintending Archaeologist, Archaeological Survey of India, with a team of about 15 members. Some 45 labourers have been hired to excavate the ancient remains with utmost care at the site. The work is being supervised by senior archaeology officials, three students from JNU, Delhi, and Central University, Hyderabad.
The main discovery at the excavation site in 2009-2010 includes some brick structures found in the western extreme of the main mound, which yielded authentic evidence of a non-Buddhist sect. It's a vast complex having a circular shrine facing south with one entrance and surrounded by rectangular chambers and fire altars – three metres in depth having 37 courses of burnt bricks of different shapes -- triangular and damaru-shaped -- behind the chambers.
Brick structures, supposedly fire altars yielded significant evidence of fire activities in them along with full pots - five in number (may be kalasa) with stamped impressions of a trident, purnakalasa.
Apart from this, the whole temple complex yielded plenty of animal bone pieces, perhaps for sacrificial purposes and related pottery articles such as bowls, sprinklers, spouted vessels and iron implements like spear heads and knives.
In the same complex in the vicinity of the circular structure, Lajja gouri (Goddess of fertility) made of kaolin and a few cult objects made of iron were found.
Iit was believed that Kondapur was purely a Buddhist site,proved somethin else now However, the present excavation shows that Kondapur was not a Buddhist site alone, but also represents the Vedic religion with evidence of the performance of Vedic rites. Till date, some 2,000 antiquities were found in the excavations.
Discovery of remains throw light on Vedic religion
The remains of a huge urn excavated at Kondapur.
Does Kondapur, one of the well-known, early, historic Satavahana sites in Medak district, also represent the Brahmanic culture in addition to Buddhist culture? This is what recent excavations at the site, approximately spread over 81 acres, suggest.
The excavations have been continuing here for the past one year, headed by G. Maheswari, Superintending Archaeologist, Archaeological Survey of India, with a team of about 15 members. Some 45 labourers have been hired to excavate the ancient remains with utmost care at the site. The work is being supervised by senior archaeology officials, three students from JNU, Delhi, and Central University, Hyderabad.
The main discovery at the excavation site in 2009-2010 includes some brick structures found in the western extreme of the main mound, which yielded authentic evidence of a non-Buddhist sect. It's a vast complex having a circular shrine facing south with one entrance and surrounded by rectangular chambers and fire altars – three metres in depth having 37 courses of burnt bricks of different shapes -- triangular and damaru-shaped -- behind the chambers.
Brick structures, supposedly fire altars yielded significant evidence of fire activities in them along with full pots - five in number (may be kalasa) with stamped impressions of a trident, purnakalasa.
Apart from this, the whole temple complex yielded plenty of animal bone pieces, perhaps for sacrificial purposes and related pottery articles such as bowls, sprinklers, spouted vessels and iron implements like spear heads and knives.
In the same complex in the vicinity of the circular structure, Lajja gouri (Goddess of fertility) made of kaolin and a few cult objects made of iron were found.
Iit was believed that Kondapur was purely a Buddhist site,proved somethin else now However, the present excavation shows that Kondapur was not a Buddhist site alone, but also represents the Vedic religion with evidence of the performance of Vedic rites. Till date, some 2,000 antiquities were found in the excavations.
