An ancient Buddhist pillar, believed to be part of a stupa, surfaced at the remote village of Chandalur, near J. Pangalur, in Prakasam district on Friday.
Workers were digging the ground to lay the foundation for a Siva temple when they stumbled upon the artefact.
“This is for the first time that a Buddhist pillar has been found,” said Buddhist scholar and CEO of Cultural Centre Of Vijayawada and Amaravathi Dr. E. Sivanagi Reddy, along with another historian from Addanki, Dr. Jyoti Chandramouli.
The valuable find has now placed Chandalur village firmly on the Buddhist circuit of Andhra Pradesh.
Details of find
“It is an Ayaka pillar (one of five pillars usually erected on the four cardinal directions) of a Buddhist Stupa built during the 1st Century AD on the stylistic features of the pillar carved out of Palnadu limestone,” said Dr. Sivanagi Reddy after examining the artefact.
The pillar was found on a mound on where a Buddhist stupa from the Satavahana times must have once stood, it is surmised. Both the historians sensitised locals on the historical importance of the Buddhist pillar and roped them in to safeguard it for posterity.
“The government should take up a thorough survey to know the potentiality of the Buddhist site based on which excavations could be taken up,” Dr. Sivanagi Reddy said.
Rich history
“Chandalur village is of archaeological significance. A Prakrit copper plate inscription of Kumara Vishnu from the Pallava dynasty dating back to 426 AD was found here. Another Sanskrit copper plate inscription of Sarvalokasraya Vishnuvardhana of the Vengi Chalalukya dynasty dating back to 673 AD was also found here,” he added.