Hyderabad: Third Century Buddhist pillar found

Hyderabad: Remains of a Buddhist pillar dating back to the Ikshwaku times (Third Century AD) were found in Devarachala on the outskirts of Peddagattu village in Nalgonda district.

Buddhist expert and consultant of the Buddhavanam project taken up by the Telangana Tourism, E Sivanagi Reddy said the Buddhist pillar was noticed in the course explorations conducted around Devarachala, a pre-historic locality on the outskirts of Peddagattu village, Peda Adisarlapalli mandal, on Monday.

According to Reddy, the pillar originally belonged to a discourse hall of a Buddhist establishment which existed 1,700 years ago and bears a half lotus medallion, a typical art motif of the Satavahana- Ikshwaku times. It is kept on a 'Panavatta' of the Kakatiya period and worshipped as Sivalinga by the locals.

The pillar is located on a platform inside a natural cave, once a habitat of the pre-historic man, as attested by the occurrence of Palaeolithic tools and Neolithic grooves noticed on the terrace of the cave at Devarachala. There is a continuous waterfall round the year which offers a thrilling experience to visitors complemented by scenic beauty and a steep valley that joins the river Krishna.

Buddhavanam Special Officer Mallepalli Laxmaiah said Devarachala, with its rich pre-historic affiliation and Buddhist association, could be developed as a tourist spot for archaeological, natural, cultural and adventure tourism. Press Academy Chairman Allam Narayana, officials of Buddhavanam project Sudhan Reddy, Syamsundar and Jagadish, a Buddhist practitioner Santosh Raut took part in the exploration.