Phanigiri

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Ikshvaku period coins

2024

April 5, 2024: The Indian Express

3,730 lead coins were found in an earthen pot on March 29 at Phanigiri, a renowned Buddhist heritage site located 110 km away from Hyderabad.

Telangana’s Department of Heritage has recently unearthed a coin hoard at Phanigiri, a renowned Buddhist heritage site located 110 km away from the state capital of Hyderabad.

The lead coins were found in an earthen pot on March 29 during the ongoing excavations in Telangana’s Suryapet district by a team led by director N Sagar and co-excavator B Mallu. The coins numbering 3,730 bore an elephant symbol on the obverse and a Ujjain symbol on the reverse.

Studies concluded that the coins belong to the Ikshvaku period, said principal secretary Sailaja Ramaiyer and department’s director Bharathi Hollikeri after visiting the site.

Many other valuable cultural antiquities and structural remains, including beads of stone and glass, shell bangle fragments, stucco motifs, broken limestone sculptures, toy cartwheels, iron nails, and pottery, were also unearthed during the excavation.

Phanigiri village derived its name from the shape of the hillock, which appears to be like a snake hood. The word Phani in Sanskrit means snake and Giri means hillock. Studies suggest that the village had a vibrant life from 1000 BC to 18th century AD.

Phanigiri is believed to be one of the important Buddhist monasteries strategically located on the hilltop, on the ancient trade route (Dakshinapatha) connecting the west and the east coast of the Deccan. The field season 2023-24 was the eighth season of excavation at the site which started back in 2001.

According to the department, various stages of earlier excavations here discovered Mahastupa, apsidal Chaityagrihas, Votive stupas, pillared congregation halls, Viharas, platforms with staircases at various levels, octagonal stupa chaitya, 24-pillared mandapam, circular chaitya, and cultural materials that included terracotta beads, semi-precious beads, iron objects, Brahmi label inscriptions and holy relic casket. All the cultural material is datable from the 1st century BCE to 4the century CE.