Andhra Pradesh - Visakhapatnam   

Peek into Buddhist heritage, culture

Photo: K.R. Deepak

Enriching experience: U.S. students at Bojjannakonda on Saturday. —

VISAKHAPATNAM: The lush green fields and mighty hills hold one of the ancient remains of Buddhism – the heritage sites of Bojjannakonda and Lingalakonda, an age-old settlement of Buddhist monks. Situated at a distance of 40 km from Visakhapatnam city, the place has been attracting many foreign tourists. On Saturday, the team of students from the U.S., who were here as part of the Students Year Abroad programme, went on an educational trip to the Buddhist site. For the enthusiastic students, the trip offered a glimpse into the rich Buddhist heritage and culture.

Each structure at the site had a story to tell. Guided by Rani Sharma, a heritage activist and convener for INTACH school programme, the team explored the surroundings. The team is also working on a special documentary on the Buddhist sites in the region.

Bojjannakonda, a 2000-year-old Buddhist heritage site, was excavated under the aegis of Alexander Rim in 1906. Excavations yielded several historic potteries, a gold coin belonging to the Samudra Gupta period, copper coins of the Chalukya king Kubja Vishnu Vardhan and coins of Andhra Satavahanas. An interesting feature of Bojjannakonda is that it shows features of all the three phases of Buddhism: Hinayana, Mahayana and Vajrayana.

It presents a picturesque appearance with its main Stupa on the hilltop dominated by myriads of stupas, mostly rock-cut and rarely brick-built, one above the other. Almost every outcrop and protuberance has been converted boldly into a stupa. Interestingly, how Buddhism got absorbed into Hinduism can be established by the presence of a figure of Lord Ganesha on the site.

To the west of Bojjannakonda, another hillock – Lingalakonda or Lingalametta – is located where there are innumerable rock-cut monolithic stupas in rows.

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