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Photo: C.V. Subrahmanyam

Ancient monument View of the rock cut caves and other structural remains at Bojjannakonda

Thanks to the efforts of the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI), the place may soon get its due recognition. Provision of lighting along the steps leading to the caves and at the entrance of the cave, which is going on at a brisk pace, is sure to arouse the curiosity of people travelling by trains passing through Anakapalle and generate interest among them.

“The lighting facilities being executed by the Central Public Works Department (CPWD) will be inaugurated in by the end of this month,” Conservation Assistant of ASI (Visakhapatnam) A Venkateswara Rao said.

“Landscaping and conservation work has been taken up at this site during the last few years. The railing provided along the stairway and around the caves is a boon to senior citizens,” said S. Sridhar, a native of Anakapalle.

Located about 3 km. from Anakapalle town and 40 km. from Visakhapatnam city, the site was excavated under the aegis of Alexander Rim in 1906. A gold coin belonging to the Samudra Gupta period, copper coins of the Chalukya king Kubja Vishnu Vardhan, coins of Andhra Satavahanas and pottery were discovered at the site. An interesting feature of Bojjannakonda is that it shows features of all the three phases: Hinayana, Mahayana and Vajrayana.

A figure of ‘Kalabhairava’ with the head of Lord Ganesha wearing conch shells and the image of a Buddhist monk, ‘Harati’ have also been found at the site. “The female monk holding a child in her arms and carvings of children all around her made some visitors think that she was an evil woman, who was taking away children. The visitors used to throw stones at the statue and we (ASI) removed the statue and kept it in a closed room for a few years. It was placed under this tree recently,” said K. Katam Raju, an employee, who was stationed at the site for the past two decades.

A stairway leads to a large double-storeyed cave on the hill. The rectangular cave has a doorway and is flanked by ‘dwarapalakas’ on either side. There is a rock-cut stupa, standing on a square platform, at the centre of the cave. A series of rock-cut caves and monolithic structures standing on rock platforms are present on the northern side of the hill.

The upper cave has a rectangular doorway, flanked by figures of the Buddha on either side. The imposing figures of the Buddha, seated in meditation-posture and the stupa are the main attraction for tourists at Bojjannakonda. On the top of the hill, there is a group of structural buildings and a vihara (monastery), which has been reduced to ruins.

To the west of Bojjannakonda, another hillock – Lingalakonda or Lingalametta – is present. A number of monolithic and structural stupas can be seen on the top of this hillock. The upper portion of the stone carvings, which resemble an umbrella, have been chopped off by Veera Saivas (followers of Lord Shiva) in a bid to project them as Shiva Lingas, according to historians. No wonder even today, visitors mistake these structures for Shiva Lingas.

Buddhist monks used to worship on the hill 2000 years ago. It was originally known as ‘Buddhuni konda’ (hill of the Buddha) but it came to be known as ‘Bojjannakonda’ in course of time for unknown reasons. The Buddhist temple at Barabodur in Java has been constructed on the lines of the structures on Lingalametta, according to Buddhist monks. It is also known as ‘Sankaram’, perhaps, a corruption of the Buddhist ‘Sangraha’. People of the neighbouring villages gather in large numbers on Kanumu day (last day of Pongal) every year and it is celebrated as ‘Theertham’. Buddha Purnima, ‘Karteeka Masam’ and other special occasions also draw people from the neighbouring villages to the site.

Once the lighting and other development works are completed, the site is sure to attract the attention of tourists.

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