2,000-year-old Buddhist relic found
Stone-made casket in the shape of a Stupa discovered at Phanigiri near Kothuru
A crystal shaped stupa, two silver flowers and one gold flower found in it
‘This is the second Stupa-shaped stone casket to be found at Kothur site’
VISAKHAPATNAM: A Buddhist relic, estimated to be at least 2,000 years old, has been discovered during work being carried out to restore the Phanigiri Buddhist site near Kothuru in Rambilli mandal of the district, about 80 km from here.
A stone-made casket in the shape of a Stupa was recovered when the place was being dug up. On Thursday, the casket was opened by Director of Archaeological Survey of India, Hyderabad D. Jitendra Das in the presence of local media and inside it were a crystal shaped stupa, two silver flowers and one gold flower, both made of beaten metal and some beads.
“This is an important discovery in the Buddhist history which happened in Visakhapatnam district and a very important and sacred event for the Buddhists”, Dr. Jitendra Das said from Hyderabad when contacted by The Hindu. He also recalled that late Jawaharlal Nehru carried a similar Buddhist relic, found during his tenure as Prime Minister, to Sri Lanka (then Ceylon) himself and presented it to the government there.
This signified how important the Buddhist relic was. This was the second Stupa-shaped stone casket to be found in the Kothur site. During 1997 a similar stone casket made of soft stone was found in the south-west area of the site while the present one was in the north-west area.
his might have belonged to the times of Ashoka or the Satavahanas, Dr. Das said. Emperor Ashoka distributed the corporal relics of Lord Buddha in different parts of the country and at some places he himself had constructed Stupas for the relics. Some stupas were also built during the Satavahana era.
Dr. Das said the sacred relic of Buddha might have merged into the earth and a detailed study of the stone-casket has to be made to understand its other details.
The Phanigiri site is considered as an important Buddhist site.
One main Stupa and three sub-Stupas are believed to have existed in the site.
District Archaeology Officer A. Venkateswara Rao, Assistant Archaeologist D. Visveswara Rao, Tahsildar L. tavitayya, Sarpanch N. Sai Vara Prasad and others were present when the casket was opened.
Source The Hindu
