PEDDABANKUR
EARLY HISTORIC SITE IN
TELANGANA
(1st century BCE to 3rd
century CE)
Location:
Peddabankur village is located on the road leading
from Karimnagar to Peddapalli and is about 29 kilometers from Karimnagar in
Peddapalli Mandal and District, Telangana (Lat: 18°30′ N; Long: 790 30' E). A
nullah known as Hussaini vagu encloses the site on the western and southern
sides and the site gradually slopes down to the north bank of the nullah. The
contour map shows the gradient and various features of the site. The site is 6
kms away from Peddapalli railway station.
History:
The numismatic evidences from this site show the
relations with Roman countries as it is evident from the coin issued by
Tiberius such coins are also reported from other sites in Telangana. The
numismatic evidence also throws light on the trade and commerce during that
period. The coin also gives information about the currency and political
history of the period. A unique terracotta coin model was recorded. This type
of finding gives information on coin molding technique.
On the basis of evidences, the site is very close to
Dhulikatta which is one of the thirty fortified towns of Andhras as mentioned
by Megasthenes a Greek ambassador in his work Indica. Dhulikatta might have
been a very important city during the Satavahana period. This ancient city is
located closer to the ancient trade route coming from Asmaka region passing
through Kotilingala to Nelakondapalli connecting sea port on east coast of
India. Thus, this city might have played a vital role during the Satavahana period.
As Peddabankur is located closer to Dhulikatta and having similar antiquities
coming from stratigraphy, this site can also be dated from 1st century BCE to
2nd-3rd century CE.
About Excavation
After the bifurcation of Telangana state from Andhra
Pradesh, The Department of Heritage Telangana undertook excavations for the
field season of 2017-2018 at this site with an aim to bring to light more
evidences to study the antiquity of Telangana and more specifically of
Satavahanas in this region. The main objectives of excavating this site are to
know the complete picture of the Satavahana settlement at Peddabonkur and to
study the interrelations of trade and culture between this site, Kotilingala,
and Dhulikatta. The other objectives of excavating this site are to study the
development and expansion of Buddhism in the early Telangana period and to
study the socio-economic, cultural, and religious life of the people who had
inhabited this part of the region.
Excavations at this site revealed no brick structures
or any kind of structures. However, the excavations gave rich yield of
antiquities such as pottery, iron objects, copper objects, terracotta objects
and beads of various materials. Pearls which are rarely found anywhere except
in the Buddhist relic caskets, are found in this site for the first time. The
excavation revealed a collection of pearls discovered together with a small
group of gold beads, several cylindrical lapis lazuli beads, a tortoise-shaped
lapis lazuli bead, a tortoise-shaped shell bead, and a set of short cylindrical
shell beads. These items were found inside a small pot placed within a
well-stratified archaeological layer. The associated pottery consists mainly of
red ware, black ware, and black-and-red ware. The excavation also revealed a
notable range of antiquities from the site. Among the most important are a
silver Roman coin, a terracotta model of a Roman coin, bone dice, a crystal ear
stud, a lead ear stud, amalaka-shaped collared gold beads, and tortoise-shaped
beads.
Scope of the Excavations:
The Excavations of the site at Peddabankur
village were undertaken with the following Objectives:
Ø To
understand the constructional patterns of the monastic complex
Ø To
understand the cultural life of the people who had inhabited this part of the
region
Ø To
understand the art style that prevailed in this region
Ø To
develop comprehensive understanding of the Early History of Telangana
For
Complete Information, Please Refer to the Book
PEDDABANKUR
An
Early Historic Site in Telangana
(An interim report
2017-2018)
