Treasure hunt in Hyderabad: Archaeology department takes up scientific survey of school ground

Syed Akbar
Hyderabad: With manual and mechanized digging in the last
three days failing to locate the tunnel suspected to contain a hidden
treasure, the State Archaeology Department has decided to use
state-of-the-art scientific equipment to take the excavation to its
logical conclusion.

It will press into service ground scanners, earth imagers, long-range
gold detectors, and gradiometers, as the situation demands, for
electromagnetic and acoustical feedback. For this, it has sought the
help of the National Mineral Development Corporation and the
Geological Survey of India. If the need arose, the Archaeology
Department will also approach the National Remote Sensing Centre of
the Indian Space Research Organisation for help.

“We are not going to leave the excavation mid way. We will utilise all
sorts of modern technology to verify the claim on the hidden treasure.
Saifabad and its surroundings is a treasure trove prone area. We have
earlier found tunnels with empty iron chests and almirahs, which
indicate the presence of treasure. The modern equipment will help us
to find out the tunnel and if it is there, whether the tunnel is
standalone or connected to similar structures excavated in the
vicinity,” Dr P Channa Reddy, director of Archaeology and Museums. He
is also the State Treasure Trove officer.

A team of officials from NMDC visited the site on Monday and would
visit again on Tuesday for a preliminary assessment. Excavation work
was stopped on Monday pending help from expert agencies. The
management of Vidyaranya School, where the alleged treasure trove is
hidden, took objection to the excavation work and demanded that it be
stopped. One of the school committee members pulled up Tourism and
Archaeology Minister Vatti Vasanth Kumar when he visited the site. The
school reopens on Tuesday after Sunday and Mahashivratri holiday.

The Archaeology Department took up the excavation work on Saturday
following a sworn affidavit by nine prominent citizens led by Mr DS Rama 
Raju, an executive in Coal India Limited, that some of them, besides a
mason, Mallesh, had entered the tunnel and saw an iron gate inside.
The department has sent a team to Mahbubnagar to bring some of the
masons, who allegedly saw the tunnel and the treasure inside. Mallesh
and the other masons were involved in a construction work at the site
a few months ago.

According to Mr Raju, the idea of a hidden treasure in the tunnel
gained credence, as there was a strong iron gate a few feet away from
the entrance. “In all the tunnels excavated in the vicinity there were
no iron gates. The fact that this tunnel has an iron gate shows that
something precious was kept behind it,” he said.

Different sites were dug up on three different days but the excavation
could not lead to the alleged tunnel. The modern equipment will help
find out, if there were something, the size, depth and position of
jewellery, gold and artifacts. It will also locate anomalies under the
ground including tunnels, graves or bunkers.

Vasanth Kumar told this correspondent that the excavation would
continue after receiving expert advice from NMDC and Archaeological
Survey of India. “Any treasure or mineral below the ground belongs to
the government. We will decide on the future course of action based on
the outcome of the excavation,” he added.

City police has been providing round the clock security cover at the
excavation site. Two police guards have been positioned at the spot
apart from patrolling teams and
back up.

Central Zone Deputy Commissioner of Police Mr Tarun Joshi said, "we
have received a
request from Department of Archaeology to provide security”.

Treasure hunt in Hyderabad: Archaeology team takes up excavation in search of hidden treasure trove opposite State Secretariat

By Syed Akbar
Hyderabad: A major treasure hunt is now on in the city right
opposite the State Secretariat, and gestimates put it at anything
upward of Rs 20,000 crore.
The State Archaeology Department will take up excavation of an area
supposedly an old tunnel to find out the treasure trove. The operation
jewel hunt will begin at 8.00 am on Sunday. The department conducted a
preliminary survey of the area on Saturday evening amidst tight
security.
According to sources, the Archaeology Department received a sworn-in
affidavit from nine prominent citizens led by Mr DS Rama Raju, an official in the
Coal India Limited, stating that they had
reliable information about a treasure trove in a hidden tunnel on the
premises of a school in front of the State Secretariat. They said they
got the information about two months ago and could not muster enough
courage to reveal it to the authorities concerned for fear of Mafia
attacks.
Based on the affidavit, a team of officials from the Archaeology
Department inspected the site on Saturday evening. They decided to
take up excavation on Sunday morning in the presence of a mason, who
will serve as a guide. Sources said the mason was the first person to
have gone inside the tunnel where he saw two almirahs full of jewels
and precious stones. The mason confided this with his friends in his
village and the information finally reached Mr Raju and other
prominent citizens.
It is believed that there is a small staircase and this leads to the
tunnel like structure behind the compound wall of the school abutting
the Naubat Pahad (Birla Mandir hill). The school building itself is
about 100 years ago and city historians say there was a small cave in
the hill. The tunnel is said to be 12 ft in height and 12 ft in
breadth. Prof P Channa Reddy, State Treasure Trove officer, will
supervise the excavation work.
According to city historian Dr Mohammad Safiullah, many rich families
had built bunkers during the World War II to avoid air strikes by
Japan. One such bunker was unearthed in the nearby Home Science
College in Saifabad. Similar bunkers were also found in the Mint
Compound. As many as a dozen iron safes were recovered from these
bunkers. All of them were empty.
The school building belongs to the heirs of Wanaparthi Samsthan, who
were feudatives of the Nizam. The Samsthan had owned more than one
lakh acres of land and its royal members were quite rich. This gives
credence to the treasure trove theory that a royal member had secretly
kept the jewels and precious stones.
Incidentally, the prominent citizens, who had petitioned the
Archaeology Department, had demanded that they be given their share –
one-fifth of the treasure trove if it were found – under the Treasure
Trove Act 1878.

Treasure hunt in Hyderabad: State Archaeology department digs up school in search of a tunnel with suspected treasure trove

Syed Akbar
Hyderabad:  The State Archaeology Department will continue with
the excavation work on the premises of a school in Saifabad on Monday
in search of a supposedly hidden treasure. The department launched the
operation treasure hunt on Sunday morning, but could dig up only two
feet by 4.00 pm.

As the manual excavation was going on at a snail’s pace, officials
pressed into service an earthmover in the evening. Another two feet
was dug up by 9.00 pm when the work was called off for the day. The
work will resume on Monday morning. Sunday’s excavation site is about
10 metres away from the original site selected on Saturday evening.
Mallesh, the mason, who claims he had seen the treasure, guided the
officials to the spot.

Meanwhile, the group of nine prominent citizens, which submitted a
sworn affidavit to the archaeology department about the alleged
treasure, continued to maintain that four of them had entered the
tunnel that led them to an iron gate. Mallesh said he saw the treasure
hidden in two almirahs, while the petitioners said they did not go
beyond the iron gate.

Coal India official DS Rama Raju, one of the signatories of the affidavit,
told this correspondent that he and others had in fact gone into the
tunnel. “The entrance is quite narrow. A few steps down the ground led
us to a tunnel where we saw an iron gate. We did not venture beyond
this point. Unfortunately, we did not mark the place. It is on the
hill side and excavation along the rocky terrain on the school
premises will definitely lead to the tunnel,” Raju said.

Asked if he had seen the treasure, Raju said “no”, but maintained, “we
would know whether there’s treasure only after we open the iron gate.”
However, he is confident that there is hidden treasure as Mallesh and
other masons had “seen with their own eyes”. The archaeology
department is also planning to contact some of the masons, who were
involved in the construction of a hotel nearby. During the digging
work, the mason along with Mallesh reportedly saw the treasure. That
all the signatories and Mallesh stayed at the site all through the day
gives credence to their statement about the treasure, a senior
official of the department said.

The police made elaborate security arrangement at the school premises
as hundreds of people gathered there to witness the excavation. The
police had a hectic time controlling the surging crowds.

Officials encountered loose soil at the excavation site. It is
suspected that someone might have entered the tunnel recently and
covered it up. If the mason and other “eyewitnesses” fail to locate
the exact spot where they had seen the tunnel, the excavation may go
on for at least a week.

There are city records that a cave existed in the area and it was
covered up with soil, as it had no historical or archaeological
significance. The area around is famous for the bunkers built during
the world war II. Similar treasure excavations in the area in the past
yielded only empty iron almirahs.

Buddhist stupa found buried under a Siva temple at Kondaveedu in Guntur district

Syed Akbar

Hyderabad: An ancient Buddhist stupa has been found buried under a Siva temple at Kondaveedu in Guntur district, dating back to the second century CE.

The discovery of the Buddhist stupa pushes the history of Kondaveedu by at least 1000 years.

"Kondaveedu fort, which is so far believed to contain only the fortification and the habitational remains of the Reddi Kings of 14th century and later, seems to have a very hoary past. The discovery of stupa remains below a Siva temple suggests that Kondaveedu was a prominent Buddhist centre right from the second century CE," says Dr Ruchi Singh, a former faculty of the University of Hyderabad.

Dr Ruchi Singh, who is currently working on a project on "heritage and cultural tourisin in Andhra Pradesh" discovered the Buddhist stupa.

The stupa has a diameter of about 12 feet. It was noticed below a medieval temple, believed to have been dedicated to Siva, as per the local tradition.

"Some portions of the stupa have been exposed due to rampant diggings by treasure-hunters. The stupa was constructed in concentric circular formations, using light green Palnadu marble for outer and inner casing and black limestone of Kadapa variety for the middle circle. The exposed portions of the stupa reveal five courses of stones having a thickness of 7 to 12 cm," she said.

Kondaveedu Fort contains extensive habitational remains, which are now lying either buried or in ruined condition. Presence of a particular type of roof tiles, known as ‘channelled tiles’, which are usually dated to Satavahana period suggest that the site was in existence since at least 1st century CE. The similarity of the material used for the stupa and the style of construction suggests that the stupa could be dated to around 2nd century CE, though further investigations could push back this date.

"There is every possibility of finding a complex of more stupas, if proper excavations are conducted. It is very essential that the Government take appropriate measures to prevent further vandalisation by the treasure hunters, so as to preserve the valuable evidence that has come to light now," Dr Ruchi Singh said.

This is the first evidence of the presence of Buddhist monuments on the Kondaveedu fort. Now with this discovery, the history of Kondaveedu region is pushed back by more than 1000 years. The fact that the foundations of the temple are lying immediately above the stupa remains, suggest that there was no time gap between the destruction of the stupa and construction of temple above it.

Whether the construction of ‘Garbhagriha’ just above the stupa is deliberate or accidental, is a point for further investigation. The investigations here may be very important for reconstruction of religious history of the ancient and medieval period in Guntur district, she added.

Kotilingala Buddhist site: Archaeological treasure unearthed on the banks of the Godavari in Karimnagar district

2011

Syed Akbar

Hyderabad, March 25: Extensive excavations at Kotilingala in Karimnagar district have established the Buddhist link to this important Telangana village. The villagers had contact with Gautam Buddha and the area flourished between 4th century BC to 2nd century CE.

According to Prof P Chenna Reddy, director of archaeology and museums, the excavations revealed several remains of Buddhapadas, sculptures and chaitya, attesting for the first time that the site was associated with Buddhism.

The archaeological site abutting the river Godavari yielded brick structures, storage jars, pottery, beads made of crystal, semi-precious stones, glass and terracotta, seals made of bone and terracotta, iron implements including knives, revettes, barber knives and nails, and coins issued by Satavahanas kings cast in lead and copper. The site spreads over 100 acres.

"We have unearthed hitherto unknown facets of Telangana history at Kotilingala," Prof Chenna Reddy said.

Kotilingala was an early historic capital city and Buddhist site datable to the period between 4th century BC to 2nd century CE. It was the capital of Asoka Janapada. The people in the village and its neighbourhood had contacts with Magedha during the lifetime of Lord Buddha.

According to historical record, an elderly person by name Bavani, residing at Badanakasthi, a very close village to Kotilingala, sent his disciples to meet Lord Buddha and thus, the Dhamma reached this area.

The entire historic site is located inside a fort with house structures, secular buildings and public utility structures built of bricks of 60x30x8 cms.

"The site bears historical significance as it yielded coins issued by the pre-Satavahana kings, Veni, Samagopa, Gobhada, Narava and Kamavega, dating back to 4th-3rd centuries BC. It also yielded the coins of Chimukha, the founder of the Satavahana dynasty. The early fort at Kotilingala was identified as one of the 30 walled cities possessed  by the Andhras as mentioned by the Greek ambassador Megathanese in his Indica.

Megalithic site found: Hyderabad is 2500 years old

September 10, 2008
By Syed Akbar
Hyderabad, Sept 9: Hyderabad is not just 400 years old. Its history goes back to 500
BC, says the State Department of Archaeology.
Excavations carried out by the State Department of Archaeology and Museums revealed iron age burials in Hyderabad. "The history of Hyderabad goes back to the Neolithic period as some stone implements of the new stone age are recovered from Kethepalli village," according to Prof P Chenna Reddy, director of archaeology.
The department has also discovered an iron age site studded with Cairn Circles, also
called megalithic burials, close to the entrance of Ramoji Film City on Hyderabad-
Vijayawada national highway. These burials are located in a patta land, he said.
The burials, according to Prof Chenna Reddy, are spread in an extent of five acres in
survey No. 124 and are in the possession of a farmer, B Mallaiah. The burials date
back to 500 BC. "Unless systematic and archaeological excavations are carried out,
we cannot further evaluate on the details of these burial sites," he said.
Hyderabad, Secunderabad and surrounding areas harbour a good number of iron age
sites. Similar burials were discovered at Moulali, Hashmathpet, Kothaguda Botanical
Gardens and Lingampalli (University of Hyderabad).
The burials at Moulali were excavated by then department of archaeology of the
Nizam's Dominion in 1935 and the ones at Hashmathpet were opened by Birla archaeological and Cultural Research Institute during 1978. Both the places yielded
iron implements and pottery reflecting the material culture of the people of the iron
age.
The department of archaeology reopened the burials at Hashmathpet and recovered
valuable artefacts including iron implements, human bones and pottery.
Buoyed by the success at these sites, the department took up excavation at Hayatnagar
on the Vijayawada highway and discovered the megalithic burials. The latest excavations take back the history of Hyderabad to at least 2500 years. Earlier, the
history of the city was linked to the Golconda fort and many believed that it was not
older than 1000 years.
"We will continue with the excavations at the new site as it has great potential from
the archaeological and historical point of view. We need to protect these sites before the real estate boom eats into them, erasing the early historical records
of Hyderabad," he said.
The archaeological team that took up the excavation included Mr Aleem, conservation
assistant and Mr A Janardhan Reddy, assistant stapathi, besides Prof Chenna Reddy.

Kottur: Archaeological survey of India on a "treasure hunt"

April 15, 2006
By Syed Akbar
Hyderabad, April 14: The Archaeological Survey of India is on a "treasure hunt" in the nondescript Kotturu village of Visakhapatnam district searching Buddhist ruins for priceless artefacts, inscriptions and ancient gold and silver coins.
Kotturu is one of the six new archaeological sites selected by the Central government for excavations that are likely to throw a deep insight into the lifestyles of people dating back to second century BC. The ASI will dig up "mounds" in and around Kotturu that have so far been the target of vandals seeking treasure throve.
The Central government has decided to go in for a thorough excavation of the "mounds" in Kotturu after archaeologists discovered stone inscriptions containing Telugu words in Brahmi script about 2200 years old. Earlier excavations at the site brought out 107 gold coins, silver coins, pearls, diamonds and gems stored in a small vessel. The vessel was hidden in a rectangular container.
According to officials at the ASI office in Hyderabad, the excavations on Buddhist "mounds" will also throw more light on the language spoken by Buddhist monks and local people in those times. A rock edict in Brahmi script contained the words, "Tambayya Danam", which in Telugu means "donated by Tambayya".
Tambayya was believed to be a Telugu noble who had donated gold ornaments and precious stones to Buddhist monks towards charity. Tambayya's donation includes 21 silver and gold flowers and two gold containers.
Ever since the discovery of the rock edict, the interest of archaeologists and linguistics has gone up on the "mounds" in Kotturu. The edict has pushed the age of Telugu language by at least 800 years. Earlier, Telugu was thought to be evolved around the sixth. The latest evidence now shows that Telugu is as old as 2200 years.
Like Sanskrit, Tamil and Kannada, the literature of Telugu has been in vogue for over 1500 years. Some archaeologists have been arguing that Telugu is more than 2000 years old. The first Telugu words can be observed in Ikshavakula inscriptions. Nagarjuna Hill inscriptions of 250 AD contain Telugu words. But the Kotturu inscriptions have come in as the first ever "solid evidence" to prove that Telugu was spoken even before the start of the common era.
The Kotturu "mounds" are similar in structure to the internationally famous "Salihundam", a Buddhist site in Srikakulam district. Salihundam is an ancient settlement containing a maha stupa, votive stupas, chaityas, platforms and viharas. Here the inscriptions date back to the second century AD. The Kotturu "mounds" are four hundred years older than the Salihundam and archaeologists expect more "surprises" during the excavations.
Kotturu and surrounding areas as also the ancient sites along the river Krishna in Krishna and Godavari districts had played an important role in the spread of Buddhism from India to Sumatra, China and other countries in the Far East.
The "mounds" are locally known as "Dhana Dibbalu" (mounds of treasure) in local parlance. There are Chaitya Grihas or halls of worship built of brick. Similar ruins are also found in Andhra Pradesh at places like Guntapalli near Vijayawada, Nagarjunakonda and Amaravathi in Guntur district. But these mounds are 100 years older than the Kotturu mounds.
Along with Kotturu mounds, the ASI has taken up excavations at ancient sites in Chaturbhuj Nala (Mandsaur district) and Gondarmau (Bhopal district) in Madhya Pradesh, Aragarh (Puri district) in Orissa and Sanauli, Baghpat and Latiya (Ghazipur district) in Uttar Pradesh.
The other oldest Telugu inscription is from 633 AD. The Telugu literature begins with an 11th-century translation of the Sanskrit classic Mahabharata.
Telugu words appear in the Maharashtri Prakrit anthology of poems (the Gathasaptashathi) collected by the first century BC Satavahana King Hala. Telugu speakers were probably the oldest peoples inhabiting the land between Krishna and Godavari. ASI officials hope that the Kotturu findings are likely to give a historical look to the Telugu language and the traditions and culture of the Telugu-speaking people.