Excavations at Sannati and Kanaganahalli reveal many facets about Ashoka and Buddha

Glimpsing the past: Beginning in 1986, excavations conducted by ASI have played a vital role in reshaping understanding of Ashoka
Sannati and Kanaganahalli villages, resting indolently on the backwaters of Karnataka in Kalaburagi district, were relatively unknown to the rest of India, leave alone the world. However, the discovery of a nearly 2000-year-old Buddhist Stupa and the first inscribed portrait of Emperor Ashoka, among others in a wave of archaeological excavations that began in 1986, put an end to their anonymity.
The A Sundara-led excavation in 1986-87 had revealed the existence of a rectangular brick structure, now presumed to be the stupa's citadel beside the Bhima river at Ranamandala in Sannati.The size of the bricks used range from 39cm x 20cm x 6.5cm to 40cm x 30cm x 7cm. Former joint Archaelogical Survey of India (ASI) director general KR Poonacha, who was involved in the excavations, said the department secured the stupa when the Karnataka government built a barrage at Sannati in 1990.
"We explored 24 villages and discovered cultural artefacts dating back to lower and Middle Paleolithic, Mesolithic and Neolithic periods. It provided significant information regarding the cultural ramifications in the area. A trial excavation conduced by ASI Bengaluru Circle revealed the plan of a giant stupa, built using local limestone. Remains of 'pradakshinapatha', depicting Dharma Chakra, Jetavana, Vajrasana, etc. also came to light. Encouraged, the team took up a systematic horizontal excavation of the mound spread across an area of 3,600 square metres in later years," he said.
However, a full-scale excavation at Sannati commenced only in 1997. Monument attendant Hazeemsab Mulla recalled how he was trained for months in the handling of archaeological remains during the excavation. Seetaram Joshi, manager, Chandralamba Seva Sangh, Sannati recollected how ASI officer Kapatral Krishnarao identified relics of Buddhist faith. "He was a devotee of Dhandralamba and used to come here. He spotted a stone at the temple and found that it belonged to the Mauryan or Shatavahan era. The ASI then started a serious exploration," he added.
While examining a possible image of Yaksha in Hassargundi village near Sannati, Poonacha identified the ancient town as Santimati, from which the name of Sannati village is derived.
Assistant archaeologist in Kalaburagi sub-circle, Kishor Raghubans mentioned how a team of experts comprising MV Vishweshwarayya, Poonacha, CS Sheshadri, Praveen Singh, Lingaraj, RS Athani, among others, played a vital role in the protection of Sannati's monuments, dating from 3 BC to 2 AD.
The excavations have not only ignited the curiosity of historians and archaeologists, even the lay public in the nearby villages appear to have been swept up in the wave of the discoveries. A hill located in Shahapur, with no known archaeological significance, is now called 'Sleeping Buddha' by the people, who firmly believe the hill resembles the Buddha's sleeping posture.
"Senior Congress leader Mallikarjun Kharge, who took a keen interest in the area, had initially wanted to construct a stupa in Sannati. However, Rudrayya, an engineer with the irrigation department, suggested the idea of a Vihar. It was completed after eight years in 2009, and was inaugurated by the then President of India Pratibha Patil," said Ishwar Ingan, an administrator of the Vihar.
How to get there?
While the site falls under the limits of Kanaganahalli village, it is more popularly known as Sannati, since the fields were once owned by a Sannati villager. The site can be reached either from Kalaburagi, which lies 70km away or via Nalwar, 17km away. From Kalaburagi, tourists need to reach the Bengaluru highway and touch Shahapur, before reaching the destination via Shirwala village.
The site, spread across 23 acres, was purchased by the Chikkamath family in the 1980s. ASI has constructed three sheds and a large room that houses the remains and statues that are inventoried regularly and appointed 21 guards to secure the place. While entry to the site is free, permission from Dharwad's ASI office is necessary for photography and videography.
Buddha Museum to attract tourists and research:
The Karnataka Housing Board has built a huge Buddha museum beside the site of the stupa. The district administration has said it will be handed over to the ASI once the necessary renovations on the structure are completed. Karnataka tourism minister Priyank Kharge expressed the hope that research programmes would held at the museum in the future. A 1.2km stretch of the road connecting Sannati to the site needs to be developed and the state government has sanctioned Rs 40 lakh for their improvement.
Priyank Kharge, who represents the Chittapur constituency, is eager to develop the site. "The many finds in Sannati are helping historians fill gaps in the country's knowledge of the Emperor Ashoka," he said.
(with inputs from Mounesh Sonnad)
Broaden scope of study:
Poonacha believes the site remains an area of immense archaeological interest. "It was a major socio-economic centre during the Shatavahana period. The ASI needs to develop a proper plan for excavation. The state government has earmarked Rs 2 crore and if the district administration repairs the connecting road, Sannati will emerge as a major tourist hub," he said.
While the ASI's many initiatives in the area have drawn praise from all quarters, there are also mild rumblings over the pace and limited scope of the excavations. Joshi believes that the restoration work will consequently lead to more tourists. In October 2015, Buddhist monk Bhante Tissavro, who heads the Bodh Gaya-based Budh Avsesh Bachao organisation had emphasised the need to widen the scope of the explorations.
The first inscribed portrait of Ashoka discovered at Sannati:
The discovery of the first inscribed portrait of Emperor Ashoka, named Raya Ashoka, was discovered in the stupa, attracting the interest of the international archaeological community. It has also shed light on his forays into South India. While Ashoka's empire extended deep into the south, there is still no definitive proof of Ashoka's sojourn here, said Raghubans. "We can assume that he and his children, Mahendra and Sanghamitra, might have passed through this region," he added.
Pointing to a granite slab inscribed with Ashoka's edicts, Hazeemsab said, "It must have been sculpted by the Shatavahans, who admired both Buddha and Ashoka."
Sannati: Missing piece in jigsaw puzzle?
Chief conservation architect at Manipal Institute of Technology, Prof M Kailash Rao said, "Sannati can help us understand the diffusion of ideas between North and South India, which can explain our architectural beauty. The stupa here is in sync with the classical style. It is a unique opportunity to sustain the stupa where it is found. Many stupas were shifted to museums at other places like Sanchi."