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Sannati: a Prime Centre Buddhism in Ancient

Karnataka

Discovered and reported in 1956 by Kapatral Krishna Rao of Kalburgi,

Sannati with Buddhist and other remains was unsteadily shot into
prominence only from mid-1960s. Since then many more Buddhist
sculptures, inscriptions, stupa architectural remains etc. were brought to
light by and by. And it suddenly shot into limelight in 1989 when
fragmentary major edicts of Asoka nos.12 and 14 as well as his separate
Kalinga edicts were accidentally discovered by the Archaeological Survey
of India during their conservation operation to the Maha Kali Temple of the
Rashtrakuta period located beside the celebrated Sri Chandralamba
temple in Sannati. In addition to the discoveries of the early, middle
Palaeolithic; Mesolithic and Neolithic tools, in the neighbourhood of
Sannati, a pilgrim centre, at Kanaginahal, Hasaragundgi, Benagutti,
Sannati etc are found to have been thickly sprinkled with numerous
Buddhist remains: sculptural, architectural and inscriptional including a
Buddhist stupa each at the first two places and solid stupa like mounds. In
Sannati proper was located a large extensive habitation site surrounded
by a very thick well-built brick fort wall all of the early historical period.
The sites in Sannati environs therefore were found to be remarkably the
most potential and promising especially for Buddhist remains.

The Archaeological Survey of India and the state Directorate of

Archaeology and Museums (protecting the site since 1968), therefore
carried out extensive excavations over years in all the four places tracing
the remains of a Maha stupa at Kanaginahal and the limestone base of a
stupa, at Hasaragundgi, and a brick built vihara in Benagutti; sculptures
including the Buddha in standing and seated postures, kubja Yaksha,
bodhivriksha, dramachakra, Vajrasana, Buddhapada, Muchulinda Naga,
panels displaying episodes from Buddha's life as well as the Jataka stories,
chaaya phlakas, Brahmi inscriptions about 250 recording generous
donations to the stupa etc. in several hundreds and in the Sannati
habitation site, material remains such as the northern black polished
pottery, a highly polished stone sculptural disk, typical of the Mauryan
period, and brick structures particularly a large granary, silver copper
punch-marked coins of the Mauryan period and potin coins some carrying
the names of the Satavahana kings; varied terracotta figurines of artistic
beauty, etc All these indicated that the area was a very large township
with powerful Buddhist religious complex.
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The stupa in Kanaginahal is surrounded by a railing, of course, pierced by

the simple entrances at the cardinal points. Among the sculptures, mostly
Buddhist, the historically most important is the one of displaying Asoka,
the Mauryan emperor with his two queens and a female attendant holding
a parasol over the king with the inscription at the top mentioning the
name of the King "Raja Asoko" the only one of its kind in South India and
probably the second in the entire country so far known. Among the
hundreds of inscriptions, a few belong to the imperial Satavahana kings:
Chimuka Satavahana, Vasishthiputra siri Pulamavi, Gautamiputra
Satakarni, Yajna Sri Satakarni and in a few others. Especially a sculptural
panel with inscription mentioning the military exploits of the king and
displaying Gautamiputra Satakarni in the deathbed surrounded by the
hopelessly grief-stricken women folk in various attitudes is noteworthy. It
recalls similar panel depicting Buddha's Mahaparinirvana from Amaravati,
another great Buddhist Centre with Asokan pillar inscription on the bank
of the Krishna, in Andhra Pradesh. Some other Buddhist panels are:
Mayadevi's (the mother of the Buddha) dreams, Anatha Pindika purchase
of the Jetavana for donating it to Buddha, Ramagrama stupa surrounded
by the Nagas, episodes from the jatakas sucha as Chaddanta, Vidura
pandita etc. Interestingly enough, the donative records mention the
names of the dignitaries in important official positions :amatya,
mahatalavara, maharathi as well as merchants, Buddhist devotees.

All these finds indicate that the place, probably the Suvarnagiri of Asokan
edicts, was developing into a great Buddhist centre even from the period
of Asoka who probably visited the place and got built the stupa. This was
later enlarged and enriched during the period of the Satavahanas. The
inscriptions and sculptures indicate the prevalence of the Hinayana and
strongly the Mahayana schools of Buddhism in the region. It may also be
noted that Sannati on the bank of the river Bhima, a tributary to the
Krishna formed a part of strong Buddhist belt along the Krishna where
probably the Mahayana form of Buddhism originated and developed. In
particular, in Karnataka this is the only Buddhist site, exceedingly rich and
the most outstanding.

23 November 2008
A. Sundara

(A. Sundara)*

*Hon. Editor, Kannada Encyclopaedia vol: History and Archaeology, Kuvempu

Institute of Kannada Studies, “Manasa Gangotri” University of Mysore, MYSORE
570006, Karnataka(India)