Sannati Bhuddist site

About Sannati Buddhist site:

• It is the ancient Buddhist site on the bank of Bhima river near Kanaganahalli (forming part of Sannati site) in Kalaburagi district, Karnataka. It is also popular among tourists for the Chandrala Parameshwari Temple.
• Major findings in this site:
  • It is believed to have been developed in three constructional phases – Maurya, Early Satavahana and Later Satavahana periods stretching from 3rd Century B.C. to 3rd Century A.D.
  • Ranamandala area of Sannati offers a unique chronological scale from prehistoric to early historic times.
  • An inscription written in the Prakrit language using the Brahmi script is also found here.
  • The excavation also recovered another precious stone of historical importance – a stone sculpture portraying Mauryan Emperor Ashoka. The emperor is seen surrounded by his queens and female attendants in this rare sculpture. The sculpture had the words “Raya Asoko” etched on it in Brahmi script leaving little scope for mistaking the identity of the man featured in it.
  • The recoveries included around 60 dome slabs with sculptural renderings of selected Jataka stories, main events in the life of the Master, portraits of Shatavahana monarchs and certain unique depictions of Buddhist missionaries sent by Ashoka to different parts
• The site of ancient Nagavi Ghatikasthana, which was often termed the Takshashila of the South by historians, is around 40 km away from Sannati.
• The Ghatikasthana, which had the status of a present-day university, was a major education hub during rulers of the Rashtrakuta and Kalyana Chalukya dynasties between the 10th and 12th Centuries.

Q1: What are the Jataka tales?

These are a large collection of Buddhist morality stories in which the Buddha recounts some of his past lives on his long road to enlightenment.

Source : Nuggets of history from Sannati village in Kalaburagi district