Peddabankor

Peddabankor is an early Buddhist site discovered in the 1960’s in Peddapalli District at the confluence of two small streams in Telangana, India. 

Located 18 miles from Karimnagar.It is a place of archeological interest and the excavations here revealed apsidal rubble walled structures, brick structures, brick built and terracotta wolf. The site also shows covered underground drains to channel waste water into soakage pits.

Peddabankur is a small village now but was an important settlement during the Satavahana period extending over a 30 hectare area. About 10 kilometers, from Peddabankur was the fortified site which is one of the 30 walled cities mentioned by Megasthenes.

The stupa must date from the third century BCE because an inscription of the first quarter of the second century BCE records the veneering of the existing stupa. Roman coins and a terra cotta figure of a Roman trader have been recovered. There is no direct evidence of a monastery but a site of this size needed monks for the regular rituals. From the absence of the Buddha in reliefs it seems to be a Theravada site.

The findings also include punch marked coins, Roman and Satavahana coins; iron objects including agricultural, carpentry and domestic implements, and weapons such as spear heads, spikes and arrow heads. Artifacts such as seals, beads and bangles, terracotta and kaolin human figures, antimony rods, dice and coin moulds have been found here. Brahmi labels belonging to 1st century were also discovered.

Evidence for the forging of iron was found in the Peddabankur excavations.

http://monastic-asia.wikidot.com/peddabankur