ABOUT THE
Attraction
Situated on the left bank of River Bhima in Gulbarga district, Karnataka, the relics discovered at Kanaganahalli are dated between the 1st century BC to the 3rd century AD. Excavations have revealed the ruins of a massive Buddhist stupa, many brick structures in the form of a chaitya-griha and votive stupas. Fragments of sculptured panels and slabs found depict images of Buddha and his life. Portrait of many Shatavahana kings have also been found. The most important finding includes a stone sculptured slab bearing the name Raya Ashoka. The first inscribed portrait of Ashoka (surrounded by female attendants and queens) has been found here, unearthed from the ruined Buddhist stupa. The remains of the stupa has been referred to an Adholoka Maha-Chaitya in the inscriptions. It is a well-developed stupa constructed with locally available limestone with elaborate ornamentation. The stupa measures nearly 22 m in diameter and has a height of 17 m. At least three constructional phases, that of the Maurya, early Satavahana and later Satavahana periods, are datable.
The nearest prominent city is Nalwar, 19 km away.
OTHER ATTRACTIONS
Namdroling Monastery
Namdroling Nyingmapa monastery is said to be the largest teaching centre of the Nyingmapa lineage of Tibetan Buddhism in the world.
Sannati
Only surviving sculptural image of emperor Ashoka was discovered here on a limestone relief.
Amaravathi
Built in the 3rd century BC during the reign of King Ashoka. It is the site of an ancient Buddhist settlement, known as Chintapalli.