The environmentalists, who have been fighting for conservation of prominent Buddhist site dating back to 3rd century BC at Thotlakonda on the outskirts of Visakhapatnam, have demanded restoration of the notified area of around 3,000 acres around the site and investigation by Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) to unearth Buddhist ruins in the area, officials familiar with the matter said.

The Thotlakonda Buddhist complex situated in survey no. 314 at Kapuluppada village in Bheemunipatnam (Bheemili) block of Visakhapatnam had been declared a protected monument under the AP Ancient and Historical Monument and Archaeological Sites and Remains Act, 1960.

“On May 2, 1978, the then state government notified a total extent of 3,143 acres of land at Thotlakonda as the Buddhist archaeological site and kept it under the protection of the state archaeology department. Since the department had meagre budgetary resources at that time, the authorities could only excavate a limited portion of the site on the top of the Thotlakonda hill, leaving around 3,000 acres of the remaining notified area for future exploration,” prominent environmentalist and retired IAS officer EAS Sarma said.

In July 2021, the previous YSR Congress Party government issued an order de-notifying the entire area around the Thotlakonda, leaving a small extent of 120 acres on the hill top.

“Apparently, the previous government was under pressure from the real estate developers, as the land prices in the neighbourhood were shooting up,” Sarma said, adding that it would lead to a conscious erasure of potential archaeological evidence all around Thotlakonda.

Former director of state archaeology P Chenna Reddy admitted that the area around Thotlakonda was de-notified, as a lot of real estate activity was going on in the neighbourhood. “The department was facing a shortage of staff and there was no way we could protect the area with limited strength,” he said.

Another noted environmentalist of Visakhapatnam Sohan Hattangadi said the Thotlakonda site had a lot of archaeological significance, because it was believed to be one of the oldest Buddhist monasteries.

“It was accidentally discovered in ‘70s during an aerial survey for finding a suitable location for the establishment of INS Kalinga by the Indian Navy. Further studies by archaeologists revealed that Buddhism had flourished in Visakhapatnam region, some 2,000 years ago,” Hattangadi said.

Now that there is a change of government in Andhra Pradesh after the recent assembly elections in the state, the environmentalists want the government to take steps for the restoration of the notified area of the Thotlakonda area.

“The entire area should be protected and investigated, as there is a possibility of ancient ruins being spread across several parts of Thotlakonda hill, apart from where the first excavation took place,” Hattangadi said.

Sarma suggested that the site could be handed over to the ASI to conduct investigations using ground-penetrating non-invasive techniques such as satellite imagery and geo-physical methods to unearth potential archaeological evidence about Buddhist culture prevailing there 2,000 years ago.

He pointed out that similar techniques were used in Bodh Gaya to unearth precious heritage archaeological evidence. Professional agencies in India such as National Institute of Advanced Studies (NIAS) have the necessary expertise that could be used by the ASI, he added.

Sarma pointed out that a research scholar by name Lars Fogelin from the University of Michigan carried out a systematic surface survey of the entire notified stretch of Thotlakonda, under the supervision of the State Archaeology Dept between 2000 and 2003.

“He discovered for the first time 134 archaeological sites, containing 328 individual archaeological features duly identified, including 231 cairns, 33 walls, one stupa, four columns, and nine water cisterns and two reservoirs, hitherto undocumented. He apprised the state archaeology department of his findings,” he said.