Telangana’s Department of Heritage has recently unearthed a coin hoard at Phanigiri, a renowned Buddhist heritage site located 110 km away from the state capital of Hyderabad.
Key points
- The lead coins were found in an earthen pot on March 29 during the ongoing excavations.
- The coins numbering 3,730 bore an elephant symbol on the obverse and a Ujjain symbol on the reverse. Studies concluded that the coins belong to the Ikshvaku period.
- Phanigiri village derived its name from the shape of the hillock, which appears to be like a snake hood.
- The word Phani in Sanskrit means snake and Giri means hillock.
- Phanigiri is believed to be one of the important Buddhist monasteries strategically located on the hilltop, on the ancient trade route (Dakshinapatha) connecting the west and the east coast of the Deccan.
