Excavation work begins in Lakkundi days after historic treasure found

GADAG: Excavation work has begun at the historic Lakkundi site in Gadag district on Thursday after historical treasure was found during digging for the foundation of a house in the village recently. The excavation is being carried out by the Archaeological Department, Tourism Department, Lakkundi Development Authority, and the district administration.

A step well a little distance from the temple.

The excavation is taking place in front of the Kote Veerabhadreshwara Temple, with a team led by T M Keshava, a retired superintendent of the Archaeological Department and excavation director. The excavation area is 10 sqmt and the team is expecting to find historical artifacts, stone inscriptions, and jewellery. The excavation process is being carried out carefully, with only 10 centimeters of soil being dug up each day.

The excavation team has been given a budget of Rs 25 lakh for the project. The work began at 11 am on Thursday in the presence of district Deputy Commissioner C N Sridhar, SP Rohan Jagadish and other officials. The excavation work has begun at Lakkundi, and it’s not related to the recent treasure discovery. The government had already planned the excavation, and it’s just a coincidence that it started after the treasure was found, the DC said.

Speaking to Public TV, Deputy Commissioner C N Sridhar said, “We can’t predict what’s hidden beneath the earth. The Archaeological Department has indicated that there are temple remains, and that’s why we’ve started the excavation. Let’s wait and see what we find.”

The DC added that the decision to relocate the village will depend on the findings of the excavation. “If we find anything significant, we’ll relocate the village. We’ll work with the villagers and ensure their cooperation throughout the process”.

On the first day, the team dug up only 1 foot of soil, and no artifacts have been found yet. The excavation will continue, with the team expecting to dig up 7-8 feet of soil to find any remains or artifacts. The excavation is being carried out with great care, and the team is hopeful of finding some significant historical artifacts.