Buddhist Excavation Near Bengaluru Hits Land Acquisition Hurdle
Meanwhile, the land value at Rajaghatta is sky high since the place is close to Devanahalli where Kempegowda International Airport is located and Bengaluru city is in close proximity
A recently excavated Buddhist site at Rajaghatta of Doddaballapur in Bengaluru Rural district has put officials of Department of Archaeology, Museums and Heritage in a fix after a farmer on whose land the excavation took place demands existing market price for him to part with his 16-guntas of land. Members of Maha Bodhi Society, a Buddhist charitable organisation, has put forth a demand before the State Government to initiate steps to make the Buddhist relic site “an open-site” exhibition.
Commissioner of Department of Archaeology, Museums and Heritage A. Devaraju told Deccan Chronicle on Wednesday that a proposal has been sent to begin the land acquisition process at Rajaghatta.
Department of Archaeology, Museums and Heritage officials have felt the need to excavate further at Rajaghatta and they need an area of about 4 acres adjacent to the present excavated site to expose hidden structure-a Chaityalaya, a place of Buddhist worship. To carry out further excavation, the Department of Archaeology, Museums and Heritage needs lands to be acquired from their owners and “Land acquisition would be a lengthy process.”
Meanwhile, members of Maha Bodhi Society, Buddhist Charitable Organisation, are averse to the idea of Department of Archaeology, Museums and Heritage to cover/close the excavated site temporarily until land acquisition process is completed so that they re-open the site.
After the hidden relics were exposed at Rajaghatta, highly placed sources in the Department of Archaeology, Museums and Heritage said “We decided to cover the exposed site with sheets to prevent damages by rains and local people since the structures excavated are fragile. But, Mahabodhi Society members opposed it and demanded steps to make the excavated site an open-site exhibition.”
Meanwhile, the land value at Rajaghatta is sky high since the place is close to Devanahalli where Kempegowda International Airport is located and Bengaluru city is in close proximity.
The site at Rajaghatta was first excavated twice about 2-decades back and the third excavation began this January and ended in May wherein archaeologists came across bricks dating back to the 1st and 2nd century. The excavated relics is an extended part of the earlier excavation where a hidden structure- a Chaityalaya, a place of worship.