Excavation at Lakkundi may end in a few days

Hubballi: The excavation launched by the state archaeology department, in collaboration with the Gadag district administration and Lakkundi Heritage Area Development Authority, may be completed in the next 5-6 days.Lakkundi made headlines after the discovery of antique jewellery while digging the land to construct a house. Coincidentally, the state archaeology department also resumed its excavation — which it had stopped last year due to rain — on Jan 9, around the same time the jewellery was discovered. This time, the excavation caught the attention of the nation after the discovery of gold in Lakkundi. People and historians were keen to know the outcome of the excavation. However to their disappointment, gold was not discovered. The sudden decision to stop the excavation has raised questions.Sources said that initially, the department declared that the excavation would continue for 3-4 months. But it has now decided to wind up in the next 5-6 days. The department started the excavation at a 10x10 square metre site opposite the Kote Veerabhadreshwar Temple. The site was divided into four blocks of 2.5 metres each.During excavation over more than a month, several artefacts were found, including Adishesha with seven hoods, stone inscriptions, a donor (daana shastra) slab, Dwarapalaka (guardian) sculptures, and decorative stone fragments. Distinctive sculptural patterns, including rare stone carvings, belonged to the Kalyana Chalukya, Hoysala, and Badami Chalukya periods were also found besides human skeletal remains. Shejeshwara R, director, archaeology department, Hampi, who is overseeing the excavation in Lakkundi, told TOI they are in the process of completing the excavation in the next 5-6 days. They have almost stopped digging in all four blocks, as they reached the natural soil level. "We usually stop excavation on reaching natural soil level. We reached that level after digging up to 9-10 foot. We need to dig the remaining 50 cm path between the four blocks, which might take 2-3 days. Later, we would wind up activities," the director said.He said they on Monday completed the documentation of the excavation site through drone cameras, and they will soon submit a comprehensive report to the govt. To restart a fresh excavation, a decision has to be taken by the tourism department, the state archaeology department, and the Lakkundi authority, he said.He also claimed that the excavation was planned much before the discovery of gold, and it had nothing to do with the gold discovery. "We undertook the excavation to unearth the artefacts and other things related to history, not for gold," he clarified.