In 1870, in the quiet village of Bhattiprolu in Andhra Pradesh, the remains of an ancient Buddhist monument — the Bhattiprolu Stupa, locally known as Vikramarka Kota Dibba — were discovered. More than two decades later, in 1892, the site was systematically excavated by British archaeologist Alexander Rea. The Bhattiprolu Stupa holds immense historical and religious significance and is regarded as one of the earliest and most important Buddhist stupas in South India.
Originally located in Pratipalapura — the ancient name for present-day Bhattiprolu in the Guntur district of Andhra Pradesh — the stupa dates back to the 3rd century BCE. While it was initially believed to have been built during the reign of Emperor Ashoka, some archaeological evidence suggests it may pre-date Ashoka’s time. The stupa was also strategically linked to ancient trade routes that crisscrossed the Indian subcontinent, contributing to the spread of Buddhism and making Bhattiprolu a key centre for cultural and religious exchange.
During his excavation, Alexander Rea unearthed three intact votive stone caskets buried at the base of the stupa. Each casket contained a smaller inner container, inside which lay a crystal reliquary filled with jewels, pearls, and most importantly, sacred relics. Among these, the most significant find was a casket containing the sharirika-dhatu — the bodily relics of the Buddha himself. This extraordinary discovery was confirmed by an inscription on the casket, making Bhattiprolu the southernmost site at that time where such relics had been found.
One of the most remarkable contributions of Bhattiprolu to Indian history is its connection to the evolution of Indian scripts. The inscriptions found on the caskets were written in a distinct variant of Brahmi, now known as the Bhattiprolu script. Dating from the 3rd to 1st century BCE, these are among the earliest dateable Brahmi inscriptions in South India.
Although related to northern Brahmi, the Bhattiprolu script is not identical. It contains radically different characters — such as an inverted ‘ma’ — and displays features that suggest possible influences from Tamil-Brahmi, while still remaining a unique script. Scholars believe this script was an important precursor to the Telugu-Kannada scripts used in South India today, serving as a missing link in the history of Indian epigraphy.
Today, the relics and caskets discovered at Bhattiprolu are preserved in two locations. The bone fragments of the Buddha, once enshrined in the stupa, are now enshrined within the central dome of the Global Vipassana Pagoda in Mumbai, one of the world’s largest Buddhist monuments. The original stone caskets are housed in the Egmore Museum in Chennai, ensuring their preservation for future generations.
(Varsha/RS)
