Facts for Prelims (FFP)
Source: IE
Context: Recently around 3,730 lead coins were unearthed in an earthen pot at Phanigiri, a renowned Buddhist heritage site in Telangana.
- The coins, bearing an elephant symbol on the obverse and a Ujjain symbol on the reverse, are believed to belong to the Ikshvaku period.
- Phanigiri is considered an important Buddhist monastery located strategically on the hilltop, along the ancient trade route connecting the west and east coast of the Deccan.
About the Ikshvaku era:
During the third and fourth centuries CE, the Ikshvaku dynasty ruled the eastern Krishna River valley from their capital at Vijayapuri (modern Nagarjunakonda in Andhra Pradesh).
Also known as the Andhra Ikshvakus or the Ikshvakus of Vijayapuri, they were Shaivites following Vedic rituals, but Buddhism flourished during their reign.
They practised both Buddhism and Brahminism, evident in their architectural projects.
The dynasty’s reign marked a period of cultural and religious growth but ended with the rise of Pallava rule.
